Baptistry
You have probably seen or attended a baptism for a baby, but have you ever
attended a baptism for an adult? Adults are baptized through the Rite of
Christian Initiation of Adults, or RCIA. They are baptized on Holy Saturday
at the Easter Vigil Mass. The place where people are baptized is called
the baptistry. The large pool of water is called the baptismal
font. Water is used as a sign of new life.
During Jesus' time and for a period after that, people were baptized in
rivers, lakes, and pools. They were totally immersed in the water!
Today, some churches do baptism by immersion and others pour water on the
head of the person being baptized. The large candle beside the font is
the Easter candle, or Paschal candle. It is present to remind us of the
light of Christ.
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Holy Water Fonts
The holy water fonts are placed at the entrances to the church. People
bless themselves with holy water when they enter and leave the church as
a sign of their own baptism. We all belong to the family of God because
of our baptism. |
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