New font recalls ark

The Bible tells us that Noah built the Ark, but parishioners of St. Anthony's Church in Schenectady know that Tom and Dan Pratico are the ones responsible for the "ark" in their parish.

An ark-shaped baptismal font designed by the Praticos, a father and son who have a longtime affiliation with St. Anthony's parish, graces the sanctuary.

The font was formally blessed and dedicated during a Mass last month; the Praticos also were honored during the liturgy for their work on the project.

Last autumn, Rev. Anthony Medwid, pastor, decided it was time for a new baptismal font in the parish. An ark-shaped font located in the baptistry had been used for many years; more recently, a portable font that was essentially a plastic bowl was used during Baptisms.

"I thought it would be nicer to have something a little more dignified," Father Medwid said.

Rather than order from a catalog, he approached the Praticos to see if they'd be willing to design and build a font. He knew that they'd do a fine job, since Tom performed the millwork and trimwork when the sanctuary was renovated in 1985.

There was a catch to building the new font, however: Father Medwid wanted it to be ark-shaped. Although Tom knew that such a request would make his work somewhat more challenging, he accepted Father Medwid's offer.

After trying to visualize the new font for about a month, Tom finally figured out how to build the "ark" and sketched a design one morning at the breakfast table.

He and his son then got to work by building the base, designing and gluing the legs, bolting them to the base, and assembling the font, piece by piece.

The ark-shaped font is made of solid red oak and has wheels so that it can be moved from its usual spot at the back of the sanctuary to the area in front of the altar for baptisms. There's even room between the bowl and the base for the cover to be placed when the font is being used.

Father Medwid is thrilled with the Praticos' work, especially since they were able to build the "ark" that he'd envisioned.

"It's a nice link between what we had in the parish and the new design," Father Medwid said. "There's a continuity between the old and the new."

The font's first official use will be during the Easter Vigil, when a catechumen, and possibly her newborn child, will be baptized.

Noah's Ark served its purpose for 40 days, as the Biblical story goes. With the 40 days of Lent drawing to a close, Father Medwid looks forward to performing baptisms and putting the Praticos' "ark" to good use.

"It will really be a treasure," he said. "It's something that's one of a kind."

(04-09-98) [[In-content Ad]]