BAPTISMAL FONT

Under the marble-pillared and ornamental oak baldachin (canopy) stands the great baptismal font. The font, which is of daintlily tinted Spanish marble, octagonal and pillared, has mounted over it in suspension, a lovely forged aluminum hod, embossed with a series of symbols pertaining to the church. The symbols are: Faith, Hope, Charity, the Nativity, the Blessed Virgin, and Victory. It bears at its apex a statue of St. John the Baptist, itself a rare and precious piece of craftsmanship. It took Natale Rossi, a young Italian immigrant, a year to make form his won design. (Hand Forged) A series of weights and pulleys enable this 130 pound cover to be lifted with one hand. During renovation in 1979 this beautiful piece was displayed for six months at the Smithsonian Museum in Washington, D.C.