Shio III: Around 1,300 people baptized in Adjara, uniting entire church in celebration

Around 1,300 people, including children and adults, were baptized in Upper Adjara today, an occasion whose joy is shared by all of Georgia and the entire Church, as the sacraments cannot be celebrated for one person alone but involve the whole Church, Catholicos-Patriarch of All Georgia, Archbishop of Mtskheta-Tbilisi and Metropolitan of Pitsunda and Tskhum-Abkhazia Shio III said.

The Patriarch made the remarks in Adjara following a mass baptism held by the Skhalta Diocese.

“I congratulate you on this wonderful day. Congratulations to you, our newly baptized, our beloved people of Adjara, godparents and parents. I extend my heartfelt congratulations to everyone. Today, we glorify the Lord and give thanks to Him and the Most Holy Mother of God for allowing us to witness another magnificent and remarkable day.

Today, around 1,300 people, both children and adults, were baptized here in Upper Adjara. All of Georgia and the entire Church share in this great joy, because the sacraments of the Church cannot be performed for one person alone; the whole Church participates in them.

Clergy, ministers, chanters and godparents took part in this baptism — the entire Church. All of us, together with the Lord Jesus Christ and the Mother of God, both saints and sinners, are members of Christ’s Church. The Church comprises all of us who gather in the name of Christ.

Today, we, the great family of the Church, welcomed the newly baptized at the baptismal font, just as godparents do, and received them into our great ecclesiastical family as our own. That is why the entire Church rejoices today. As the Holy Apostle Paul says, those newly baptized are no longer merely children of the flesh but have become children of the Kingdom of God. This is what we are celebrating together; it is a joy for each of us, especially here in Upper Adjara,” the Patriarch said.

Shio III said the sacrament of baptism offers a path to spiritual rebirth and liberation from evil and the captivity of the devil.

“First and foremost, however, baptism is union with the Church. It is the gateway to Christ’s Church, without which the salvation of the soul is impossible. As the Lord Jesus Christ says, ‘Unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the Kingdom of God.’

During baptism, a person is visibly washed with water and immersed in it, but invisibly, they are cleansed and purified by the grace of the Holy Spirit. By entering the water, a person symbolically disappears and dies to this world; then they emerge, come to life again and rise to begin a new life pleasing to God.

“All sins committed previously are forgiven, including original sin. The person is reconciled with God, freed from the captivity of evil and the devil, becomes a member of the Church, and is purified and renewed completely.

Adults were also baptized today, and I would like to tell them that faith is essential when a person is baptized. Without faith, only the outward part of the rite is performed, while the invisible gifts of the Holy Spirit are not granted, and the person does not receive the grace established by the Lord through baptism. It is also essential to know the main dogmas of our Church, as set out in the Creed,” he said.

The Patriarch said the day’s joy was boundless and recalled the words of the Apostle Paul: “Be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord.”

“This means that your aspiration toward God and your work for the Lord should continue to grow. Today is proof that the Georgian people, and our beloved people of Adjara in particular, continue their journey toward Christ.

The lessons of our history show that if we stand firmly and unwaveringly on the foundations of our faith and national values, God will always be with us. The Mother of God will always protect us, and we will overcome every trial. Georgia will grow stronger and become united.

I wish to bless all of Adjara and everyone who has come here. May God bless all of Georgia and, through the intercession and prayers of the Mother of God, save, strengthen and unite our entire country,” the Patriarch said after the baptism ceremony.