St. Stephen's Church

Mission

St. Stephen's is a community called by Christ through the Holy Spirit

to give thanks to God in weekly common worship
to be faithful stewards of the gifts and resources entrusted to us
to be bearers of God's healing and reconciling love.

Labyrinth at St. Stephens

labyrinth

Dedication Celebration

Our permanent, grass and brick labyrinth is done and is being used. On Sunday, October 14th, 2001 we had a celebration to dedicate our outdoor labyrinth as a public space for meditation and prayer. We worshipped with prayers, music, and food. The whole community was invited and there was a good turnout in spite of cold wet weather. Bishop Fairfield was with us as well as our former rector, Sandi Holmberg. Please feel free to stop by anytime to use our labyrinth for your personal meditation and keep us in your prayers.

A labyrinth is different from a maze. In a maze the path divides and has dead ends. A labyrinth is a single path that winds between entrance and the center. In her book, Walking a Sacred Path, Rediscovering the Labyrinth as a Spiritual Tool, The Rev. Dr. Lauren Artress describes how she rediscovered the use of labyrinths as a prayer tool.

Labyrinths go back in history to pre-Christian times. They have been found throughout the world. The oldest known European labyrinth is in Crete and is dated about 2000 BC. There was a Jewish form of labyrinth. The labyrinth at Chartres Cathedral in France is one of the few intact labyrinths remaining in a Medieval Cathedral and was created about the year 1200. In the Medieval period it was popular among Christians to go on a pilgrimage to Jerusalem. A lot of people were unable to make that long a pilgrimage, so the church named several cathedrals throughout Europe as pilgrimage sites. Walking the labyrinth in Chartres cathedral helped Christian people get a sense of what pilgrimages can be, a walk to greater faith in Jesus Christ.

Lauren Artress says that many Christians find that praying while walking the labyrinth deepens their awareness of God's active presence in their lives. In the introduction to her book, Artress says. "Based on the circle, the universal symbol for unity and wholeness, the labyrinth sparks the human imagination and introduces it to a kaleidoscopic patterning that builds a sense of relationship: one person to another, to another, to many people, to creation of the whole. It enlivens the intuitive part of our nature and stirs within the human heart the longing for connectedness and the remembrance of our purpose for living."

At the center of the labyrinth there is a rosette with five or six "petals", depending of the size. The full size labyrinth in Chartres has six. The rosette may symbolize several things. Traditionally, the rose was a symbol of the Virgin Mary. Some see it as a symbol of the Holy Spirit. Others see each petal as representing different things or beings. The first to the left is said to represent the earth and minerals. The second petal represents the plant world; the third, the animal world; the fourth, the human world; the fifth the angelic; and the sixth, God.

Before you begin walking the labyrinth you may wish to say a prayer. You may have someone or something on your heart or mind that you wish to bring to God in prayer as you walk. Or you may empty your mind and simply open your heart and mind to the Holy Spirit as you walk. You may walk at your own pace and pause as you wish. You might imagine yourself walking with Jesus and listening to what he would have to say to you. Enjoy God's presence and be open to God's love for you.

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Portable Canvas Labyrinth

St. Stephen's has a 12 foot "Personal Labyrinth" for indoor use. We are happy to share the labyrinth with others as long as it is used respectfully and with intentionality for meditation. Any damages are the responsibility of the borrower. Please contact a vestry member about using our canvas labyrinth.

Permanent Outdoor Labyrinth

Thanks to a grant from the North Dakota Episcopal Foundation, we have built a permanent labyrinth in the lawn on the west side of our church building. This 49 foot labyrinth has grass paths outlined by paving bricks set in the lawn. Several dedicated members of the congregation began the planning and construction during the summer of 2000. We spent Sunday afternoons and Wednesday evenings digging and laying the 2000 bricks. The job involved great fun and fellowship and was finished at the end of September 2001.

As far as we are aware, St. Stephen's labyrinth is the first and only permanent labyrinth in North Dakota. First Presbyterian Church in Grand Forks has a 36 foot portable canvas labyrinth. The contact person is Gretchen Graf . If you are aware of any other labyrinths in North Dakota we would be interested in hearing about them.