We’ve been looking at changes we could see after the Second Vatican Council such as the location of the altar and tabernacle. Another issue was the place for Baptism. The Council called for a restoration of the catechumenate for adults and a revision for the baptismal rite for infants. It took some years for changes to take place, but they led to discussions about the shape, size, and location of the baptismal font.
Churches in my home town in my youth had a font in the entryway of the church. It consisted of a bowl shape no more then two-feet wide on top of a pedestal. It was about waist high. Baptisms took place by holding the infant over the font and pouring water over the child’s head. There were no worries about sightlines because baptisms were small affairs outside of Mass. Families gathered around the font and could easily see the ritual.
Restoring adult Baptism at the Easter Vigil as normative led to questions of how the congregation could view what was happening and to the size of the font. Some people wanted to baptize the adults by immersion returning to a practice from the early Church. Adults would kneel in the font and have water poured over their heads or, in an even bigger font, adults would be plunged under the water. The idea was to enhance the symbolic death by drowning to our old life of sin and rising to new life in Christ. This notion led to temporary pools being set-up for the Easter Vigil to varied degrees of success. New pools to accommodate adult immersion were designed and built over the years, some of which couldn’t seem to solve problems of water leakage. I have witnessed Baptisms of adults by complete immersion at the Easter Vigil. In my opinion, it is thrilling and well-worth figuring out the logistics and plumbing.
In addition to the one font, my parish had blessed water in stoups at each door. It was the custom to bless ourselves with the holy water as we entered and left the church. As a child, I did not make the connection with Baptism. I thought I was making the Sign of the Cross with blessed water, and that was good enough for me. (I need all the blessings I can get). I later learned that each time I blessed myself with that water, I was remembering and renewing my baptismal promise to discipleship. It was also the custom to take water blessed by a priest home with us to use during the week, blessing ourselves or for parents to bless their children.
One unified practice has not developed since the Council, and that’s okay. You will see fonts of different sizes and shapes and locations in our churches. You will see varied practices for how the water for Baptism is poured for adults and for children. Parishes are still learning how to implement the Order of Christian Initiation of Adults. Our liturgies, our rituals, continue to evolve over time as they are adapted to local customs and circumstances.
See the Constitution on the Sacred Liturgy #64-70 for the instruction to prepare new rites for Baptism.
