The Orthodox Pages

THE EUCHOLOGION

THE PRAYER AT THE

CHURCHING OF A mother and CHILD

AFTER FORTY DAYS

Homepage

 

Back to Euchologion section

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

On the fortieth day, the infant is again brought to the Temple to be Church. That is, to begin attending Church. It is brought to the Church by the mother who has already be washed and cleaned accompanied by the intended sponsor at Baptism. Standing before the doors of the Temple, the Priest says:

Blessed is our God always, now and for ever: world without end. Amen.

O Holy God, Holy and Strong, Holy and Immortal, have mercy upon us. (3)

Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit, now and for ever, world without end. Amen.

Most Holy Trinity, have mercy upon us; O Lord, cleanse us from our sins; O Master, pardon our transgressions; O Holy One, visit and heal our infirmities, for Thy Name’s sake.

Kyrie eleison or Lord have mercy. [3]

Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit, now and for ever: world without end. Amen.

Our Father, which art in heaven, hallowed be Thy Name, Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done, in earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive them that trespass against us. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.

For Thine is the kingdom, the power and the glory, of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, now and for ever: world without end. Amen.

Then the Apolytikion of the day and the Saint to whom the Church is dedicated.

Then:

Through the intercessions of all thy saints O Lord, and the Mother of God, grant us thy peace and have mercy upon us, for thou alone art compassionate. 

The Priest makes the sign of the Cross over the mother and child, who have bowed their heads and then touching the mother’s head says the following prayer:

Let us pray unto the Lord.

O Lord God Almighty, Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, Who by thy word didst create every rational and irrational creature, who didst bring all things out of nothingness into being: we pray to thee and implore thee, thy servant (…..) who through thy will thou hast saved, do thou cleanse from every sin and from every impurity as she now comes into thy Holy Church, so that without condemnation, she may be accounted worthy to partake of thy holy Mysteries.

Be it known that if the child is no longer among the living, the prayer is read up to this point and then the Priest says aloud:  

For Thou, O God, art good and loving-kind, and to Thee we ascribe glory, to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit, now and for ever: world without end.

But if the child is alive, the Priest shall touch his head saying:

And the child born of her, do thou bless, increase, sanctify, give it wisdom, integrity and a good-hearted disposition, for thou didst bring it into being and hast shown him/her the perceptible light, *(the following line is omitted if the child has already been Baptized) so that, at a time that thou hast appointed, he/she may be accounted worthy of the spiritual light and be numbered among thy holy flock,* through Thine only-begotten Son, with whom Thou art blessed; together with Thine all-holy, good and life-giving Spirit, now and for ever: world without end. Amen.

Prayer for the mother of the child

Peace unto all.

Let us bow down our heads before the Lord.

Let us pray unto the Lord.

O Lord our God, who through the incarnation of thine only-begotten Son didst come to save the human race, come also to thy servant (…..) and through the prayers of thine honourable Priesthood, account her worthy to find refuge in thy holy catholic Church, to obtain entrance into the Temple of thy glory, and account her worthy to partake of the precious Body and Blood of thy Christ.  In the fulfilment of the forty days, wash clean the impurity of her body and the stain of her soul that being accounted worthy to enter thy holy Temple she may glorify with us thy most holy name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, now and for ever, world without end. Amen.

 

Another Prayer for the Child.

The Priest, making again the sign of the Cross upon him (her) shall say:

Let us pray to the Lord.

O Lord our God, who on the fortieth day was brought as a child into the Temple of the Law by Mary, the unwedded Bride and thy holy Mother, and was held in the arms of the righteous Symeon, do thou also, O almighty Master, bless this infant brought forward that he may appear before thee the Creator of all, and do thou increase him/her in every good work and everything pleasing to thee: removing from him/her every opposing might through the sign of thy Cross:  for thou, O Lord, art he that protects the infants: *so that being accounted worthy of holy Baptism, he/she may obtain the portion of thine Elect of thy Kingdom,* being protected with us by the Grace of the holy consubstantial and undivided Trinity.

For unto Thee belong all glory, thanksgiving and worship, together with Thine eternal Father, and Thine all-holy good and life-giving Spirit, now and for ever: world without end.unto the Father, and unto the Son, and unto the Holy Spirit, now and for ever: world without end. Amen.

Take note that if the child has already been Baptized, the Priest shall not say the words * so that being accounted worthy of holy Baptism, he/she may obtain the portion of thine Elect of thy Kingdom,*

Peace unto all.

Let us bow down our heads before the Lord.

O God, the Father, the Almighty, who through Isaiah, the great voice of the Prophets, didst fore-announce to us the incarnation from a Virgin of thine only-begotten Son and our God; who in the latter days, by thy good grace and by the cooperation of the Holy Spirit didst deign through thine immeasurable compassion, to become a child of her for the salvation of mortal men; and according to the custom of thy holy Law, after the fulfilment of the days of purification, being Himself a true lawgiver, didst sustain to be brought into the Sanctuary and willed to be held in the arms of the righteous Symeon, of which mystery we have a prototype declared in the aforementioned Prophet by the taking of coals with tongs from the Altar, and of which we the faithful also have an imitation in Grace. Do thou also now, O Lord, that protects the infants, bless this child, together with its parents and sponsors;* and account it worthy, at the fitting time, to be born again of water and the Spirit. Number it among thy holy flock of rational sheep, who are called by the Name of thy Christ.*

For thou art He that dwells on high, and watches over the lowly, and to thee we ascribe glory: to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit, now and for ever: world without end. Amen.

And again take note that if the child has already been Baptized, we do not say the prayer O God, the Father, or we omit the words *and account it worthy, at the fitting time…  up to the words  who are called by the Name of thy Christ.*

 

The Priest then takes up the child and making with it the sign of the cross before the Gates of the Temple, says:

The servant of God (…..) is churched, in the Name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

He then carries the child into the Holy Temple, saying:

I will enter into Thine house: I will worship toward Thy holy temple.

And coming to the centre of the church, he shall say:

The servant of God (…..) is churched, in the Name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

And

In the midst of the congregation I will sing praises to thee.

He then brings the child before the Doors of the Altar, saying:

The servant of God (…..) is churched, in the Name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

And if the child is male the Priest carries him into the holy Sanctuary and making with the child the sign of the cross offers him at the four side of the Holy Altar, but if a female, the child is carried only as far as the Holy Doors. He then says:

Lord, now lettest Thy servant depart in peace, according to Thy word, for mine eyes have seen Thy salvation which Thou hast prepared before the face of all people. A light to lighten the Gentiles, and the glory of Thy people Israel.

Glory be to Thee, O Christ our God and our hope, glory be to Thee.

May He who deigned to be held in the arms of the righteous Symeon, for our salvation, Christ our true God, by the prayers of His most holy Mother; by the power of the precious and life-giving Cross; by the protection of the heavenly bodiless hosts; through the supplications of the glorious Prophet and Forerunner, John the Baptist; of the holy and all-glorious Apostles; of the holy, glorious and triumphant martyrs; of our holy God-bearing fathers; of [Name of the saint to whom the Church is dedicated]; of the holy and righteous progenitors of God, Joachim and Anna; and of all the saints, have mercy upon us, and save our souls: For He is good and loving-kind.  

By the prayers of our holy fathers, Lord Jesus Christ our God, have mercy upon us and save us. Amen.

After the Amen, the priest makes the sign of the Cross over the forehead, mouth, and chest of the child, invoking the name of the Holy Trinity. He then returns the child to the mother.