Holy Week starts with labyrinth walk in Concord

In advance of the solemnity of Holy Week, a labyrinth walk answers this fast-paced world’s challenge to make time for quiet, meditative moments of prayer and reflection. All are invited to walk the labyrinth on Saturday, March 31, in the Parish Hall at Trinity Episcopal Church.

The labyrinth, a winding one-way path which leads into and back out of a central space, offers a type of body meditation which parallels the inner journey of prayer and reflection. Religions around the world have used labyrinths for ages (for a history of labyrinths and their symbolism, visit www.labyrinthos.net). Taking a labyrinth walk, steeped in the history of pilgrimage and renewal, is a modern revival of an ancient spiritual custom; Christians in the Middle Ages would walk the labyrinth at Chartres Cathedral in France as a safe alternative to making a pilgrimage to Jerusalem. In recent times, a replica of the Chartres labyrinth was laid in the floor of Grace Cathedral in San Francisco where the Canon Lauren Artress further developed its use as a spiritual tool. The pattern painted on canvas that will be available for us to use at Trinity is of this same Chartres design.

Trinity parishioner Shirley Blancke will give a brief introduction to the history and purpose of the labyrinth at 11 a.m. in the Parish Hall, followed by an opportunity to walk, or drop in anytime from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. on March 31. Remove your shoes and enjoy a self-guided walk. For those who are unable to walk, finger labyrinths and online