Reception by Chrismation is how the Orthodox Church brings in converts who’ve already been baptized in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit (at St. Michael, by immersion). Instead of baptizing them again, we anoint them with holy chrism and bring them into full communion with the Church.
At St. Michael, the key question is whether you were baptized by immersion in the name of the Holy Trinity, whatever church baptized you. If you were, you may be received by Chrismation. If you were not, for example if you were sprinkled or had water poured over you, you will be baptized. The bishop and the priest decide each case.
Why not just recognize the first baptism?
Here’s where people get confused. When we receive someone by Chrismation, we’re not saying “your Baptist baptism was an Orthodox sacrament.” We don’t believe grace operates outside the Church. But we also don’t believe God is bound by our rules.
The Church uses what’s called oikonomia, economy or condescension. Think of it as pastoral flexibility. We recognize that something happened in your previous baptism, even if it wasn’t a complete Orthodox Mystery. Chrismation completes what was incomplete. It’s not a do-over. It’s a filling-in of what was missing.
Canon 7 of the Second Ecumenical Council in 381 laid out how to receive various groups. Some by baptism, some by Chrismation, some by confession of faith alone. The Church has long had this flexibility, guided by the Holy Spirit through the bishops.
What actually happens in the service?
The service itself is straightforward but weighty. You’ll recite the Nicene Creed, the same one we say every Sunday, without the filioque that got added in the West. You’ll renounce your former errors. Not in a mean-spirited way, but honestly acknowledging that you’re leaving something incomplete for something whole.
Then the priest anoints you with holy chrism on your forehead, eyes, nostrils, mouth, ears, chest, hands, and feet. Each time he says, “The seal of the gift of the Holy Spirit.”
That’s it. You’re Orthodox.
The holy chrism itself is olive oil mixed with dozens of spices and fragrances, consecrated by the Ecumenical Patriarch in Constantinople. In our Antiochian Archdiocese, it reaches the parishes through the bishop. The same chrism is used for babies right after baptism. You’re receiving the same seal they receive, the same Spirit.
What changes spiritually?
Everything and nothing. You’re the same person, but now you’re united to the Church Christ founded. You can receive communion. You can go to confession. You’re not a visitor anymore.
The Holy Spirit seals you as a member of Christ’s Body. Your sins are forgiven. You’re grafted into the vine. All the things that were partial before become complete in the Church’s life.
Some people weep during this service. Others are calm. Converts who were Christian their whole lives often describe it as coming home.
Why do some jurisdictions baptize everyone?
You might hear that some Orthodox churches baptize all converts regardless of previous baptism. That’s true. They’re following akribeia, strictness or exactness, rather than economy. Both approaches have historical precedent. The Russian Church Outside of Russia often baptized converts. Some Greek parishes do the same.
At St. Michael, Chrismation is for those baptized by immersion in the name of the Holy Trinity. This is pastoral rather than lax, following the canons that allow for economia when appropriate.
If you’re coming from a tradition without Trinitarian baptism, say, Oneness Pentecostals who baptize only in Jesus’ name, then yes, you’ll be baptized. The same is true if you were baptized by sprinkling or pouring.
What comes after?
Right after Chrismation, you receive communion for the first time as an Orthodox Christian. Usually this happens on a Sunday during the Divine Liturgy, so the whole parish can welcome you. You’re not just joining a church. You’re joining a family that stretches back two thousand years and forward into eternity.
Then the real work starts. Being Orthodox isn’t about the moment you’re received. It’s about the lifelong process of being healed, being transformed, becoming by grace what Christ is by nature. We call that theosis. You’ll hear more about it. You’ll live it out in the liturgy, in fasting, in prayer, in confession, in the daily struggle to die to yourself and live for Christ.
But that first anointing, that seal of the Spirit, it marks you as Christ’s own forever.
