How to commemorate the dead according to the charter of the Orthodox Church on the anniversary of death. Prayer to the martyr Uar for the weakening of the eternal torment of those who died unbaptized

Complete collection and description: a prayer for the unbaptized deceased for the spiritual life of a believer.

The Orthodox Church calls all believing Christians to constant prayer. Of course, most often we pray for people close to us, relatives, friends. But there are situations when a person in need of prayer help was not baptized in Orthodox Church. What then should be the prayer for the unbaptized living and dead?

Importance of the sacrament of baptism for a person

Baptism is one of the seven Sacraments of the Church, and it can be called fundamental without exaggeration. The spiritual life of an Orthodox Christian is impossible if sooner or later he has not received church baptism. Why is it so important for a person and what does it give?

First of all, baptism makes a person a full member of the Church of Christ. By accepting the Sacrament, a person confesses his faith in the crucified Jesus Christ and shows his intention to follow Him through life. In addition, in this Sacrament, the seal of original sin, which is inherent in each of us, is washed away from a person.

The rite of baptism with water itself dates back to the Gospel times. Thus, the Forerunner of the Lord John baptized the people in the Jordan River. It was there that Our Lord Jesus Christ Himself received the Sacrament during His earthly life.

Thus, it can be said that by accepting this Sacrament, a person becomes open to God's grace and can boldly follow Christ in the fullness of church life.

Features of prayer for unbaptized living people

If a person for some reason does not accept the sacrament of baptism, he cannot be a full member of the church. This is expressed, first of all, in the opportunity to participate in Divine Liturgy.

Interesting! Some time ago, unbaptized people could not enter the temple further than the narthex, and also had to leave the Divine Service in a certain part of it.

To date, this strict restriction removed, but still an unbaptized person cannot participate in worship as an equal.

The main feature of prayer for unbaptized people is that they cannot be commemorated at the Divine Liturgy.

The priest at the altar brings a bloodless sacrifice, symbolically denoting the sacrifice of Jesus Christ. At this time, particles are taken out of the prosphora for each name submitted for commemoration. These particles then go to the Chalice and become a great shrine - the Body of Christ.

If a person consciously avoids baptism, then Christ's sacrifice for him becomes meaningless. That is why in order to participate in the Sacrament of Communion, and in general in the fullness of the Liturgy, it is necessary to be baptized in the church.

But what to do if a person close to us turns out to be unbaptized, whose fate is not indifferent? It is impossible to commemorate him in the temple, but there are no obstacles to purely personal prayer. At home, in front of the home iconostasis, we can pray for all the people close to us, even if they have not been baptized.

Prayer for unbaptized babies

Prayer for children who were recently born and have not yet had time to be christened has its own characteristics. There is a tradition to baptize children after 40 days from the moment of birth, however, in fact, a baby can be baptized as soon as God is born. So, if the mother had a difficult birth and the child is in danger, it is very desirable to baptize the baby as soon as possible. In many maternity hospitals and children's hospitals, you can freely invite a priest, and in some places there are even functioning churches on the territory of a medical institution.

If the family decides to baptize the baby later, then all the time before the Sacrament is performed, they pray for the child in close connection with the mother. It is believed that at this time, the mother and baby have one Guardian Angel for two, and only after Baptism does the child have his own.

You can also pray for such children in the temple, but only the note does not indicate the individual name of the baby, but the name of the mother with the addition “with a child”. For example, if the mother's name is Maria, then the note should be submitted like this: "On the health of the servant of God Mary with the child." After Baptism, you can already write the name of the child himself in a note with the addition “baby”.

O Most Holy Lady Virgin Mother of God, save and save under Your shelter my children (names), all the youths, maidens and babies, baptized and nameless and carried in the womb of their mother. Cover them with the robe of Your motherhood, keep them in the fear of God and in obedience to your parents, implore my Lord and Your Son, may He grant them useful things for their salvation. I entrust them to Your Motherly care, as You are the Divine Protection of Your servants.

Mother of God, introduce me into the image of Your heavenly motherhood. Heal the spiritual and bodily wounds of my children (names), inflicted by my sins. I entrust my child entirely to my Lord Jesus Christ and Yours, Most Pure, heavenly patronage. Amen.

Prayer for the unbaptized dead

It is hard for any Orthodox Christian to realize that someone close to him has died without becoming a full member of the Church of Christ. It is not worth falling into despondency, the Providence of God is also about such people. But sincere heartfelt prayer will help the soul of a deceased person, even if he did not have time to deeply know God.

Have mercy, Lord, on the soul of Your servant (name), who departed into eternal life without Holy Baptism. Your destinies are unsearchable. Do not put me in the sin of this prayer of mine. But may your holy will be done.

Important! As in the case of people who are still living, it is impossible to submit notes with the names of unbaptized people in the temple for commemoration.

The reason is the same - a person in his life, for one reason or another, did not have time to enter the Church of God. It is all the more important for such a soul that there is a person who, in his personal home prayer, commemorates the deceased. After all, the whole Church prays for baptized people at every liturgy, and only those who take on this burden in personal work pray for the unbaptized.

What kind of prayers to read for the unbaptized dead

AT Orthodox worship there is a special service - a memorial service - during which all Orthodox Christians who have died from the century are commemorated. Notes can only be submitted about those who in their lives managed to come to God and His Holy Church. However, this does not mean that everyone else should be left without a prayerful commemoration.

Most often, for the repose of the souls of unbaptized people, they pray to the martyr Uaru. There is a specially compiled canon for this saint, who lived in the 3rd century and begged all his life for those unfortunates who remained outside the protection of the Church of Christ. To this day, a sincere appeal to this ascetic brings great relief to souls after death.

With the army of holy martyrs, the suffering is lawful, in vain, oneh, showed you courageously your fortress. And rushing to passion with your will, and die lust for Christ, Izhe accepted the honor of the victory of your suffering, Uare, pray that our souls be saved.

Following Christ, martyr Uare, Having drunk the cup, and tied the crown of torment, and rejoicing with the Angels, pray unceasingly for our souls

O holy martyr Uare, venerable, with zeal for the Mistress of Christ, you confessed the Heavenly King before the tormentor, and you suffered zealously for Him, and now stand before Him with angels, and rejoice in the highest, and see clearly the Holy Trinity, and enjoy the light of the Beginning Radiance , remember our relatives and languor, who died in ungodliness, accept our petition, and like Cleopatra, the unfaithful family freed you from eternal torment with your prayers, so remember the figurines that were buried contrary to God, who died unbaptized, trying to ask them for deliverance from eternal darkness, but with one mouth and with one heart let us praise the Most Merciful Creator forever and ever. Amen.

Separately, for stillborn or unbaptized babies, you can pray with the prayer of Metropolitan Gregory of Novgorod or Hieromonk Arseny Athos. If such a disaster happened in the family, and the child died before receiving the Sacrament of Baptism, then special prayer support is needed both for his soul, and for his parents and family. In prayer and hope in God's Providence for each person, it will be easier to survive loss and grief.

Remember, Lover of mankind, Lord, the souls of the departed servants of Your infants, who in the womb of Orthodox mothers died accidentally from unknown actions or from a difficult birth, or from some kind of negligence, and therefore did not receive the holy sacrament of Baptism! Baptize them, O Lord, in the sea of Thy bounties and save them with Thy unspeakable goodness.

It should be remembered that prayer is always work. And personal prayer without the support of the church is a special work. Therefore, if we undertake to beg for unbaptized people close to us, we must be prepared for various temptations and obstacles along the way. And only with God help and humility can overcome this path.

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Prayers for the unbaptized living and dead

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Today, there are many different disputes about whether it is possible to pray for the health of an unbaptized person. Some argue in this regard that it is categorically impossible to ask the Lord for such people. They justify this by the fact that a person who has not been baptized puts his person against church canons, rejecting the shrine of God's Temple.

Others say that you can even ask God for lost sheep, so he will definitely hear your prayer for unbaptized people.

Judging by the numerous arguments of the clergy on this topic, we can safely draw a conclusion. To the question, is it possible to read a prayer for unbaptized children or adults? You can answer like this: of course, you can, why not?

Church sources even contain real prayers for unbaptized people. In such prayers, people turn to God for the forgiveness of sinners and the opportunity to return them to the bosom of the divine temple.

For the deceased unbaptized - prayers to the martyr Uar

If you want to reach out to the Lord and ask for protection for a person who has not passed the Sacrament of Baptism, then it is better to turn to the patrons of the lost. One of these patrons is the holy righteous War. This Saint, during his lifetime, prayed for the repose of the unbaptized for the protection of the Lord.

Saint War is addressed to:

for living lost people;
for children who have not been baptized;
for unborn babies;
for an unbaptized deceased baby who did not have time to receive the Sacrament;
for lost people who have died.

Words of prayer to this Holy Martyr:

“Oh, holy martyr Uare, venerable, with zeal for the Lord Christ, we kindle, you confessed the Heavenly King before the tormentor, and now the Church honors you, as if glorified from the Lord Christ with the glory of Heaven, Who has given you the grace of great boldness to Him, and now stand before Him with the Angels , and rejoice in the highest, and see the Holy Trinity clearly, and enjoy the light of the Beginning Radiance: remember our relatives and languor, who died in ungodliness, accept our petition, and as Cleopatrino, the unfaithful family freed you from eternal torment with your prayers, so remember the trees that were unholy buried who died unbaptized (names), try to ask them for deliverance from eternal darkness, so that with one mouth and one heart we will praise the Most Merciful Creator forever and ever. Amen".

Prayers for unbaptized dead people

The Church has an ambiguous attitude towards lost souls. But there, no less, there is real prayer to the Lord for such people. And many clergymen even declare that every person has the right to ask for God's protection.

However, it must be remembered that the church forbids ordering liturgies and funerals for lost souls. You can only read a private prayer for the deceased. At the same time, being outside the influence of the church.

praying for dead soul You not only support the deceased, but also yourself. After all, as you know, prayer allows you to plead sadness, grief for a worthy person who was an important part of your life.

Prayer for the unbaptized dead to the Lord

Many people often ask themselves the question: “to whom can one pray for the souls of dead people who did not accept Orthodox baptism? The clergy say that it is possible to address prayers not only to God, but also to the Saints. Remember that sincere prayers from a pure heart will definitely reach the addressee. Every person on the planet has the right to the protection of the Almighty and his forgiveness.

Praying for people who have not been baptized is possible even for people without faith or who have converted to another religion. In addition, in the Orthodox Church to this day there is no specific opinion on whether baptized Catholics should be considered Christians or not.

You can ask the Almighty in these words:

Seek, O Lord, the lost soul of my father: if it is possible to eat, have mercy! Your destinies are unsearchable. Do not put me in the sin of this prayer of mine. But Thy holy will be done

May the Lord keep you!

See also a video about prayer for unbaptized people:

Prayer for the unbaptized dead

It is a great tragedy if a person dies without being baptized. This can't be fixed anymore. And according to church laws, it is impossible to bury him in the temple, to commemorate him at the Liturgy. But relatives always have the right to personal prayer for the unbaptized dead. What is the best way to do this?

What happens after death

If a person completely rejected the Lord during his lifetime, there is no need to pray too hard for him. There were times when the dead appeared and asked not to pray for them. In any case, talk to the priest, he will advise what to do in specific situation. But it happens that people respect the faith, show a desire to be baptized, but simply do not have time to do it. Then you can and should pray.

Every soul after death is coming to a private judgment that will take place on the 40th day after death. It is believed that prayers for the unbaptized dead help the soul of the deceased to go through air trials and ways to even alleviate his plight. On the very day of death, you can:

read 17 kathisma - psalms and the necessary prayers for repose;
to perform the secular rite of lithium in the cemetery;
put a candle in the temple and pray.

It is impossible to order a memorial service and church commemoration. This is done because the person himself during his lifetime did not express a desire to belong to the Church, he rejected God.

What other prayers can be read

There is a veneration of the martyr Uar, who supposedly had the grace to pray for the unbaptized. Even a service was composed for him, only it is non-canonical, that is, it is not officially recognized by the church. Church prayer for the unbaptized dead, although now allowed by some priests (for a fee), violates all the canons. Whether or not to read the canon for the dead to the martyr Uar is a personal matter for everyone.

The Holy Fathers also advise giving alms for those who died without repentance, without accepting Christ.

If a baby died

Great grief is the loss of a small child. But the Holy Church believes that all babies go to heaven. This is written in the Gospel. Prayer for unbaptized babies is also performed privately, as well as for other people who have not become members of the Church. Children, although they do not have conscious bad deeds, still bear the stamp of the original sin of Adam and Eve. That is why the Church considers it necessary to baptize young children.

Prayer for deceased relatives
Children's prayer for deceased parents for the repose of the soul - here
Prayer before reading the Gospel - https://bogolub.info/molitva-pered-chteniem-evangeliya/

It may seem unfair that a child should not know life. But we don't know how his fate would have turned out. It is believed that the Lord takes to Himself in order to save a person from a more terrible misfortune, this also applies to children. We must believe in the goodness of God, do not despair and give thanks for everything, although this can be difficult.

Prayer of Lev Optina for those who died unbaptized

“Have mercy, Lord, on the soul of Your servant (name), who departed into eternal life without Holy Baptism. Your destinies are unsearchable. Do not put me in the sin of this prayer of mine. But Thy holy will be done."

It is good to pray to the Mother of God, reading the rosary "Virgin Mary, rejoice ..." (how much strength allows: from 30 to 150 times a day). At the beginning and at the end of this rule, one must ask the Mother of God to help the soul of the deceased.

deceased . Prayer on deceased up to 40 days...

Orthodox tradition demands to remember deceased repeatedly, the first 40 days after death are especially important. . Prayer on deceased up to 40 days...

The prayer for the unbaptized is based on an incident that happened in Optina Hermitage. Once, a disciple in inconsolable grief about his dead suicidal father turned to the Optina Elder Leonid (in schema Leo, who died in 1841), asking if it was possible to pray for him and how. To which the elder replied: Surrender both yourself and the fate of the parent to the will of the Lord, all-wise and all-powerful. Pray to the Blessed Creator, thereby fulfilling the duty of love and the duties of filial, in the spirit of the virtuous and wise, as follows:

Seek, O Lord, the lost soul of my father: if it is possible to eat, have mercy! Your destinies are unsearchable. Do not put me in the sin of this prayer of mine. But may Thy holy will be done.

This prayer can pray at home about relatives who arbitrarily took their own lives, but given the certain spiritual danger described earlier, in order to perform a home prayer, it is necessary to take a blessing from the priest.

From the patristic heritage, there are cases when, through the intense prayer of loved ones, the fate of the souls of suicides was eased, but in order to achieve this, it is necessary to accomplish a feat of prayer.

Following the example of this prayer, one can also pray for the unbaptized (those who have departed into eternal life unenlightened by the Orthodox faith), as well as those baptized, but who have apostatized from the faith (who have departed into eternal life in apostasy from the Holy Orthodox Church).

In this instruction for every Christian who is in a similar position, there is much comforting, calming the soul in surrendering himself and the deceased to the will of God, always good and wise. And the fact that the unbaptized can receive some relief through prayers is known from the conversation of St. Macarius of Egypt with the skull of a pagan priest. The monk prayed very much for the departed, and therefore desired to know the effect of his prayers. When you pray for the dead, answered the skull, we feel some consolation. This incident gives us hope that our prayers for the unfortunate, who died unbaptized, will bring them some consolation. Don't forget about this effective means to alleviate the fate of the dead, as alms, which in these cases takes on special significance.

It is a great sin not to accept the Savior and reject the Orthodox faith, but the merciful Lord allowed one of His saints to intercede before Him for the souls of the non-Orthodox dead. This saint is the martyr Uar, who died for Christ in the year 307. Once, in a vision of blessed Cleopatra, the saint told her that for her good deeds, he begged God to forgive the sins of all her dead pagan relatives. Since then, Orthodox Christians have been praying to the martyr Ouar for intercession before the Lord for their relatives and friends who died not baptized into the Orthodox faith.

Prayer to the Holy Martyr Uar

O holy martyr Uare, venerable, with zeal for the Lord Christ we inflame, Thou didst confess the Heavenly King before the tormentor, and Thou didst suffer earnestly for Him, and now the Church honors thee, As we glorify Him from the Lord Christ with the glory of Heaven, even as a gift to you, the grace of Nemune commanded and now stand before Him with the Angels, and rejoice in the Highest, and see clearly the Holy Trinity, and enjoy the light of the Infinite Radiance, remember our relatives and languor, who died in ungodliness, accept our petition, and like Cleopatra, the unfaithful generation of your prayers from eternal torment freed you , so remember the pilgrimages buried contrary to God, who died unbaptized, trying to ask Him for deliverance from eternal darkness, so that with one mouth and one heart we will praise the most merciful Creator forever and ever. Amen.

Others say that you can even ask God for lost sheep, so he will definitely hear your prayer for unbaptized people.

For the deceased unbaptized - prayers to the martyr Uar

Saint War is addressed to:

for living lost people;

for children who have not been baptized;

for unborn babies;

for an unbaptized deceased baby who did not have time to receive the Sacrament;

for lost people who have died.

Oh, holy martyr Uare, venerable, with zeal for the Mistress of Christ we kindle, you confessed the Heavenly King before the tormentor, and now the Church honors you, as if glorified from the Lord Christ with the glory of Heaven, Who has given you the grace of great boldness towards Him, and now stand before Him with the Angels, and in the highest you rejoice, and see the Holy Trinity clearly, and enjoy the light of the Beginning Radiance: remember our relatives and languor, who died in ungodliness, accept our petition, and like Cleopatra, the unfaithful generation freed you from eternal torment with your prayers, so remember the figurines buried contrary to God, who died unbaptized (names), try to ask them for deliverance from eternal darkness, so that with one mouth and one heart we praise the Most Merciful Creator forever and ever. Amen

Prayer for the unbaptized dead to the Lord

Many people often ask themselves the question: “who can pray for the souls of dead people who have not received Orthodox baptism?” The clergy say that it is possible to address prayers not only to God, but also to the Saints. Remember that sincere prayers from a pure heart will definitely reach the addressee. Every person on the planet has the right to the protection of the Almighty and his forgiveness.

History from life. Grandfather is dying, old-old. Lived to almost 92 years old. However, he never became an Orthodox person. In the sense that he was not baptized.

Grandmother - the widow is very upset, because grandfather was not buried, and it is impossible to put a cross on the grave. But she does not think about how to help her late husband. He grieves for not having buried, but does not mourn for the further fate of the deceased.

Meanwhile, how to help the dead unbaptized? Are there special prayers for the unbaptized dead? Let's talk about it in the article.

What is baptism?

Now there is a fashion for baptism. As scary as it may sound, it's true. Why fashion? Because children are baptized, and that's it. The fact that one has to go to church and bring the child to communion is forgotten. And it’s good if the cross is not removed from the newly made servant of God as soon as they leave the church.

The question arises: what is the point of baptism then? Baptize a child according to the principle "to be"? Why baptize if the parents are far from the faith and the godparents, most often, too? What does this baptism give?

For some reason, parents do not ask such a question. All you need is here. Who needs it, why it is necessary and for what - it is completely incomprehensible. And it's completely wild, Lord have mercy. Do not think about the purpose of the action, but be sure to do it.

However, we digress. What is baptism? It is one of the seven sacraments of the Church. Why a sacrament? Because at baptism, the grace of God descends on a person in an invisible way for us. Baptism is a spiritual birth for eternal life.

What about the unbaptized?

If a person dies unbaptized, will he not enter the Kingdom of God? This is very complex issue, which can only be answered by a spiritually experienced priest. Relatives of the deceased should think about how to help him.

According to the rules of the church, it is forbidden to commemorate the unbaptized at the liturgy. For them, you can not submit notes, order requiems and magpies. This is explained by the fact that a person was not born for eternal life, did not become a Christian. The hardest thing to realize is the relatives of those who voluntarily did not want to be baptized, although they knew about God, but rejected him.

Is there a prayer for the unbaptized dead, or is it impossible to pray for them at all? We will find out about this a little later. And now let's talk about babies who died without baptism.

If the child died unbaptized

Another life story. The young couple did not have children for a long time. Finally the wife became pregnant. Joy knew no bounds.

The time came to give birth, and the expectant mother had a bad feeling. She was sure that she would not return from the hospital. The husband consoled, they say, all these are fears of childbirth.

The birth was difficult, the child was stuck in the birth canal. The doctors decided to have a caesarean section. Not in time, the newborn girl suffocated. Never saw this world.

What is her still young and believing mother going through? About the fact that she could not christen her daughter. Buried buried, but unbaptized.

Is there a prayer for the dead unbaptized babies? Can they be commemorated in church? They are not to blame for the fact that the parents did not have time to baptize. Alas, it is impossible to pray for unbaptized children in the church. You can remember them in your home prayer, but no more. Just like a cross is not put on such graves due to the fact that the child was not born spiritually for eternal life.

late parents

At the beginning of the article, an example was given with an unbaptized grandfather. How many of these grandparents die every day?

If you remember Soviet Union with its religious prohibitions, it can be argued that more than one generation went into the next world unbaptized. What about their children? It is impossible to bury parents in absentia, there are no prayers for unbaptized deceased parents, they cannot be commemorated in the church. What to do? Remember them in home prayer, ask God to forgive the sins of dead parents and ease their fate in eternal life.

Someone will be surprised by the word "to sing". How to bury something if they died a long time ago? There is a practice of absentee funeral service. After the USSR collapsed, people rushed to the temples to bury their dead loved ones. This practice has existed for a long time, but few people know about it.

How to alleviate the fate of the unbaptized?

It means afterlife. How to help them if there is no prayer for the unbaptized dead before God as such?

Remember in home prayer. When we read the morning rule, there are two prayers at the end: for the living and for the dead. We list the names of relatives. For the living we ask for help here, for the dead - the forgiveness of their sins and eternal life. For unbaptized deceased loved ones, one should ask for relief from the afterlife.

about the unbaptized and suicides

The Optina elder Leo (Leonid) had a disciple Paul. Paul's father committed suicide, and his believing son was very worried. The elder consoled him and taught him how to

The text of the prayer of the Optina elders for the unbaptized dead:

Seek, O Lord, the lost soul of Thy servant (name): if it is possible to eat, have mercy. Your destinies are unsearchable. Do not put me in sin with this prayer of mine, but may Thy holy will be done.

Thus, we see that praying for them at home is not a sin. The Lord is merciful, and by his grace is able to alleviate the fate of the deceased unbaptized.

How are the unbaptized buried?

So, is there a prayer for the unbaptized dead, we found out. The text is above. How are they buried? Really behind the gates of the cemetery?

Previously, they were buried in the same way as suicides - behind the cemetery fence. Now times have changed, the unbaptized are buried in the cemetery. But with some caveats:

They are not buried.
They are not given crosses.
A priest is not invited to the grave of an unbaptized person to perform a memorial service or litia.

That is, a person came to the grave of an unbaptized relative - it is quite acceptable to pray on your own and commemorate him. But you can’t go into the church, submit notes and light candles for this soul.

In Russia, the tradition of leaving a glass of vodka and a piece of black bread on the grave has taken root. This tradition is, to put it mildly, strange. Baptized people are not commemorated like that, and unbaptized people are not needed either. This is disrespect for the dead, no matter what the Russian tradition says.

Service to Saint Ouar

There is a prayer to St. Huaru for the unbaptized dead? Yes, there is one. But what is strange, in some temples, services used to be served to him, asking for those dead who were not baptized. But this is not true, especially if the service is non-canonical, that is, redone.

This was done by dishonest priests. They assured spiritually illiterate parishioners that it was possible to submit notes for the unbaptized, to order a memorial service, and to serve the Huaru service. This is fundamentally wrong.

The Church prays only for her faithful, for the servants of God. Even in the home prayer for the dead, one can see the line that says: "... and all Orthodox Christians." The key phrase is "Orthodox Christians". An unbaptized person can be Orthodox Christian if the sacrament of baptism was not performed on him?

This in no way means that if a person is not baptized, he is bad. It is probable that he lived his life a thousand times better than a baptized person and did such deeds of mercy that the Orthodox could not even dream of. But the law is the law. The Church puts the unbaptized on a par with the Gentiles. Therefore, prayer for the unbaptized dead in the temple is not performed. And it's completely irrelevant here. By the way, this "service" has not been published for a couple of decades.

Is it possible to commemorate the unbaptized in the church mentally?

The fact that prayer for the unbaptized dead in the church is not carried out is understandable. As well as the fact that notes cannot be submitted for them, memorial services can also be ordered. But why not mentally pray for the departed loved ones while in the temple? Isn't that forbidden?

Alas, it is forbidden. In the church they pray only for Orthodox Christians, for those who were baptized in her bosom. If a person for some reason did not accept the sacrament of baptism, he cannot be commemorated during the liturgy, even mentally. We emphasize: during the liturgy, when there is a special service.

However, there is one big but. These are the priests. And it's better to ask them for help. Someone will refuse prayer, because the person was unbaptized. And someone will pray.

Summarizing

The main purpose of the article is to tell the reader about prayer for the unbaptized dead. Main aspects:

The unbaptized cannot be buried and crosses placed on their graves.
They are not prayed for in the church.
It is forbidden to submit notes for those who died without having received the sacrament of baptism.
Sorokoust and a memorial service for them are not served.
The Church equates the unbaptized with those of other faiths.
They are remembered only in home prayer.

Lord, have mercy, how can you help them then? Is one morning prayer enough to alleviate the fate of the deceased unbaptized?

You should talk to a priest about this. With his permission, read additional prayers, or akathists. But in such a case, you cannot pray on your own. This is too serious, and no one has canceled the temptation yet.

Conclusion

We have considered the main questions that were posed in the abstract of the article. They gave an answer. And now it became clear why the church does not commemorate the unbaptized dead and how you can help them here.

Is it even worth praying for them if it is fraught with temptations? Thoughtfully, after consulting with the priest, if we are talking about additional prayers. Remembering at home is not only possible, but necessary. Reading the Psalter and praying to alleviate the fate of the deceased is our direct duty.

The tradition of the Church brings to us many testimonies of the efficacy of prayer for unbaptized people who do not belong to the Church.

Once Rev. Macarius of Egypt was walking through the desert and saw a human skull lying on the ground. When the reverend touched it with a palm stick, the skull gave a voice. The old man asked:

"Who are you?" The skull replied, "I was a pagan priest of the idolaters who lived in this place." He also said that when St. Macarius, having mercy on those who are in eternal torment, prays for them, then they receive some consolation. “How far the sky is from the earth, how much fire is under our feet and over our heads,” the skull said again, “We stand in the middle of the fire, and none of us is placed so as to see our neighbor. But when you pray for us, each sees the face of the other somewhat. That is our joy."

After the conversation, the elder buried the skull in the ground.

For people who died without holy baptism or belonged to another denomination or faith, we cannot pray at the Divine Liturgy and perform funeral services for them in the Church, but no one forbids us to pray for them in our personal prayers at home.

Those. during the Liturgy it is generally impossible to pray for the unbaptized, neither out loud, nor even to oneself, because at this time the bloodless Eucharistic Sacrifice is offered, and it is offered only for members of the Church. Such commemoration is allowed only during a memorial service, to oneself, and never at the Liturgy.

The Monk Lev of Optina, consoling his spiritual son Pavel Tambovtsev, whose father tragically died outside the Church, said:

“You shouldn't be overly sad. God without comparison more than you loved and loves him. So, it remains for you to leave the eternal fate of your parent to the goodness and mercy of God, who, if he deigns to have mercy, then who can resist Him.

The great elder gave Pavel Tambovtsev a prayer, which, with a few changes, can also be said for the unbaptized:

« Have mercy, O Lord, on the soul of your servant(name), who departed into eternal life without Holy Baptism. Your destinies are unsearchable. Do not put me in the sin of this prayer of mine. But Thy holy will be done"

This prayer may well be used when reading the Psalter for the departed, reading it at each "Glory".

Another holy Optina elder, the Monk Joseph, later said that there is evidence of the fruits of this prayer. It can be read at any time (during the day repeatedly). Mentally, you can create it in the temple. Helps feasible alms given for the deceased to those in need. It is good to pray to the Mother of God, reading the rosary " Virgin Mary, rejoice... "(how much strength allows: from 30 to 150 times a day). At the beginning and at the end of this rule, one must ask the Mother of God to help the soul of the deceased.

The Orthodox Church testifies that there is a Christian saint who has a special grace to pray for those who have died unbaptized. This is a victim in the III century. St. martyr War. There is a canon to this saint, in which the main content is a request to St. the martyr to pray for the unbaptized. This canon and the prayer of St. Martyr Uar is read instead of those funeral prayers that the Church offers for the baptized.

Relatives of the deceased (especially children and grandchildren - direct descendants) have a great opportunity to influence the afterlife of the deceased. Namely: to show the fruits of spiritual life (to live in the prayerful experience of the Church, to participate in the Holy Sacraments, to live according to the commandments of Christ). Although the one who departed unbaptized did not manifest these fruits himself, but his children and grandchildren, he also participates in them as a root or a stem.

And I also want to say: loved ones should not lose heart, but do everything possible to help, remembering the mercy of the Lord and knowing that everything will be finally determined at the Judgment of God.