OUR BAPTISM AREA

The refurbishment of our Baptistery is now complete.

Just before the churches were closed because of the COVID-19 pandemic, we were fortunate to give life to our newly refurbished baptistery area in the church, to enable the best of immersion for all baptisms: a larger font for babies and infants, and a deeper font for older children and adults.

It had been our hope to baptise five young people at the Easter Vigil this year, but we had to ask them to wait a little longer.

The refurbishment was the achievement of so many in the parish and beyond. From the front door of the church it shines out and welcomes us: ‘Come to the Water’, which is also the theme of the newly commissioned painting by a local Indigenous artist, Susan Reys. Come_to _the_Water_Description_and Artist_Bio (2)

Features of the fonts include grab bars that symbolically represent vines in the forest, which guide and hold us around the water space; and a Clownfish swimming through the coral to bring water-life to the fonts.

Alongside the fonts, the painting represents important patterns in the sky across our world, the waters that bring nourishment and life, and the totem creatures of the local area – the spirits of the ancestors that care for and respect all creation, as custodians of the timeless stories of grace and hope, and resurrection.

To complete the baptistery, the Easter Candle (the work of bees and of the hands of God’s servants) is held by the leaves of life in the presence of a bee; without which we can have no richness of life.

We thank and honour the so many people who helped plan, shape and construct our new baptistery area, that now provides a tangible and beautiful link indoors with our proposed Columbarium outdoors. The life and death of each one of us does make a difference to all.