In the worship of the Divine Liturgy, there is still a mention of people who at some point needed to go out of their temple. This practice took place in the early centuries of Christianity. they were a special category of people who wanted to become Christians, but were not before being baptized.
In the Christian Church of the first centuries, there were special institutes of publication, in which cycles of lectures were given on the foundations of the doctrine and moral teaching of the Church. The main teachers were the clergy, and the listeners were announced. In antiquity, it was impossible to come to the temple singly and immediately accept the sacrament of baptism. First, a man prepared for this great event in his life. It was announced by the basic truths of Christianity. That is why the Church calls these people announced.
Those who were announced could listen to conversations and teachings for several years before accepting the sacrament of baptism. They were allowed, even charged, with attending Sunday services. The announced were present at the evening service and liturgy. True, in the liturgy only the first part of the service was available to the public. Then they left the temple. In addition, those preparing for holy baptism (announced) should already have led a godly life, striving for moral purity.
At the end of the announcing courses, people preparing to be baptized could pass the corresponding exams to know the basics of the Christian faith. Only if the clergyman saw a sincere desire to unite with God in the sacrament and a mindful approach to this, was baptism performed. After that, the person was called already faithful.
Currently, far from all temples there is a practice of announcing, which consists in at least one preliminary conversation before the sacrament. However, in large cities, some parishes practice a partial return to the institution of publication.
