The Sacrament of Baptism
Dear A.!
   The Lord has looked upon you, and your life has taken a different direction. Glory to God! And to find peace in your soul, you must consciously and responsibly prepare yourself for the Sacrament of Baptism, so that you can make meaningful vows before God.
   But tell the priest who will perform the Sacrament that you must be baptized with the following formula: "The servant of God A. is baptized, if he has not been baptized."
   Be sure to confess your entire life before baptism. It will be good. God's blessing be upon you.

Dear A. V.!
   Don't be embarrassed—it's easy, and you don't need to be baptized again. At confession, S. pronounces his name, as recorded in the document, and the priest reads the prayer of absolution.
   During baptism, a guardian angel is given, and he remains with the baptized person, but the name of the earthly patron saint can change. After all, during tonsure, a name can change several times: to a novice, to a monk, to a schema.
   And why on earth would S. be E.? Look in the Orthodox calendar to see which saint's feast day is closest to S.'s birthday—pray for that saint to be your grandson's patron.
   May the Lord console you!

Dear in the Lord N.!
   I received your letter. Your problem is solved very simply: you just explain everything to the priest, and during confession he pronounces your name—Oleg.
   And at the chalice, when you receive Communion, this name is legitimized for you before the Lord. Your baptism remains valid, and you can change your name; monastics sometimes change their names three times.
   So don't be embarrassed.
   And your grandmother, it's obvious, is either delusional or has a niggling head.

Letters of Archimandrite John Krestiankin

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