Quadruple Baptism on the Feast of St. Spyridon

On December 24th before celebrating Vespers for Saint Spyridon, we had a special service to officially make four of our parishioners: Lazarus (Ryan), Paisios (Ethan), Elijah (Elijah), and Paul (Oscar) into catechumens ready for a joint baptism the following morning at the Divine Liturgy. The four have been attending our parish faithfully for around 6 months. We were joined for the service by Deacon Sergey from London.

The following morning, after Matins and the Hours Father Spasimir baptized the four men together during the Liturgy – something that we have never done before in the history of our parish! The faithful watched and rejoiced along with the angels as we welcomed them into the Orthodox Church.

The newly baptized group were able to participate in the Holy Mysteries during the Liturgy that followed, and the atmosphere of joy and celebration continued into the festive meal afterwards. We congratulate Lazarus, Paisios, Elijah, and Paul and wish them a fruitful and blessed life as Orthodox Christians and we hope that they will mark the return of Holy Orthodoxy to the British people.