We want Christ to be a part of every moment of our life, and so we Pray to Him with thanksgiving and ask for His love, protection and Blessings.
First Day Blessing – The day of the birth of a baby
A Prayer is read by the Priest on the day of the birth of a baby. The Priest, together with the parents, Pray either at the hospital or at the home, for the recovery, protection and well-being of the mother and the new-born baby. Thanking God for this beautiful gift He has given.
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Eighth Day Blessing – The giving of a name to the baby
On the eighth day after the baby’s birth a Prayer is read by the Priest and the baby is given its name, just as Our Lord received His Name Jesus on the eighth day after His Birth. The baby is brought to the Church by either the father or grandmother, since the mother waits for forty days before she enters the Church.
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Forty Day Blessing – The Churching of the mother and baby
Forty days after the birth of the baby, the mother comes together with her child to the Church for the first time. This is an Old Testament Tradition observed by Our Most Holy Mother of God with her Son Jesus Christ. The Forty Day Blessing consists of Prayers for the physical and Spiritual strengthening of both the mother and her baby.
On this day, the mother and baby wait in the Narthex of the Church and present themselves to the Priest, and together with the rest of the family and the chosen Godparent, they all Pray to God. The baby is then carried by the Priest to the Altar, and the mother Venerates the Icon of Our Most Holy Mother of God on the Iconostasis, where she will be presented with her child.
The period of forty days after the birth, where the mother does not come to the Church, is given to her by the Church out of love, as a time for her recovery and bonding with the new born baby.
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Prayers and Blessing after a miscarriage
In the event of a miscarriage, the mother and father should come to the Church forty days afterwards. The Priest will read a Prayer, along with the Forty Day Blessing for the mother, and together they Pray to God for His strength and once again ask Him to hold close the Soul of the baby, until the parents will be with their child again in Paradise.