For an Orthodox Christian, the cross is a great shrine. Everyone who has begun the sacrament of holy baptism has his own personal cross on his chest. At the same time, in the Orthodox missal there is a special rite for the consecration of the cross, which is worn by believers on the "persech" (chest).
Orthodox believers strive not only to sanctify their lives by faith, good deeds, prayer and alms. It is customary among Christians to consecrate, for example, homes, personal transport. Moreover, it is important for a churched person to wear the symbol of salvation consecrated by a priest - the cross of Christ. This shrine indicates the great love of God for humanity, who, through the crucifixion and the most shameful death on the cross, gave man again the opportunity to be with his Creator in paradise.
According to the Orthodox tradition, the rite of consecration is necessarily performed by a priest - a person clothed in the priestly dignity and having the right to perform sacred rites. Each Orthodox priest can consecrate a pectoral cross, and the performance of the action is practiced both in the temple and, if necessary, in another place (for example, when baptizing at home or performing the sacrament in a hospital). Most often, pectoral crosses are consecrated in the temple.
In order to consecrate a pectoral cross, a person must come to the temple at a time when the priest is in it. It is advisable to first find out if the clergyman will be in the church at a certain time. If a divine service is carried out in a temple, then the consecration of the pectoral cross can be performed either before the service, or after its end. Sometimes pectoral crosses are consecrated just before the sacrament of baptism. It should be borne in mind that in most cases the crosses that are purchased in the temple have already been consecrated with a special rite. If the cross was bought in a store or outside the church and there is no exact conviction that it is consecrated (in most cases, crosses in jewelry stores are not consecrated), then you need to ask the priest for consecration.
How is the consecration of body crosses performed?
The baptismal crosses are consecrated by the priest in the vestments of the epitrachelium and the orders. Sometimes a clergyman may also have a robe (phelonion). Some priests consecrate crosses in the altar in order to attach them to the altar at the end of the rite. However, the cross can be consecrated outside the altar.
The Orthodox missal contains a certain rite for the consecration of the cross worn on the "persech" (chest). It begins with the priest's usual exclamation "Blessed be our God …", followed by the initial prayers. Prayer to the Holy Spirit "Heavenly King" (during Easter days it is replaced by the festive singing of the troparion "Christ is Risen"), trisagion, prayer to the Holy Trinity, "Our Father". Further, the clergyman reads or sung the troparion and the kontakion to the Cross (festive liturgical texts of the day of the Exaltation of the Lord's Cross), the kontakion to the Most Holy Theotokos, in which the intercession of the Mother of God is requested. After these initial prayers, the priest reads two prayers for the consecration of the cross, the second of which, at the direction of the missal, is pronounced “in secret” (that is, not out loud). After the fulfillment of these prayers, the cross is sprinkled with holy water and the priest reads a dismissal - the final short prayer of succession.
After performing the rite of consecration, the pectoral cross is given to the believer and worn on the chest like a great consecrated shrine.
