Chrismation 

The Sacrament of Chrismation takes place as part of the Sacrament of Baptism and is the means by which those who have already baptized are received into the Church.

As the ministry of Christ was enlivened by the Spirit, and the preaching of the Apostles strengthened by the Spirit, so is the life of each Orthodox Christian sanctified by the Holy Spirit. Chrismation is often referred to as one’s personal Pentecost.

In the Sacrament of Chrismation, the priest anoints the various parts of the body of the newly-baptized with Holy Oil saying: “The seal of the gifts of the Holy Spirit.” The Holy Oil, which is blessed by the bishop, is a sign of consecration and strength. The Sacrament emphasizes the truths that not only is each person a valuable member of the Church, but also each one is blessed by the Spirit with certain gifts and talents. The anointing also reminds us that our bodies are valuable and are involved in the process of salvation.

If you are interested in being chrismated at Annunciation, see our page, Becoming Orthodox.

A person who wishes to serve as godparent (or sponsor) must be an Orthodox Christian in good standing* who regularly partakes of the sacraments of Communion and Confession. A person may not serve as a godparent if the Church has not blessed his or her marriage or, if civilly divorced, he or she has not been granted an ecclesiastical divorce, or for any other reason he or she is not in communion with the Orthodox Church.

Source: Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America

*A parishioner in good standing is defined in the Uniform Parish Regulations of the Archdiocese in the first paragraph of Article 18, Section 1.