Why is immersion ordinarily no longer practiced?

[Phemie]

I have a question, and since you mentioned “flowing font”, I’ll quote you. I always hear that flowing water is a requirement for baptism. I was baptized as a child in a baptist church. It was an immersion baptism, but I’m not so sure there was flowing water. It was just a big tub of water. The faucet wasn’t on. Would that be valid/licit? I’ve since been confirmed in the RCC.

You put anyone under water and the water is going to flow around them. One Pastor we had was so good at it that babies went head first into the water and were swept up and out getting all but their faces wet. The water had definitely flowed over them as they moved through it.

The flowing fonts I referred to I only called that because they are attached to a water source. Most fonts I’ve dealt with were strictly “fill as needed by pouring in water from the tap.”

 

[ameliepoir]

You put anyone under water and the water is going to flow around them. One Pastor we had was so good at it that babies went head first into the water and were swept up and out getting all but their faces wet. The water had definitely flowed over them as they moved through it.

The flowing fonts I referred to I only called that because they are attached to a water source. Most fonts I’ve dealt with were strictly “fill as needed by pouring in water from the tap.”

Thanks so much! That’s very reassuring.

 

[babochka]

You milage may very. Parents ask that their children not be immersed. We believe people know their children better than we do and we do as the ask. Both practices are fine.

Yes, of course both are fine, and I understand why parents would be nervous. I also understand why a priest might be reluctant to immerse a baby, particularly if he doesn’t have much experience holding little ones.

I think much of it just depends upon what an individual is used to, what is viewed as “normal”. If a person has seen dozens of babies baptized by immersion and seen no problems, then it is more accepted. We had a baptism of a Latin Rite baby last year and they were afraid to have the baby immersed, so he was baptized by pouring.

And, since a mother of a new baby never misses an opportunity to brag, here are pictures of my youngest baby’s immersion baptism several months ago.

 

[rondirect]

Baptism by immersion illicit? Source? I have never heard that before.

Agree. Our bapismal font is at the back of the nave as you enter the church and is constructed for stepping into for full immersion. It has a waterfall bowl at one end for the typical pouring of Holy Water of a babies head. We used to do full immersion of the RCIA candidates during the Easter Vigil, but the practice was long and tedious. It took the dozen or so at least 10 minutes to dry off and return, so that practice has been omitted.

 

[andrewstx]

Interesting. I would have thought that babies were natural candidates for immersion. I’ve seen a number of pictures of Eastern Baptisms where babies were immersed.

In my Orthodox church we always immerse infants. Not one has been drowned.

 

[mcmitton]

My church was designed years ago with no “pool” for immersion. In the past several years, one of our adult members was baptized by immersion, his desire. Not to be thwarted by the lack of a pool, a new and unused large horse/cattle water trough was brought in for a “pool.” Ergo, Steve was able to be immersed.

 

[Phemie]

Yes, of course both are fine, and I understand why parents would be nervous. I also understand why a priest might be reluctant to immerse a baby, particularly if he doesn’t have much experience holding little ones.

We had one incident since we started offering the immersion option. One particular priest made a big deal about being afraid of babies. He also insisted in wearing a monastic alb with wide sleeves that made it impractical for use during an immersion Baptism.

While he was immersing the baby, baby got tangled in the sleeve and flipped out of the priest’s hands and tumbled into the water. No harm came to the child, grandma just scooped him out and wiped his face, but the congregation emitted a collective gasp. As I recall he never did another one by immersion.

 

[rondirect]

We had one incident since we started offering the immersion option. One particular priest made a big deal about being afraid of babies. He also insisted in wearing a monastic alb with wide sleeves that made it impractical for use during an immersion Baptism.

While he was immersing the baby, baby got tangled in the sleeve and flipped out of the priest’s hands and tumbled into the water. No harm came to the child, grandma just scooped him out and wiped his face, but the congregation emitted a collective gasp. As I recall he never did another one by immersion.

Oh, wow. It’s too bad the priest didn’t think this one through before the baptism. As I mentioned before, our previous pastor went in the baptismal font/pool in the back of the church for the full immersion of the RCIA candidates. About two weeks after one of the years we performed the rite, a visitor wrote us a long letter explaining how ridiculous a show it was and that Catholics do not do full immersion. His rant went on and on telling us all the things we did wrong during the entire Easter Triduum. He actually said (and I remember this so vividly), “I came back to the Easter Vigil to give you another chance!” The pastor wanted nothing to do with writing him back, so guess who had the duty to do so? I quoted documents and verses to support our liturgical actions.

 

[babochka]

We had one incident since we started offering the immersion option. One particular priest made a big deal about being afraid of babies. He also insisted in wearing a monastic alb with wide sleeves that made it impractical for use during an immersion Baptism.

Our parish hasn’t been entirely incident-free, either Our priest’s eldest daughter was actually dropped at her baptism. No harm came of it, but certainly many gasps of horror. Wet babies are extremely slippery and you definitely need to handle them with confidence and care (and not worry about getting your sleeves wet). My pastor says he always wears his old vestments for baptisms.

 

[Faith1960]

Immersion is all we do at our parish, except fro babies, of course.

At ours, they pour the Holy Water on the head, even th adults.

 

[Bishop_Gavrilo]

To add my five cents:

those of you, dear Catholic brothers and sister, who argue by cold, let me assure you the Orthodox Church in Russia or in the Ukraine (cold regions, temperatures often below zero, snow everywhere for a good part of every year since humans ever set foot there) has never done anything else but thrice-immersion. I saw my brothers Orthodox priests take a procession of 5-10 men and women to the nearest frozen lake, a saw on ther shoulders, hot coffe (and something stronger too, I am sure) in backpack, they saw a hole in the ice, each man and woman hops in, the priest lays his hands on the head, and boom! Once, twice, thrice, I baptise you in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, amen!

And then quickly out, a large towel, a set of warm cloth (many, many layers) and several powerful gulps of hot black tea and a good-sized shot of vodka! An experience to remember, trust me. Plus, I asked around, no one has ever died of it yet, it seems.

Also, when I baptize babies, I do immerse them thrice as well, I have to. I hold them under their little arms and: go once, go twice, go thrice, boom! Some cry. Some, surprisingly, do not.

…Church been doing this since time immemorial.

–Vladyka Gavrilo