The grace of the Holy Spirit, which is given mystically to every Christian when he is baptized,

acts and is manifested in proportion to our obedience to the commandments of the Lord.

That is, if a Christian obeys the commandements of the Lord more, grace acts with him more,

while if he obeys them less, grace acts within him less. Just as a spark, when covered in the

ashes of fire becomes increasingly manifest as one removes the ashes, and the more fire wood

you put the more the fire burns, so the grace that has been given to every Christian through

Holy Baptism is hidden in the heart and covered up by the passions and sins, and the more

a man acts in accordance with the commandments of Christ, the more he is cleansed of the 

passions, and the more the fire of Divine grace lights in his heart, illumines and deifies him.

 +St. Nikodemos of the Holy Mountain

To Schedule a Baptism: Please email us at stmarkofephesuskingstonma@gmail.com 

Payment for a Baptism: In Thanksgiving to God, an offering to St. Mark of Ephesus Orthodox Mission should be made and a suggested donation in the range of $100 - $750 (or more) is greatly appreciated. 

Baptism Information & Procedures

1. At least one sponsor must be an Orthodox Christian in good standing with their church. The other sponsor must be a baptized Christian also in good spiritual standing with their church. You should present the priest with copies of their baptismal certificates well in advance of the baptismal date and a letter from their priest stating their membership.

2. All Orthodox parties (parents and godparents) are strongly urged and encouraged to take Confession and Communion prior to the baptism.

3. Invitations to any clergy must be issued by the priest.

4. Things needed for the baptism to keep in mind:

• A cross and chain (usually bought by the Godfather) for the child. It is best to put the cross on a safety pin if the child is an infant.
• All clothes (inside and out) should be new and white (usually bought by the Godmother). The baby should come to the baptism in "regular" clothes, not in their baptismal clothes.
• A large bath towel and small hand towel.
• One baptismal candle, which may be decorated if you would like, that can be taken home. 
• A small bottle of pure virgin olive oil.
• The godparents should be at the church at least 20 minutes prior to the baptism in order to review the service with the priest.
• Since another baptism may be held after yours, or because the priest may have another commitment, we ask that you (and your guests) arrive to the baptism on time.