The Vicar of the Slavic Vicariate baptized seven children at the Russian monastery in Florida

On July 2, the feast day of St. John of Shanghai and San Francisco, seven children were baptized in the St. Nicholas Monastery of Fort Myers. It is the only Russian monastery in Florida.

Baptism is the act of induction into the Church and a rebirth to the eternal life in the Heavenly Kingdom. “No one can enter the kingdom of God unless they are born of water and the Spirit (John 3:5). In the sacrament of Baptism, all sins formerly committed are forgiven and the baptized person promises to live from that point on in accordance with the commandments of God.

The Sacrament was performed by the Vicar of the Slavic Orthodox Vicariate, Heguman Archimandrite Alexander (Belya). The baptismal ceremony in the Orthodox Christian confession is held according to the traditions of the Early Church with full immersion inside a specially equipped font. 

At the end of the service, Archimandrite Alexander congratulated all the families and god parents of the newly baptized children who received their first sacrament, as it is an important event in the life of every Christian.