Chrismation: The Seal of the Holy Spirit

What is Chrismation?

Chrismation is the Mystery in which a newly-baptized Christian receives "the seal of the gift of the Holy Spirit" through anointing with holy chrism, a specially blessed oil. If Baptism is our personal Pascha, our participation in Christ's death and resurrection, then Chrismation is our personal Pentecost, our participation in the descent of the Holy Spirit on the Church.

In Orthodox practice, Baptism and Chrismation are not separate stages of initiation but a single entrance into the life of the Church. The newly-baptized is anointed immediately, while still wearing the white baptismal garment. The priest traces the sign of the cross with holy chrism on the forehead, eyes, nostrils, mouth, ears, chest, hands, and feet, saying with each anointing: "The seal of the gift of the Holy Spirit." The congregation responds with each anointing: "Seal!"

Each anointing dedicates that part of the body, with its particular gift and capacity, to Christ. The eyes are sealed for seeing Him, the mouth for speaking His truth, the hands for serving Him in others. The whole person, from the crown of the head to the soles of the feet, is consecrated.

Why Do We Chrismate?

The Acts of the Apostles records that after Christ's Ascension, the gift of the Holy Spirit was given to His Church on the day of Pentecost (Acts 2). From that day forward, the apostles laid hands on the newly-baptized so that they too would receive the Spirit (Acts 8:14-17, Acts 19:1-7). Chrismation is the form this apostolic practice has taken in the Orthodox Church.

The chrism itself reflects this apostolic continuity. It is prepared not by a parish priest but by the bishops of the Church — in our tradition, by the Ecumenical Patriarch in Constantinople — and is distributed to dioceses and parishes throughout the world. [FACT-CHECK this] Those who bless the oil, therefore, form an unbroken succession of bishops that reaches back to the apostles themselves. [FACT-CHECK this] When a person is chrismated at Holy Apostles, they are anointed with the same blessing that has sealed Christians since the earliest centuries.

Through Chrismation a Christian is given what the Acts of the Apostles calls "power from on high." This is not power in any worldly sense, but the indwelling of the Holy Spirit who makes the new life of Baptism possible to actually live. The Mystery does not work magic. It does not exempt the chrismated from struggle. It gives them, instead, the Spirit who prays in them, sanctifies them, and slowly conforms them to Christ over the course of a lifetime.

Orthodox tradition also speaks of the chrismated as being made "a christ" in lowercase — literally, an anointed one — joined to Christ the Anointed One. This is one of the bolder claims of Orthodox theology. The Church is not metaphorically Christ's body; her members, by grace, share in His anointing. [FACT-CHECK]

How Are We Chrismated at Holy Apostles?

Chrismation at Holy Apostles is celebrated in two contexts.

For those being baptized, whether infants, children, or unbaptized adults, Chrismation follows immediately after the threefold immersion. The newly-baptized is dressed in a white garment, and the priest anoints them with holy chrism. The congregation joins in by responding "Seal!" with each anointing, witnessing that this person now belongs fully to Christ and to His Church.

For those already baptized in another Christian tradition that baptizes in the name of the Holy Trinity, Chrismation is typically the Mystery by which they are received into the Orthodox Church. The candidate comes to the front of the church, professes the Orthodox faith, and is anointed with the same prayers used in baptismal Chrismation. The Orthodox Church recognizes the form of a candidates earlier baptism and completes it through Chrismation, rather than baptizing him or her again.

In both contexts, Chrismation is the doorway to the Eucharist. The newly-illumined receives Holy Communion for the first time at the same Liturgy, completing what the early Church called the threefold initiation — Baptism, Chrismation, and first Communion together — as a single entrance into the full life of the Church.

If you are considering becoming Orthodox, or are bringing a child for baptism, see Preparing for Baptism for the practical steps.

Learn more

For a fuller exploration of Chrismation and the journey of entering the Orthodox Church, see our packet Being Received into the Orthodox Church.

For further reading we recommend:

• Alexander Schmemann's Of Water and the Spirit

• Fr. Thomas Hopko's The Orthodox Faith, Volume 2: Worship

• Metropolitan Kallistos Ware's The Orthodox Church