St. Barnabas Episcopal Church labyrinth project underway

By Lisa Carolin

St. Barnabas Episcopal Church in Chelsea is in the process of creating a labyrinth, an outdoor space accessible to everyone.

The purpose of the quiet, intentional space is to help fulfill the needs of the congregation and the community, something St. Barnabas’ ministry support team members Kathy O’Connell and Cynthia Wentworth learned about as one of 16 churches in the U.S. invited to participate in a program called Baptized for Life.

“We participated in a guided program called Renewal Works, that had us really take a look at the needs of our congregation and community to really discern how to address that need,” said O’Connell. “Mental wellness is a priority that needed attention in our community and in our congregation. We discussed spiritual growth and what seems to be the reason that we do not spend the needed time to feed ourselves, mentally and spiritually.”

The answer they came up with is time and intention, and people not taking the time to be still and quiet and just to listen.

“It is hard to set time aside, even at home with all the distractions surrounding us,” said O’Connell. “The labyrinth is a tool for everyone, and anyone can use it. A labyrinth has been successful not only as a tool for prayer or discernment, but also for meditation or reflection. They have been used at hospitals, prisons, schools, for team building events to name a few.”

St. Barnabas church is located at 20500 W. Old US-12. The church’s ministry team encourages anyone interested in taking time to meditate to visit the labyrinth, which should be completed by mid-August.

“It is a spiritual tool to use for prayer, meditation, for one to take time to be able to just be still in this busy chaotic world and to listen for that spiritual voice, their inner voice, that peaceful voice,” said O’Connell, who encourages anyone who visits the labyrinth,  “to take what they hear inside the labyrinth out into the community.”