Rare liturgical occasion

A drive to Aljambra to celebrate the Eucharist this morning for sixteen people. I was surprised to discover since my last visit that a modest sized marble bowl with a plinth had been purchased for use in the Ermita as a font. It had been spotted in a bric-a-brac/antiques shop. It could have been fashioned for use as an ornamental plant pot, or a holy water stop which might not necessarily be decorated with any religious symbols, but it is just the right size for conventional Christenings, and next Sunday evening we do indeed have such a celebration in Aljambra, inspiring this acquisition.

My first thought was that it should be dedicated and blessed immediately, rather than try and weave this into the Evensong and Christening service to come. How to do this? It was being offered by the Chaplaincy in thanksgiving for the first ten years of regular services being held there. I had to think fast while I was preparing to start the service. The font-to-be was placed immediately in front of the altar. At the start of the service, I improvised a brief act of dedication and sprinkled it with water to set it aside for this unique purpose, then adapted a text from the baptism service to use as a Preface in the Eucharistic Prayer, for the font's blessing and consecration - i.e. give thanks for its purpose and invoke the Holy Spirit to make fruitful its use. 

Perhaps I should explain that hereabouts it's not regarded as essential for every place of worship to have a font. Pastoral offices take place in the Parish Churches. Ermitas like this one, may serve as 'Mass centres', i.e. Chapels of Ease, but are also put to use for other local activities. I've seen them in hamlets where they once served as basic schools and even sheltered itinerant workers before the spread of modern transport into rural areas last mid-century. 

Some Ermitas date from 17th century diocesan outreach initiatives. More recent ones were built as part of housing developments, supported by the local ajuntamiento. Given the shortage of clergy in our times, it's unlikely there'll ever be resident pastoral ministry in new settled areas. Most people now travel elsewhere for work, shopping leisure and church. They are a legacy of centuries of bonds between religious and civil authorities in Spain, and find use as community centres. Some social events may be religious fiestas but, in effect, they are redundant as 'Mass centres' and only occasionally may be used for for funerals. 

Thus regular use and management of under used buildings by Anglican worshippers is welcomed by both church and civil authorities. While they may be equipped with an altar, and a substantial image of Mary and Jesus (more often than a crucifix), there's rarely font, except perhaps in more ancient places where there is a tradition of a sacred spring or holy well. I can't see that adding a font to the church's furnishings is likely to be a bone of contention with our hosts. It is in any case movable and can be stored away if required. I'm racking my brains to remember if I've ever been called upon to commission a new font in all my years of ministry.