Fountains of Life

The ancient tradition of immersing believers in water to mark their acceptance of faith cuts across denominational lines. Locales, however, vary from ocean or river baptisms to formal rituals in churches.

Whether with consecrated holy water from fonts or saltwater from pools off Orange County, baptismal fluids symbolize a rebirth into a new life of faith.

In many faiths, infants are baptized in a first rite of passage, such as the ceremonies at St. Barbara Catholic Church in Santa Ana or the Danish Lutheran Church of Yorba Linda. Others baptize older children, such as Second Baptist Church in Santa Ana.

Baptisms also celebrate conversion to a faith, as Pastor Joey Buran of Calvary Chapel does with hundreds of converts near Newport Beach. And they are occasions for believers to renew vows, as Irvine’s Lee Weissman does when he immerses himself in a mikvah.

When holy water flows over a person’s head, it is believed that all sins are washed away. For devout Catholics, baptism is a symbol of the promise of eternal salvation, and forgiveness of all sin.

Today, mikvahs resemble a tiny swimming pool, but are built and used according to ancient Jewish tradition. Most commonly, they are used for purification before marriage or conversion to the faith. But they also are used for personal and spiritual renewal at times of change, such as after a divorce.