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# Nearly 1,500 People Baptized as Godchildren of Patr. Shio in Georgia
- URL: https://uoj.news/news/nearly-1-500-people-baptized-as-godchildren-of-patr-shio-in-georgia/
- Published: 2026-10-27T13:59:49.000Z
- Updated: 2026-10-27T15:03:47.000Z
- Description: Nearly 1,500 people were baptized in Georgia’s Adjara region as Patr. Shio welcomed them into the Georgian Orthodox Church and emphasized the spiritual significance of Baptism.
- Author: Tobias Straney
- Tags: #Category: News, Georgian Orthodox Church, Patriarch Shio of Georgia, Mass baptism

**KHICHAURI, GEORGIA —** Nearly 1,500 people [were baptized](https://sazu.ge/posts/post/3216) in the village of Khichauri in Georgia’s Shuakhevi Municipality on October 25, joining the godchildren of Catholicos-Patriarch Shio of All Georgia. The mass Baptism took place in the Diocese of Skhalta and included both children and adults.

Following the service, Patr. Shio blessed the newly baptized and presented each with a cross. In his homily, he said approximately 1,500 people had received Baptism that day in Upper Adjara, describing the event as a source of joy for the entire Georgian Church.

[![](https://uoj.news/content/images/2026/06/patr-shio-to-bless-new-community-of-christian-kurds-and-yazidis-2bd10c9efadf.jpg)On this topicPatr. Shio to Bless New Community of Christian Kurds and Yazidis](https://uoj.news/news/patr-shio-to-bless-new-community-of-christian-kurds-and-yazidis/)

The Patriarch [emphasized](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bkm0elhVDcE) that Baptism is more than an outward ceremony, calling it spiritual rebirth and entry into the Church. He explained that the sacrament unites the baptized with Christ and brings forgiveness of sins. Addressing the adults who received Baptism, he stressed that genuine faith and an understanding of the Church’s fundamental teachings, expressed in the Nicene Creed, are essential.

Patr. Shio also praised the Georgian people, particularly the people of Adjara, for continuing their journey toward Christ. He expressed hope that the nation would remain steadfast in its faith and traditional values, adding that God would remain with Georgia and the Mother of God would protect the country.

![](https://uoj.news/content/images/2026/10/864257534_2366460630834816_6580776006418175598_n.jpg)

![](https://uoj.news/content/images/2026/10/862660102_2465831104822698_89749891473159308_n.jpg)

![](https://uoj.news/content/images/2026/10/862887138_1447450700666277_3967291638149363168_n.jpg)

![](https://uoj.news/content/images/2026/10/862752664_1626671855826305_7053390314661694732_n.jpg)

![](https://uoj.news/content/images/2026/10/862586159_1432891785638634_1245150437418039094_n.jpg)

![](https://uoj.news/content/images/2026/10/861806610_1139709165260596_3362550843071079745_n.jpg)

Photos: Public Relations Department of the Patriarchate of Georgia / Facebook

In 2008, Catholicos-Patriarch Ilia II of the Georgian Orthodox Church launched a mass-baptism initiative to encourage higher birth rates, becoming the spiritual godfather of the third and subsequent children of couples married in the Georgian Orthodox Church. Although Orthodox priests performed the actual baptisms, families had to participate in the official ceremonies, where the Patriarch formally accepted godfatherhood and the children were registered as his godchildren. The current Patriarchate clarified that this mass Baptism was separate from the longstanding program established by the late Patr. Ilia II.

Previously, the [UOJ reported](https://uoj.news/news/georgian-orthodox-diocese-to-mark-1-700th-anniversary-of-christianity-as-state-religion/) that the Georgian Orthodox Diocese planned to mark the 1,700th anniversary of Christianity as the state religion.