The work colleague of the husband, whom we invited to be the godfather, already had 9 godchildren at that time. He refused on the grounds that he could not be a good godfather with so many godchildren. Although, in principle, if he agreed, it is unlikely that his father in the church would dissuade him.
They say that when asked to baptize a child, you cannot refuse. I already have four godchildren, two daughters and two sons. The Church does not put restrictions on the number of godchildren, but it certainly warns that you are becoming responsible for him before God, and must help him become a correct Christian. I believe that you should become the godfather of so many children in order to be able to pay attention to all of them at least on their birthday and New Year... And it also happens that godchildren will be recruited, but they don't know what to do with them. I can say from my own experience four are already a lot, it's hard to be in time everywhere.
Baptism of 4 godchildren.
One person can have at least a million godchildren, if only he understands that this is not nonsense, but responsibility before God for the souls of his godchildren. If he is ready, then at least a million, as I wrote above. And he must be ready to pray daily for his godchildren, this is the most important thing. Perhaps not unimportant is participation in the spiritual life of their children. That is, the godfather must help spiritual development godchildren. I must direct them, for example, to ensure that the godchildren live according to God, not breaking the commandments, and the manger breaks where God's law is, then repent. In order to have many godchildren, and this is allowed, you need to be a humble, spiritually developed person with tremendous spiritual and moral strength.
I remember hearing a story about a teacher orphanage... She baptized her pupils at her own expense and became all of them. godmother... She had about six hundred of them. Again, our Russian tsars. After all, they became godfathers great amount once.
This means that the number is not limited. It all depends on the desires and capabilities of a particular person.
The godson or goddaughter are god children. Or else children in Christ. If you suddenly become a godparent to some child, then you assume all the obligations of the parents of relatives. You, in the event of the death (God forbid) of your own parents or their incapacity, will be obliged to God and People to take on all the responsibilities of upbringing, education and deduction into people children, what are called your god children. Therefore, think a hundred thousand times if you are able to provide your god children with a life no worse than your own. If you cannot, then do not take sin on your soul, do not become once again godparent. You better stand on the sidelines. Honestly, it will be more correct than not being able to fulfill the duties of the God parent.
There can be as many godchildren as you like, there are no restrictions on the number. But if you really look at things, then a person should correctly assess how many children he can be responsible for. It is wrong only to be nominally considered a godparent, but not to participate in the spiritual care of the godchildren.
One person can have several godparents, but their number should be within reasonable limits. After all, the godfather must pay attention to his godchildren, and if he has too many of them, he simply will not be in time for everyone.
The number of godchildren per person not limited by any rules. However, you need to understand that the godson, in fact, is a spiritual son or daughter, for whom he is responsible before God. godfather a parent whom he must instruct and educate throughout his life. How many children can you raise if you take it seriously? Of course, not very much, especially when you consider that the spiritual forces of an ordinary person Little. That's why it's better not to chase the number of godchildren, and better more attention to give to those who are. And sometimes it is better to refuse to baptize another child if you know that you cannot really deal with his upbringing.
The Orthodox Church does not establish by canons the number of times that a person can become a godfather. But the fact is that the godfather is not a formal person who was present at the christening. The godfather bears all the responsibility of upbringing, just like the parents. I read somewhere that in the event of the death of the parents, the godfather takes full responsibility for the child upon himself. So future godfathers need to measure their capabilities, since the responsibility is very great.
There are no restrictions on being a couch for several kids. The Church does not establish any restrictions in this regard, the main thing is that the person should be an Orthodox believer and help parents raise their godchildren in the same faith.
I don’t remember exactly, but it seems that one person can have no more than five godchildren, but it’s better to clarify this question in the church with Father.
Which makes a person a Christian forever. Even if he ever changes his faith, the grace of baptism still remains with him throughout his life. Since ancient times, there has been a tradition to carry out this sacrament with the participation of recipients who are responsible for the churching and righteousness of all later life convert.
In this regard, the Orthodox question arises: how many times can one person baptize a child?
Baptism of a child in a church
Acceptable number of godchildren
The Church does not put any restrictions here. The only thing that can stop a person from agreeing to become a godfather is the fear of responsibility. After all, if the recipient has made insufficient efforts to teach his spiritual son or daughter the Christian faith and direct him to the path of salvation, he will have to answer before God.
Read about the Sacrament of Baptism:
The people have invented many superstitions associated with baptism. Kind of like what if a woman takes a second god child, then her spiritual motherhood will be “removed” from the first.
Listening to this nonsense is not worth it. Taking several spiritual children is the same as giving birth to several children. It is hard and responsible, but a mother will remain a mother for everyone.
Number of godparents
A person can have one or two recipients - a godfather and a mother.... If there is only one recipient, then it is customary to choose for this role a person of the same sex as the godson. But this is just a tradition, if for some reason it is impossible to do so, there is no sin in breaking it.
It happens that the priest himself becomes the recipient.
Baptism of a child in a church
If a baby is baptized, the godfather must make vows to God in his place and take the baby out of the font. When there are two recipients, it does godmother if the child is a girl, and the father if a boy.
If you are invited to become godfather or a mother, then, in addition to the rules for accepting the sacrament of Baptism by your future wards, you need to know how many times you can be a godfather, what are the responsibilities of the recipients and how to pray for children and godchildren.
By following the rules of Christianity, becoming a good godparent means raising your godson as a worthy Christian.
Duties of Godparents
Responsibilities to the baby appear immediately, as soon as you decide to baptize him, and you must follow them:
- A godparent is a person who must guide his ward to faith. He talks about the Christian faith and the importance of going to church, makes sure that children are brought to Communion, teaches them how to pray and live according to the will of God.
- By their example, godparents should show how to behave correctly. It is the godfather who must teach the godson the rules of kindness and love. He must be as merciful as possible, so that the child takes an example from him, because the main duty is to educate a believing Christian.
- He must teach the child the basic rules of Christianity. If you yourself do not know enough the rules prescribed by Christianity, then you can always contact the church and sign up for special classes. In general, you need to study and learn new things all your life, therefore you should read various Orthodox literature, and most importantly, attend services, at least 2 times a year to confess and receive communion.
It is important: remember, as soon as you took the baby and went to the temple of God to participate in the sacrament of Baptism, you made a promise to God that throughout your life you will try to bring your ward to the temple, pray for him and teach all the rules of Christianity.
Who can be godfather
Unfortunately, few people follow the rules when choosing candidates. Orthodox Church... Godparents can be best friend or a girlfriend, close relatives, even a grandmother or grandfather.
But it is important to understand that the person who will lead your child to faith must meet the following requirements:
- First of all, he himself must be a believing Christian. You cannot baptize a child if you do not profess Christianity. Decent choice- a person who regularly attends church, prays and takes communion.
- One who is ready to direct the upbringing of children in a Christian direction, to lead them to the service, to teach them how to pray, helps to come to confession for the first time, instills love for God, the Most Holy Theotokos and the Holy Ascetics, and teaches them to turn to them in various life circumstances, can become one.
- After the sacrament of Baptism has been performed, it is impossible to refuse or change the godfather. A person still remains a godmother, even if during his life he refused to attend a church or the Christian Orthodox faith, and cannot engage in the Christian upbringing of a child.
- An unmarried, married or pregnant woman can become a godmother, but a husband and wife cannot be godparents of the same child at the same time.
- According to the rules prescribed in the book, one person must be the godfather. Accordingly, girls have a woman, boys have a man. But the presence of a second godfather is only ancient custom churches.
- You cannot become a godparent if a person has the rank of a monk or nun.
- If it is not possible to attend the sacrament of Baptism, then it is allowed to enter the name of the parent / parent in absentia. The responsibilities of the recipients, whether full-time or part-time, are absolutely equal.
- If there is no one to become the recipient of your child, go to church, they often baptize without godparents, then the priest who performed the sacrament is considered the godfather.
Is it possible to be a godfather for several children
There is no limit on the number of godchildren. One person can become godfather twice, three times, and so on - there are no obstacles to this.
You can refuse when there are doubts not to cope with the responsibility assigned to him.
If you are already a godparent, but friends ask you to receive this honor again, you need to think carefully. Becoming a godfather is a great responsibility.
And if you live with one godson in the same city, make friends with families, maybe even go to the same church, you know that his parents are Christian believers, your only task for now is regular prayer for his entire family.
It is good if, after a while, when the grown-up child needs help, advice, he will come to you, and you, together with his parents, will be able to resolve a difficult issue.
And if another godson lives far from you, perhaps his family moved, or you, due to various circumstances, stopped communicating with his parents, this does not relieve you of responsibility. It is you who will have to answer for his Christian illiteracy before God.
Prayers for children and godchildren
Conclusion
Being a godfather is a great responsibility that everyone who agrees bears before the baby and Almighty God. Therefore, if you are not ready to help your child follow the Christian faith and cannot teach him faith, mercy, then it is better to refuse the offer to become a recipient.
Your family or friends are expected to happy event- the christening of the child, and you were invited to be the godparents? If close people have shown you such an honor, it means that they rely on you and thus express their confidence in you.
According to the prevailing signs, it is impossible to refuse in this case. However, some people who have already participated in such a ceremony more than once have questions: how many times can you be a godfather or godmother? We will try to answer them.
First of all, we will tell you about the requirements for godparents according to church rules... It is accepted that the girl has a godmother, and the boy has a godfather, although a child may have two godparents. These people must be Orthodox Christians, well acquainted with church customs.
The preference is usually given to godly, frequent churchgoers. According to the church charter, the parents of the child, monks, people who are married to each other, as well as unbelievers and unbaptized cannot be godparents. If the godfather and godfather already have children, then they must be churched.
Not only the mother's friend can act as the godmother, but also one of the relatives, for example, the girl's grandmother or aunt. But the adoptive mother cannot fulfill this role. The godfather can also be a relative of the godson, but not his adoptive father.
The godparents who are responsible for the child before God must be clean before the Almighty, and oh sexual relations there can be no question between them. It is not for nothing that the people say: "There should be no love between godfather and godfather." Intimate relationship between the parents of the child and the godfathers is also considered a sin, which will subsequently negatively affect the baby.
It is believed that a woman cannot be a godmother during pregnancy. Indeed, during this ceremony, she will think about her future baby, which can badly affect both children. Also, a woman who has had an abortion cannot be invited to the godparents.
How many times can you become a godfather or mother?
To the questions: "How many times is it allowed to be a godfather, how many times can one become a godmother?" one answer can be given: as much as you like. The church charter does not provide for any restrictions in this regard.
The main thing for you is to remember your direct responsibilities to your godson. After all, you accept responsibility for it during the sacrament of baptism before the Lord Himself.
You will have to engage in the spiritual education of the child, instruct him in the Christian faith and warn against mistakes. In the future, you will need to constantly pray for your godchildren, tell them about Jesus Christ and the Church, and lead them to Holy Communion in the temple.
As already mentioned, spiritual mentors are responsible for the baby before God, and in case of misfortune with the parents, they should take the baby into their family and raise them on an equal basis with their children.
If you are a believer and are ready to take on this mission, then the answer to the question how many times you can become a godfather or godmother will be unambiguous for you - how many times they ask.
However, taking responsibility for a child whom you will not be able to guide on the right path in the future is a heavy fault. So, in this case, only you and no one else can make a decision, although you can turn to the priest and close people for advice.
Let us recall what a child will need at baptism. This is a kryzhma - a white towel, in which it is wrapped after initiation into the font, and a baptismal dress - a shirt up to the toes or a dress and an elegant cap or kerchief, decorated with embroidery and lace.
The godmother gives these things to the baby. And the godfather buys pectoral cross, pays for the baptism procedure in the temple and the cost of food for festive table on the occasion of christening.
On the eve of this sacrament, the godparents will need to fast for several days, and then confess and receive communion in church. They will also need to know by heart a few prayers ("Symbol of Faith", etc.), which during the ceremony should be repeated after the priest.
The godmother will hold the child in her arms during this ordinance until she is immersed in the font. Then all the procedures are performed by the godfather, and the godmother should only, if necessary, help him during the ceremony.
Godparents should be well acquainted with the child, because during this ceremony they will need to maintain emotional contact with the baby and be able to calm him down if he cries.
And after the ceremony in the church, the godparents should help the child's parents in preparing the holiday on the occasion of the christening.
You should not arrange a lavish feast with alcoholic beverages on this day, because baptism is a church holiday. Better to organize a small celebration only for loved ones. Ritual dishes can be served at the table - baptismal porridge, pies, as well as sweets - so that the child's life in the future is sweet.
We hope this article, in which you will find answers to questions about how many times you can be a godfather or godmother, was useful to you, and you can accept the right decision In current situation.
They say that if you baptize the second child, then the cross is removed from the first - these are all rumors, let's talk about how many times you can be godmother.
You can become a godmother several times, more precisely, as much as your heart desires. The main thing is to remember about your duties to the godson, which you take upon yourself during the sacrament of baptism. Being a spiritual mother and having two or three godchildren (godchildren), it is necessary to take an active part in their spiritual development, pray for them and not stop communicating with them.
The church refutes rumors that after becoming a recipient for the second time, the first child is no longer considered a godson. First, the ordinance of baptism has already been performed and is valid. There is no such thing as the re-baptism of a child in the Orthodox Church; it is the same as physically being born a second time. Secondly, if a woman gave birth to a second child, then the first one must be taken away from her, otherwise how to understand the words "the cross is removed from the first child."
Interested in the answer to the question “How many times can you be a godmother?”, Answer yourself at the same time, do you know your responsibilities well. If not, read them carefully. Otherwise, why baptize a second or third time?
Duties of Godparents
Taking a child from the hands of a priest, godparents, for life, take responsibility for his Orthodox education... It is for this, in due time, for Last Judgment, they will have to bear the answer.When the godson reaches a conscious age, the godmother, like the father, is obliged to teach him the basics Orthodox faith... The child must be familiar with Holy Scripture, know the commandments and basic prayers, attend church services.
In turn, his recipients must pray, until the end of their life on earth, for their godson. In addition, to teach him faith and piety, to introduce him to the sacraments of the Church.
I hope all of the above answers the question of how many times you can be godmother. The main thing then is not to forget why you decided to become a godmother again. Remember the faith of your godchildren is your faith. While attending the sacrament of baptism, the recipients must offer God their love, their heart and their faith for the godson. And if a child has grown up and he does not have such qualities, it means that his godparents did not have them from the beginning either. This is due to the fact that the bond between godparents and their spirit children is more eternal and stronger than with parents in the flesh.
The custom of having godparents belongs to the ancient Apostolic Tradition. Future recipients should be, according to the Orthodox, believers, those who can give an account of their faith. At the time of the baptism of the child, the recipients must know the Symbol of Faith, as it will be necessary to read it at the sacrament. In addition, they must be ready to give clear answers to the priest's questions, including renouncing Satan and spiritually uniting with Christ.
