Infant baptism is one of the greatest gifts the Church and parents can bestow upon their children, alongside the essentials of nourishment and care.
Through baptism, the infant receives regeneration in the Holy Spirit and the gift of adoption in Christ, becoming born again by water and the Spirit.
The child is then sealed with the Gift of the Holy Spirit through Holy Chrismation and welcomed into full communion with the Church through the reception of the Holy Eucharist. Thus, they become living members of the Body of Christ, who declared, “He that eateth my flesh, and drinketh my blood, dwelleth in me, and I in him.” (John 6:56).
In the Orthodox tradition, the three Sacraments of Initiation—Baptism, Chrismation, and Holy Communion—are administered together during the baptismal ceremony for infants. The Church also places great importance on the role of Godparents, who, alongside the parents, bear the responsibility to nurture the child’s spiritual growth within the Church and to introduce them gradually to the Christian life and teachings of the Holy Orthodox Church.