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Melkite Greek Catholic Church Information Center

Churching a Baby Liturgical Service

Churching is a commeration of the Holy Hypapanty of Holy God the Son within the Holy Trinity / Our Lord, God and Savior, Jesus Christ and the Purification of The Theotokos.

• Holy God the Son within the Holy Trinity / Our Lord, God and Savior, Jesus Christ was presented to God at the Temple.
• The Theotokos was purified after giving birth.

Churching also spiritually prepares the baby and the parents for the Holy Mystery of Baptism.

When

Churching a baby is performed when the mother and the baby first go to the Church after the birth of the baby. The mother does not go to Church without her baby nor the baby without his/her mother.

What Happens

• Baby
• Blessing the baby.
• Presenting the baby to God.
• Dedicating the baby to God.
• Mother
• Welcoming the mother back to church after an absence.
• Blessing the mother for the cause of that absence: the birth of the baby.

When do the Mother and Baby go to Church

People differ when Churching should be done.

• Some people do Churching on the Sunday closest to Forty Days after the birth of the baby to commerate Jesus being Presented at the Temple Forty Days after birth.
• Some people do Churching as soon as the mother and baby are physically able to go to Church. They do not count the days.

Procedure

• The Churching Service starts just inside the front entrance of the Church. The baby, the parents, the baptismal sponsors, and other family members are present. Several prayers are said.
• The priest carries the baby to the altar while he is saying a prayer.
• The priest returns the baby to the baby's parents.

More Information

Churching St. Ann Melkite Catholic Church, West Paterson, NJ

Holy Mysteries of Christian Illumination

Churching is received prior to a baby receiving the Holy Mysteries of Christian Illumination.

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Melkite Greek Catholic Church Information Center is dedicated to my cousins: Bucky (Richard C. Liles) and Shirley (Shirley Jean Liles Buck). Bucky fell asleep in the Lord on Dec. 12, 2000 and Shirley fell asleep in the Lord on Nov. 8, 2001.
O God of all spirits and of all flesh, who have destroyed death, overcome the devil, and given life to the world: grant, O Lord, to the souls of your servants Bucky and Shirley, who has departed from this life, that it may rest in a place of light, in a place of happiness, in a place of peace, where there is no pain, no grief, no sighing. And since You are a gracious God and the Lover of Mankind, forgive him/her every sin he/she has committed by thought, or word, or deed, for there is not a man who lives and does not sin : You alone are without sin, your righteousness is everlasting, and your word is true. You are the Resurrection and the Life, and the repose of your departed servants Bucky and Shirley. O Christ our God, and we send up glory to You, together with your eternal Father and your all-holy, good and life-givng Spirit, now and always and for ages upon ages. Amen.

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Last Updated: Saturday, December 24, 2005, 21:30:29, PST
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