Toronto No. 1

The church hand-out [undated] informs: "The font is a memorial to Stewart Dean Ross, given by his mother, Mrs. J.F.W. Ross. The cover consists of figures of our Lord with mothers and their children, depicting his command 'Suffer little children to come unto me'. The cover weighs 800 pounds and moves on rollers. It was dedicated on February 9, 1919. It is considered to be one of the finest examples of a [neo] Gothic font in North America and was designed by the architect of the church, Mr. E.J. Lennox. The font was sculpted in place in the old Baptistery, behind the present Chapel of the Good Shepherd, by Italian craftsmen [...] Under the leadership of the Reverend Canon Wm. Hockin, the font was relocated to its present location, conforming to the medieval tradition of locating the font near the church entrance so that people could be baptized; a conditional requirement for admitance to the sanctuary. The present location gives a sense of welcome to all who enter the church and symolizes our first steps on our faith journey." The present sandstone font consists of a square basin with broad chamfered corners; the sides decorated with niches containing a variety of symbols, motifs, inscriptions, etc.; the corners themselves have atlante-like figures; raised on a central square base and four pairs of outer colonnettes, all decorated; the cover is a stone sculptural group showing Christ and the children, from the Mark 10: 13-15 and Matthew 19:14 gospel texts.