St. Francis de Sales Catholic Community

"The simple act of walking the labyrinth invites us back into the center of our being ... No matter where we are in our own life's journey, no matter what tradition sparks the creative imagination, we may glimpse the Divine."

- Dr. Lauren Artess
Walking a Sacred Path: Rediscovering
the Labyrinth as a Spiritual Tool

History of Labyrinths
A labyrinth is a sacred pattern that leads you on a prescribed path to its center, and back out again. Although the labyrinth may be new to many people today, its use as a spiritual tool can be traced back to several ancient cultures. The earliest known Christian labyrinth is located on the wall of a church in Algeria, with the words "Sancta Eclesia" (holy church) inscribed in its center. As early as A.D. 350 worshipers entering the church would trace the labyrinth with their finger in order to focus their thoughts and open themselves up to the presence of God.

In the Middle Ages, many cathedrals in Europe began to construct larger labyrinths. Christians who could not make a pilgrimage to Jerusalem would instead travel to these cathedrals to work the labyrinth as a spiritual pilgrimage, symbolizing the journey to the Holy Land. The labyrinth in the floor of the nave at Chartres Cathedral in France is the most well known of the medieval designs.

History our Labyrinth at St. Francis de Sales
The idea of a Labyrinth at St. Francis de Sales came as an answer to a parishioner's prayer for healing, in the summer of 2002. With the blessing of the Reverend Monsignor Thomas Cassidy, our pastor at that time, a Labyrinth Committee was established in the fall of 2002.

This committee of twelve researched labyrinths in the area, consulted with builders, and prayed together. In July of 2003, the Pastoral Council approved plans for an outdoor Santa Rose Labyrinth, in front of the church. The council allocated $2000 for materials and consultation with Michael Clarridge, Labyrinth Designer.

Several people of our community laid pavers and planted winter cabbages on November 10 and November 11 of 2003. And on November 13, Candace Kain Hayes MS facilitated the first walk - Let Walking Be Your Prayer - as an introduction to the labyrinth.

During the year of 2004, many have come in the early morning or the middle of the day to walk this path of prayer. Our labyrinth was illuminated with small electric white lights on all of the Friday evenings during Lent, for individual walks. The labyrinth was introduced to over 125 children during Vacation Bible School in June.

In August 2004, our labyrinth was added to the world wide labyrinth listing on the Veriditas website and already some visitors from a distance have come to St. Francis de Sales to walk/pray our labyrinth!

(this is the prayer the committee said often on the labyrinth site before it was built)

A Prayer of Trust and Confidence

My Lord God,
I have no idea where I am going.
I do not see the road ahead of me.
I cannot know for certain where it will end.
Nor do I really know myself,
and the fact that I think I am following your will
does not mean that I am actually doing so.

But I believe that the desire to please you
does in fact please you.
And I hope that I have that desire in all that I am doing.

I hope that I will never to anything
apart from that desire.

And I know that if I do this,
you will lead me by the right way
though I may know nothing about it.

Therefore I will trust in you always
though I may seem to be lost
and in the shadow of death.
I will not fear for you are ever with me
and you will never leave me
to face my perils alone.

Amen
Thomas Merton

The Santa Rosa Labyrinth
The Santa Rosa Labyrinth forms a mandala of four quadrants held within a seven-circuit concentric labyrinth. Created by Lea Goode in 1997, this contemporary labyrinth is a copyrighted design now found throughout the United States in a variety of media. The left-turning design incorporates a tiny square altar or "heartspace" that lies between the gate and the center, in line with, but not part of, the walking path.

Come and Walk the Path
You are invited to walk this path as a form of prayer or walking meditation. It is not a maze. Rather it is a well-defined pathway that winds it's way to the center and back out again.

Found in numerous spiritual traditions around the world for thousands of years, the labyrinth is a symbol for our spiritual journey. The winding path becomes a mirror for where we are in our lives, touching our sorrows and releasing our joys.

Prayerfully walking the labyrinth can be a helpful spiritual tool to quiet the mind, open the heart and bring new clarity. Take a moment to calm and center yourself. You may bow or make the sign of the cross before entering and upon leaving the labyrinth. There is no 'right' or 'wrong' way to walk the path. There is simply YOUR way. You may just listen to your breathing, watch your footsteps, quietly sing a chant or say a decade of the rosary. Pray in any way that you feel comfortable. You may enter the labyrinth without expectation, or with a specific prayer or question or purpose of mind.

However you choose to walk the labyrinth, it is helpful to imagine it more as a journey than a destination. In the journey toward the center, you can shed the details of your life. The center is a place of meditation and reflection. Pause there as long as you wish. When you are ready, return by the same path. Let whatever gifts you have received, from the Divine, refresh you as you go back into the world! Peace be with you!