H1N1 and Services of Baptism

There remain no reported cases of people becoming ill from receiving Communion, but there are documented instances of water used in fonts and as "holy water" both culturing and transmitting a variety of human diseases. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control offers no specific guidance about baptism-related practices. Still, it is clear that H1N1 and other droplet-borne diseases can spread from person to person when infected people touch water that may be touched or shared by others.

Baptism is the Christian sacrament of new birth. In it, we are identified with the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus; and by it, we are made to walk in newness of life. The signs we use in baptism need to convey the fullness of these meanings. We need to use water, and plenty of it! At the same time, we need not convey disease that can threaten or diminish life.

Here, then, are some guidelines for the use of water in services of the baptismal covenant during times when water may be more likely to become a means of spreading disease.

1. Thoroughly wash and dry any vessels that will be used for holding water in baptism. Sterilization is not necessary. Thorough washing and drying is.
   
2. Ensure that all people who will make skin-to-skin contact with others have washed their hands or have used hand sanitizer containing alcohol immediately prior to the rite. This would include clergy, parents, sponsors and any others who may lay hands on the baptismal candidates.
   
3. If more than one person is being baptized, consider pouring the water from a clean container (such as a pitcher) over the head of the candidates rather than administering it by hand from a basin. You need not diminish the amount of water used. Keep the pitcher covered, if possible, until immediately before the baptisms or at the prayer calling for the Spirit to come upon the water.
   
4. If people are then sealed with oil or by the sign of the cross, have the clergy use sanitizer and dry their hands on a fresh towel between acts of sealing or signing.
   
5. For acts of reaffirmation of the baptismal covenant, rather than inviting people to place their hands in the font to use the water, have a person pour water from a clean container (pitcher) over the hands of those who wish to receive it. People who receive the water in this way can then use that water in the ways they see fit. Keep in mind that in acts of reaffirmation with water, water is administered by the people reaffirming, not by the clergy, as a means of making clear that this is not re-baptism. Again, keep the pitcher covered, if possible, until the rite of reaffirmation begins, perhaps uncovering it at the prayer calling for the Spirit to come upon the water.
   
   Alternately, remember that every celebration of Holy Communion is also implicitly a reaffirmation of the baptismal covenant. If the use of water for a reaffirmation rite is too complicated where you are, find appropriate ways to help people connect the celebration of Holy Communion to baptism more explicitly. This could be done through a simple reminder of this connection during the sermon or before the Great Thanksgiving without altering the Great Thanksgiving in any way.
   
6. Some congregations have a regular practice of offering water for people to remember their baptism as they enter the worship space. Consider the possibility of a pouring station here as well. This may require placing an attendant at the font with washed/sanitized hands to pour water on the hands or fingers of those who wish to receive it.

Attention to how water is used in these ways should help your congregation continue to celebrate the services of the baptismal covenant fully and without fear of spreading disease during times when communicable diseases, such as the H1N1 virus, are spreading.

If you have other suggestions you wish to see shared more widely, please share them with me at [email protected].