Prayers at Childbirth, Naming & Churching

Priest. Let us pray to the Lord.

O Master, Lord Almighty, who healest every infirmity and every weakness: Heal thou also this thy servant, N., who this day hath given birth to a child, and raise her up from the bed whereon she lieth. For, according to the words of the Prophet David, in sin are we conceived, and we are all vile in thy sight. Preserve her and this child which she hath borne. Cover her with the shadow of thy wings, from the day that now is even unto her last end; through the prayers of the all-pure Birth-giver of God, and of all the Saints. For blessed art thou unto ages of ages. Amen.

Let us pray to the Lord.

O Master, Lord our God, who wast born of our all-pure Lady, the Birth-giver of God, and ever-virgin Mary, and as a babe didst lie in a manger, and as a little child wast held in arms: Show mercy also upon this thy servant, who to-day hath borne this child; and forgive her sins, both voluntary and involuntary; and preserve her from every oppression of the Devil; and preserve the child which hath been born of her from every spell and perplexity, from every storm of adversity, and from evil spirits, whether of the day or of the night. Keep her under thy mighty hand, and grant that she may speedily arise, and purify her from uncleanness, and heal her sickness; and vouchsafe unto her health and strength both of soul and body; and hedge her round about with bright and shining Angels; and preserve her from every invasion of invisible spirits. Yea, Lord, and from infirmity and weakness, from jealousy and envy, and from the evil eye; and have mercy upon her and upon the child, according to thy great mercy; and purify her from bodily uncleanness, and from the divers inward troubles which assail her. And lead her forth by thy speedy mercy, in submissiveness of her body, unto recovery. And grant that the child that hath been born of her may do reverence to the earthly temple which thou hast prepared to glorify thy holy Name.

For unto thee are due all glory, honour and worship, to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit, now, and ever, and unto ages of ages. Amen.

Let us pray to the Lord.

O Lord our God, who wast graciously pleased to come down from heaven, and to be born of the holy Birth-giver of God and ever-virgin Mary, for the salvation of us sinners, and who knowest the frailty of

man's nature: Forgive thy servant, N., who to-day hath given birth, according to the multitude of thy bounties. For thou hast said, O Lord': Increase, and multiply, and fill the earth, and possess it. For which cause also do we, thy servants, pray, and emboldened by thy long-suffering love towards mankind, with awe do cry aloud to the kingdom of thy holy Name: Look down from heaven and behold the weakness of us who are condemned; and pardon this thy servant, N., and all the house wherein the child hath been born, and those who have touched her, and all those who are here present; inasmuch as thou art a good God and lovest mankind; for thou only hast power to remit sins. Through the prayers of the all-holy Birth-giver of God and of all the Saints.

Priest: Blessed is our God always, now, and ever, and unto ages of ages. Amen. O heavenly King: and the rest ending: For thine is the Kingdom... (See page 43.) Then the final Hymn for the Day, or for the Patron Saint of the Church.

The Priest maketh the sign of the cross upon the forehead, lips and breast of the Infant and saith this Prayer:

Let us pray to the Lord.

O Lord our God, we pray unto thee, and we beseech thee, that the light of thy countenance may be shown upon this thy servant, N.; and that the cross of thine Only-begotten Son may be graven in his (her) heart, and in his (her) thoughts: that he (she) may flee from the vanity of the world and from every evil snare of the enemy, and may follow after thy commandments. And grant, O Lord, that thy holy Name may remain unrejected,' by him (her); and that he (she) may be united, in due time, to thy holy Church; and that the dread Sacraments of thy Christ may be administered unto him (her): That, having lived according to thy commandments, and preserved without flaw the seal, he (she) may receive the bliss of the elect in thy kingdom; through the grace and love towards mankind of thine Only-begotten Son, with whom also thou art blessed, together with thine all-holy, and good, and life-giving Spirit, now, and ever, and unto ages of ages. Amen.

Then, taking the Infant in his arms, he standeth before the door of the Temple, or before the holy image of the most holy Birth-giver of God, and maketh the sign of the cross, saying:

Hail, O Virgin Birth-giver of God, thou who art full of grace! For from thee hath shone forth the Sun of Righteousness, Christ our God, who giveth light to them that are in darkness. And rejoice, thou aged, righteous man, that didst receive in thine arms the Redeemer of our souls, who giveth unto us resurrection!

Then the Benediction.

The beginning is the same as in the preceding service.

On the fortieth day the Infant is brought to the Temple to be churched; that is, to make a beginning of being taken into the Church. And it is brought by theMother, who, being already cleansed and washed, standeth there at the Entrance, and desireth to receive the Rite, after the Baptism. Bending down his head to the Mother, as she standeth with the Infant, the Priest maketh the sign of the cross over the Infant; and touching its head, he saith the Prayer: Glory to thee, Our God... and ending with the Lord's Prayer and the Benediction. (Page 286.) Let us pray to the Lord.

O Lord God Almighty, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who by thy word hast created all things, both men endowed with speech and dumb animals, and hast brought all things from nothingness into being, we pray and implore thee: Thou hast saved this thy servant, N., by thy will. Purify her, therefore, from all sin and from every uncleanness, as she now draweth near unto thy holy Church; and make her worthy to partake, uncondemned, of thy Holy Mysteries.

(And if the Child be not living, the Prayer is read only thus far. Then the Exclamation.

For thou art a good God, who lovest mankind, and unto thee do we ascribe glory, to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit, now, and ever, and unto ages of ages. Amen.

But if the Child be alive, the following is added, to the end:)

And bless thou the child which hath been born of her. Increase him (her); sanctify him (her); enlighten him (her); render him (her) chaste, and' endow him (her) with good understanding. For thou hast brought him (her) into being, and hast shown him (her) the physical light, and hast appointed him (her) to be vouchsafed in due-time spiritual light, and that he (she) may be numbered among thy chosen flock, through thine Only-begotten Son: with whom, also, thou art blessed, together with thine all-holy, and good, and life-giving Spirit, now, and ever, and unto ages of ages. Amen.

Peace be unto all.

Bow your heads unto the Lord.

The Prayer for the Mother of the Child.

O Lord our God, who didst come for the redemption of the human

race, come thou also upon thy servant, N., and grant unto her, through

the prayers of thine honourable Priest, entrance into the temple of thy

glory. Wash away her bodily uncleanness, and the stains of her soul,

in the fulfilling of the forty days. Make her worthy of the communion of thy holy Body and of thy Blood.

For sanctified and glorified is thine all-honourable and majestic Name, of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, now, and ever, and unto ages of ages. Amen.

The Prayer for the Child. The Priest, making over the Child the sign of the cross, prayeth:

Let us pray to the Lord.

O Lord our God, who wast brought, on the fortieth day, as an infant into the Temple according to the Law, by Mary the Bride Unwedded, who also was thy holy Mother; and wast borne in the arms of Simeon the Just: Do thou, O Master all-powerful, bless also unto every good deed this infant which hath been brought hither, that he (she) may present himself (herself) unto thee, the Creator of all men, and rear him (her) well-pleasing unto thee in all things; and drive far from him (her) every adverse power, through sealing with the sign of thy cross; for thou art he who preserveth infants, O Lord. And grant that having been vouchsafed holy Baptism, he (she) may receive the portion of the elect ones of thy kingdom, and be preserved, together with us, through the grace of the holy, and consubstantial, and undivided Trinity.

For unto thee are due all glory, thanksgiving and worship, together with thy Father who is from everlasting, and thine all-holy, and good, and life-giving Spirit, now, and ever, and unto ages of ages. Amen.

Peace be with you all.

Bow your heads unto the Lord.

O God the Father Almighty, who by thy trumpet-voiced Prophet Isaiah didst foretell unto us the incarnation through a Virgin of thine Only-begotten Son and our God; who in these latter days, by thy good pleasure and the cooperation of the Holy Spirit, for the salvation of us men, and because of thy boundless compassion, didst graciously deign to become a babe by her; and according to the custom of thy holy Law didst suffer thyself to be brought into thy holy Sanctuary, after that the days of purification were fulfilled, being thyself the true law-giver; and didst condescend to be borne in the arms of the righteous Simeon, of which mystery we have recognized the prototype, revealed by the coal in the tongs, foretold by the prophet; which thing, also, we faithful, by grace do imitate: Do thou now also, O Lord, who preservest children, bless this Infant, together with his (her) parents and his (her) sponsors; and grant that, in due season, he (she) may be united, through water and the Spirit of the new birth, unto thy holy flock of reason-endowed sheep, which is called by the name of thy Christ. For thou art he who dwelleth on high, and looketh down upon the humble of heart; and unto thee do we ascribe glory, to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit, now, and ever, and unto ages of ages. Amen.

And if the Child be already baptized, the Priest performeth the churching. But if not, he doth this after the Baptism. And the Benediction to the Prayers is made here.

May Christ our true God, through the prayers of his most pure Mother, of the holy, glorious and all-laudable Apostles (and of the Patron Saint of the Temple; and of the Saint of the day); of the holy and righteous Ancestors of God, Joachim and Anna, and of all the Saints, have mercy upon us, and save us, in that he is good and loveth mankind.

Then the Priest taketh the Infant, and maketh with it the sign of the cross in front of the door of the Temple, saying:

The servant of God, N., is churched: In the Name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

Then he beareth him into the Temple, saying: He (she) entereth into thy house, to worship towards thy holy Temple.

And going to the middle of the Temple, he saith: The servant of God is churched: In the Name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

Then he saith: In the midst of the church shall he (she) sing praises unto thee.

Then he beareth him before the door of the Sanctuary, saying: The servant of God is churched: In the Name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.

And he beareth it into the holy Sanctuary, if it be a male child; but if it be a female child, to the Holy Door only, saying:

Lord now lettest thou thy servant depart in peace, according to thy word.

For mine eyes have seen thy salvation,

Which thou hast prepared: before the face of all people;

To be a light to lighten the Gentiles, and to be the glory of thy people Israel.

And after this, at the door of the Sanctuary, he giveth the Child to the Sponsor, who maketh three lowly reverences, and taketh the Child.

And the Priest pronounceth the customary Benediction. (See above.)