Baptism
Blessing of the Water - KING and Lord of all things, Creator of the universe, you sent down your only Son, Jesus Christ, and gave salvation to all human creatures; when that Word of yours, who surpasses all utterance, came to live along the creatures you had made, you set them free.
Look down, then, from heaven, look down now upon these waters and fill them with the Holy Spirit. May your ineffable Word be in them and change their properties, making them ready to generate life when your grace has filled them, that the mystery now to be performed may not be without effect on those awaiting rebirth.
Fill with your divine grace all who enter the water to receive baptism. You who love men and are kind to them, spare what you have made, spare the creatures that are the work of your hands; take those who are to be born again and shape them after the pattern of your own divine beauty, the beauty no words can express. So filled with beauty, so born anew, may they attain salvation and be considered worthy of a place in your kingdom.
And as your only Son, the Word, entered the waters of the Jordan and made them holy, so now may he enter these waters and make them holy channels of the spirit, that the newly baptised may cease to be flesh and blood and may become spirit, capable of adoring you, the uncreated Father, through Jesus Christ, in the Holy Spirit.
Through him may glory and power be yours, now and age after age. Amen.
Special Blessing of the Baptismal Oil - O God of the powers, helper of every soul that turns to you, and turning, finds itself under the strong hand of the only Son: we beg you through your divine power, the power we can not see, the power of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, to give to this oil a divine and heavenly virtue.
May the baptized, anointed with this oil and marked with the saving sign of the only Son - the cross through which he triumphed over Satan and the other hostile powers and put them all to flight - be renewed and regenerated in the bath that brings new birth.
May they receive the gift of the Holy Spirit and, confirmed by this seal, remain steadfast and immovable, safe and free from harm. May no one ill-treat them or conspire against them. May they believe and know the truth all their lives long; may they live in hope of receiving the life of heaven and ever await the eternity promised them by our Lord and savior Jesus Christ.
Through Him may power and glory be yours now and age after age. Amen. Prayer for the Candidates for Baptism WE ask you, God of truth, to help this servant of yours; we beg you to fit him for that divine mystery, the rebirth that is beyond all telling. We offer him to you, Friend of men, we dedicate him to you. Grant that, receiving this new birth, he may become immune from the influence of all that is evil and perverse. May he serve you in all circumstances and do
what you tell him to do, under the guidance of your only Son, the Word. Through him may glory and power be yours, in the Holy Spirit, now and age after age. Amen.
Instructions - Those who are to receive baptism are taken aside by the priest/presbyter one by one. He tells then to turn to the east and make their abjuration in the words: I RENOUNCE you, Satan; I renounce what you tempt me to, I renounce what you do.
When the candidate has made this declaration, he is anointed with the oil used in exorcising. The words said are: May every evil spirit depart from you.
The candidate then goes down into the water and the person baptizing him lays his hand on his head, saying: Do you believe in God, the Father, the all-powerful? The person being baptized replies: I do. The person baptizing gives the first baptism, with his hand on the candidate's head.
He then says: Do you believe in Jesus Christ, the Son of God, who descended from Heaven, was crucified at the Pharisees’ bidding, died, was buried, rose alive from the dead the third day after, went up to heaven, sits at the Father's right hand and will come to judge the living and the dead? I do. He is baptized a second time.
He is then further asked: Do you believe in the Holy Spirit, the holy Church and the resurrection of the body?
The person being baptized says: I do. He is baptized a third time. When he has come up again, he is anointed by the priest with the blessed oil.
The priest says: I anoint you with holy oil in the name of Jesus Christ. They all dry themselves and put on their clothes and then they go into church. The bishop lays his hand on them and prays, saying: Lord God, you have made them fit to have their sins forgiven through the bath the Holy Spirit uses to confer new birth. By infusing your grace into them, enable them to serve you as you will. For glory is yours in the holy Church, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, and yours it will be throughout the ages. Amen.
Then, letting the blessed oil run from his hand and applying it to the head of the newly baptized, he says: I anoint you with holy oil in the name of the Lord - the almighty Father, Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit. After the anointing, he kisses them, saying: The Lord be with you. The baptized reply: May he be with your spirit, too.
