St. Mary of Vernon Catholic Church

The fountain of life, the water made holy by the suffering of Christ, washing all the world.

The baptistry or the place of the baptismal font is one of the most important places within the church. It is where we celebrate Baptism, the first Sacrament, and where we accept Christ as our Savior and become children of God. Through the Holy Spirit, we are anointed and become members of the Church.

Because Baptism is the beginning of our Christian life, it is appropriate that the baptismal font is located at the entrance of our church building. The font of Baptism, the foundation of our faith, has been built into the pillar of our first church, the foundation of this local faith community.

The font itself is made of a complementary marble to that of our altar and ambo (pulpit). The higher level we call the infant font, where the traditional pouring of the water over those to be baptized occurs. This would also allow for immersion of infants if that form of baptism is chosen. The larger pool-like area allows for an expressive pouring of substantial water over older children or adults as they would stand in the font.