Chrismation Gifts for Converts and Catechumens

The best chrismation gifts are the things a new Orthodox Christian will use every day: a cross to wear, an icon of their new patron saint, and a prayer rope. For a catechumen still preparing, give the start of a prayer corner: an icon of Christ and the Mother of God. Below are our picks by stage and by giver, from $24.

What is chrismation?

Chrismation is the sacrament in which a person receives the gift of the Holy Spirit. The Orthodox Church in America calls it “the seal of the gift of the Holy Spirit.” The priest anoints the newly received with holy chrism, an oil the bishops prepare on Holy Thursday, tracing a cross at eight points from forehead to feet. At each one he says those words, and in Greek parishes the people answer, “Seal!” St Paul wrote of it: God “hath anointed us,” “who hath also sealed us, and given the earnest of the Spirit in our hearts” (2 Corinthians 1:21–22, KJV).

For someone born into the faith, chrismation comes right after baptism, in one service. For an adult convert, the day of chrismation is the day they become Orthodox.

Are converts baptized, or only chrismated?

It depends on their past and on the Church’s judgment. In many American parishes, someone already baptized with water in the name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit is received by chrismation. Someone never baptized is received by baptism and chrismation together. A Greek Orthodox parish’s guidelines say exactly this. An Antiochian parish adds that where there is any doubt, “caution advises at least a conditional baptism.”

An OCA archbishop called this the Church’s “rightful exercise of economia.” In practice, the bishop and the priest decide each case. If you are buying for a friend, don’t guess or ask them to defend it. Just know the day is coming, and be there.

What is a catechumen?

A catechumen is someone preparing to enter the Church. An Antiochian parish describes it as “a person who has entered into an intentional relationship with the Church in preparation for formal reception.” The priest makes someone a catechumen with a short prayer over them. From then on, at every Divine Liturgy, the whole church prays for the catechumens, that God would “illumine” them and “unite them to his Holy Church.”

How long does it last? There is no single rule. Some US parishes teach from September to Pascha and receive converts on Holy Saturday. The Antiochian parish says the timing “is worked out on a person-by-person or family-by-family basis.”

Do converts take a new name?

Usually, yes. A Greek Orthodox parish’s guidelines say adults usually “take the name of a Saint of the Church,” who becomes their patron. Some keep a saint’s name they already carry; others choose a saint they have come to love. If your friend is still choosing, our patron saint finder searches by first name, and the guide how to find your patron saint covers the other ways.

Who is the sponsor?

The sponsor is the convert’s godparent. Parishes ask that the sponsor be an Orthodox Christian in good standing. The Antiochian parish calls the sponsor “a companion along the way,” who prays for the catechumen and encourages them. At one parish, the sponsor traditionally buys the two candles and “an appropriate cross to be worn around the neck after the sacrament.” If you are the sponsor, see also our guide to gifts for and from godparents.

Gifts for a catechumen during the catechumenate

These months are about learning to pray. Give tools for that.

• Wool prayer rope, $24. A 50-knot wool rope for the Jesus Prayer. It suits the friend who keeps asking “how do I pray?” Tuck in a note with our guide how to pray with a prayer rope.
• Christ (Zvenigorod Saviour) & Vladimir Mother of God diptych, $69. A folding diptych: printed (lithographed) icons under glass, pine frame, red velvet covers, 8 × 9.5 cm (3.15 × 3.74 in) closed. Christ and the Mother of God are the first two icons of every Orthodox prayer corner.
• Virgin Mary & Jesus Christ folding wooden icon, $39. The same pair at a gentler price, for a coworker or a friend from the parish.
• Icon Corner Set, $199. The whole corner: the Christ and Vladimir Mother of God diptych, a patron saint’s diptych by name, an 8 in wooden wall cross, a prayer rope and a short guide. A generous gift from parents or a spouse. Our guide how to set up an icon corner walks them through it.

Chrismation gifts for the day itself

On the day, they receive a new name and a new saint. Give them that saint.

• Their patron saint’s diptych, $69. Each of our saint diptychs pairs the saint with the Guardian Angel. Find theirs through the patron saint finder.
• Patron Saint & Cross, $99. Their patron and the Guardian Angel in a red-velvet diptych chosen by name, a stainless three-bar crucifix and the saint’s card, in a gift box.
• Name-Day Gift Set, $149. The patron saint’s diptych, a stainless crucifix and a prayer rope, with a card giving the saint’s life and feast day. That feast becomes their name day; see name day gifts.
• A cross to wear, $39 or $49. Most of our neck crosses are $39; those on a 60 cm chain, like the plain three-bar silver crucifix, are $49. Check first that the sponsor isn’t already giving one. Our guide how to wear an Orthodox cross explains the rest.

St Herman of Alaska, a patron for American converts

St Herman came to Alaska with the first Orthodox mission, which set out from Valaam in 1793, and lived for decades on Spruce Island, praying, feeding and clothing orphans, and visiting the sick. The OCA calls him “the first Orthodox Christian saint to have been glorified in North America.” He is remembered on 13 December (26 December on the Old Calendar), and his glorification on 9 August. He foretold, “Although a long time shall elapse after my death, I will not be forgotten.” That makes him a natural patron for an American convert. The St Herman of Alaska & Guardian Angel diptych is $69; read his life on his saint page.

Gifts from the sponsor

The sponsor’s gift is traditionally the cross. Add a patron saint’s diptych and you have the Patron Saint & Cross set above. For a sponsor who wants one gift for the whole journey, the Name-Day Gift Set covers cross, icon and prayer rope.

Gifts for a family received together

When a whole family becomes Orthodox, each person takes a saint.

• Family Set, $249. Three patron saint diptychs, one for each name, with an 8 in wooden wall cross for the home. Add another saint for $59 each.
• Family Cross Set, $69. Three stainless crucifixes in the finishes you choose, for the grown-ups and older children. For little ones, keep the cross with the icons until they are older; our baptism gifts guide explains why.

Can the gift be consecrated?

Yes. Add Consecration ($49) where the item’s page offers it. A cross or an icon is one our priest consecrated with holy water and the prayers of the Church before it reached our shelf; the name you give is prayed for separately, and it ships in the normal time. Folding diptychs, and the diptychs in a set, are consecrated by our priest before they leave the workshop, one by one, each filmed with its number on a card; the number is on its box and signed certificate. The name you give is prayed for separately and isn’t in the film; every design is in stock consecrated, and they ship in the normal time. Every Consecration comes with a signed certificate and a vial of holy water. Consecrated items are final sale.

We ship to all 50 states, DC and APO/FPO addresses, with free shipping on orders of $99 or more. For more ideas, browse our gift sets.