I’m just saying: this wouldn’t happen with a birdbath-style font.
The Danger of Immersion Fonts
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7 responses to “The Danger of Immersion Fonts”
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Tee hee hee, he chortled in his glee…….
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Pretty funny, Fritz! But it lead me to think about something rather gravely serious. Has anyone looking into a drowning risk with immersible fonts? Don’t get me wrong, I am a fan of immersion … but an infant/toddler/child falling unnoticed into a font? Is there literature on this? (Not being a troll … quite sincerely serious on this.)
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There are safety laws (I am not sure at what level; municipal? Federal?) about pools of water in public places, which apply in gaining building permits. After all, the same safety question could be raised about a fountain in a park or shopping mall. I believe if water is at a certain depth, the baptismal font must be gated when not in use. I also know of churches that have installed a grille beneath the surface of the water (removed when there’s a baptism) to prevent accidents.
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I have admittedly never given much thought to this serious real world problem in church architecture (despite my past life as a waterfront manager). Looking around my diocese, all immersion fonts here (where they exist) are built with sides around 3ft tall, presumably with curious toddlers in mind. Whether itโs civil building codes or diocesan directive Iโm not sure, but itโs smart. The diocese I previously lived in must not have had the same building codes, as several churches have immersion fonts with sides well below the height of your average toddler, including their cathedralโs sunken font thatโs only guarded by sections of the old communion rail. I thankfully have never heard of any tragic Holy Water drownings and pray I never do.
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Among the better designed ones in New England that I am aware of is at the (non-Catholic) Church of The Transfiguration on Cape Cod in Orleans, Massachusetts:
https://blog.mozaico.com/christian-mosaic-treasures-hidden-within-the-church-of-transfiguration/
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You should check out a video on YouTube entitled something like Orthodox Baptism in Sea. Baptizo is to dip or plunge, and these people have not forgotten how our ancestors baptized.
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That wouldn’t have happened if there was a proper baptisterium separate from the church… but hey…
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