The Stanley Cup as Baptismal Font?

When I began ministry in outport Newfoundland nearly four decades ago I was nonplussed when I discovered that I was a registrar for births for the province. Even though virtually all babies were born in a hospital in 1980 - our son was born in James Patton Memorial in Gander -- this was an anachronistic system harking back to the period when communities were isolated and a midwife birthed them babies. As a person who could read and write and would baptize virtually all the children the clergyperson was required to send a "Return of Birth" form to St. John's. I had a pad of these forms and was paid the staggering sum of two dollars to do so. Parents wanted baptisms to occur pronto so that they could begin collecting the baby bonus. It was a challenge to have a conversation about the deeper meaning of baptism because of this urgency. It was essentially, splash the water, file the paperwork, get the cheque.

Through the years I experienced the frustration of parents wanting baptism for a host of reasons other than incorporation and welcome into the Christian community. For many years it was broader family pressure, regardless of the faith or participation of the parents of the children. There are powerful promises as a part of baptism and I felt deeply uncomfortable being complicit in an empty ritual when baptism had such deep meaning for me as presider, and in the tradition of the church. I often questioned the value of infant baptism for this reason. It's interesting that denominations which baptize babies are the ones which are fading in Canada. Have we systematically undermined our communities by trivializing our sacraments?

Enter the Stanley Cup to the sacrament. Some Canadians claim that hockey is our national religion, but a member of the NHL Cup winning Pittsburgh Penguins had his child baptized in the historic hockey trophy a few weeks ago. It turns out that this isn't the first time Lord Stanley's jug was used for this purpose.



There are no rules for the vessel used for baptism, and of course in some traditions there is no font at all, as baptismal candidates are immersed in bodies of water, as Jesus was in the Jordan. Still, it seems rather glib. I can't judge the sincerity of these parents, but I have to wonder what the intent is for using the Cup. If the desire is to raise this child in the Christian faith, great. I just hope it isn't a cutesy gimmick.

Ah well, my baptizing days are over!