People of all faiths welcomed to labyrinth dedicated at St. Paul's
by Jill Bodach
Hour Staff Writer
NORWALK - The newest addition to St. Paul's Church on the Green is over 3,000 years old.
This addition is a 30-foot labyrinth made of colored brick assembled in a circular path. This ancient symbol, which is often equated with meditation and a search for deeper spirituality and peace, dates back to ancient Greece but can be found at churches and other places of worship throughout the world.
"The idea behind the labyrinth is very ancient, and symbols of it have been found in cultures all over the world since before human history was recorded," said Bishop Steven Charleston, president and dean of Episcopal Divinity School in Cambridge, Mass. "For Christians it has become a symbol of the journey we all take throughout our lives to find God and walking the labyrinth is a form of meditation for many."
St. Paul's received its labyrinth at the end of this summer as a gift from Michael Mushak, who is a landscape architect and church member. The labyrinth, part of the larger Healing Gardens at the church which were also developed by Mushak, is based on the design of the most famous remaining labyrinth at Chartres Cathedral located near Paris, France.
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"As one of the points of entry to Norwalk, we wanted to do something that would provide a radical welcome..." |
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Father Nicholas Lang
St. Paul's Rector
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The labyrinth sits behind the church overlooking the busy intersection where East, Westport and Newtown avenues meet Wall Street.
It is located in a place where traffic, people, and buildings are plentiful and they are not shrouded from view of the labyrinth.
However the labyrinth itself was built to be an escape from all outside stresses. In fact, St. Paul's central location in the city was one of the reasons that its rector thought the church would be the perfect place for a labyrinth.
"As one of the points of entry to Norwalk we wanted to do something that would provide a radical welcome to the community and we believe that part of our role of being located in this place of historical significance in the city is to serve the needs of the people and to unite all the various areas of worship that are represented here," Father Nicholas Lang, rector of St. Paul's said.
On Sunday, the labyrinth was consecrated and dedicated by Charleston as a tool to be used by members of St. Paul's as well as other members of the community to reflect, seek quiet time, pray and find inner peace.
"We know that life if not easy, and there are plenty of stresses and struggles and that in order to get through those we often need to find a way to get in touch with our inner selves and find peace," Lang said. "And if people can find that peace here than we have done a wonderful thing for them."
There are no rules for walking the labyrinth, Stevenson said, and the labyrinth is a place for everyone, regardless of their faith.
"There is no right and wrong way to walk the labyrinth," Stevenson said. "Any person is welcome to use it to walk it or sit quietly by it and enjoy this wonderful spiritual gift."
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