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Banner lettered "Part Four: The Mysteries and the Milestones": a priest holds a baby over a font while a godparent holds a candle; nearby a bride and groom with candles stand at a table with two crowns.

PART FOUR · 8 ENTRIES

The Mysteries and the Milestones

  1. 1Baptism and ChrismationAn Orthodox baptism plunges a person three times into blessed water, anoints them with holy chrism as the seal of the Holy Spirit, and brings them to Communion, all in one service, whether they're eight weeks old or eighty.
  2. 2ConfessionIn Orthodox confession you stand before an icon of Christ with the priest beside you as a witness, say your sins out loud, and receive God's forgiveness through the priest's prayer; how often people go differs from parish to parish, and the Church hasn't set one rule.
  3. 3Marriage and the CrowningAn Orthodox wedding is two services, a betrothal with rings and a crowning, in which the couple exchange no vows; Christ joins them, they're crowned, they share one cup, and they walk three times around the table with the priest.
  4. 4Holy Unction and Prayer for the SickHoly Unction is the Church's anointing of the sick with blessed oil, after seven readings and seven prayers, for healing of body and soul and the forgiveness of sins; it isn't reserved for the dying.
  5. 5Ordination and the Clergy FamilyThe Orthodox Church ordains bishops, priests, and deacons by the laying on of a bishop's hands in the middle of the Liturgy, with the people shouting "Axios!" ("worthy!"); parish priests are usually married, bishops come from the monastics, and the priest's wife has a title of her own.
  6. 6Blessings: Water, Homes, and ThingsThe Orthodox bless water at Theophany and take it home, have the priest bless their houses with it, and bless fruit, cars, icons, and nearly anything else, because the world is God's and is meant to be received with thanksgiving.
  7. 7Memory Eternal: Funerals, Memorials, and KolivaAn Orthodox funeral grieves honestly and proclaims the Resurrection over an open casket, ends with everyone giving the departed a last kiss, and is followed by memorials on the third, ninth, and fortieth days and every year, with a plate of sweet boiled wheat.
  8. 8Monks and NunsOrthodox monks and nuns leave ordinary life to give themselves to prayer, fasting, and repentance under obedience in a community; they pass through several grades, the Church's bishops are chosen from among them, and their monasteries welcome visitors.