Come walk the Labyrinth!
Schedule for Next Labyrinth Opportunity will be posted in the future!!!
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Anyone interested in borrowing our Rainbow Labyrinth for their church should contact
Eileen Lepore at 708-453-2555 for rental information.
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Labyrinth Update for Holy Week 2010
Many people deserve recognition for the display and running of the labyrinth at our parish over Holy Week. The labyrinth was walked over 600 times in the week and was enjoyed by parishioners and non-parishioners alike. It has become a wonderful prayer experience held in the gym every Holy Week and I am grateful of the support of Fr. Jeffrey Grob and our school principal, Jeanine Rocchi.
To begin with the advertising, Bob Mitchell wrote an amazing article on the Labyrinth for the bulletin. I really appreciate his willingness to help "spread the word" on this prayer tool.
Before the labyrinth could make it to the gym, a lot of prep work occurred and I am appreciative of the help in ironing the hundreds of yards of fabric (done by mom, Rita Schmidt) and for the donation of battery operated candles by the Sannicandro, Lepore, Gonoude families and Mary Kay Mastalski. In designing the outstanding environment for this year I had the help of Lynn Schmidt, Mary Kay Mastalski, Rita Schmidt, Linda Santelli, Robert Schmidt, Tom Lepore, Rocco Lepore, Sam Lepore and Nick Schmidt. I would also like to thank Trudy Wynd for her help in the upkeep of our plants for the entire week.
I would like to thank those who volunteered their time by sitting in the Annex and directed people to a closeness to God through prayer:
Bernie Bass
Eileen Gonoude (with her very special helpers!)
Maria Malo (with her very special helpers!)
Mary Kay Mastalski
Rocco Lepore
Lena Roy
Bob Schmidt
Lynn Schmidt
Rita Schmidt
Over the week many people wrote down their reflections of the labyrinth. Some of them are:
“…Praying in the labyrinth area was a beautiful experience.
I’ve seen labyrinth areas at other sites but none with the reverent and prayerful atmosphere of St. Celestine’s…”
With many blessings,
Eileen Lepore
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Lamb-yrinth?
 The first time I heard the word “labyrinth”, that’s what I thought I heard. To some, walking a labyrinth may seem an odd sort of “new age” prayer. But it really is at the heart of the Catholic tradition. Fr. Bob Pawell, O.F.M. notes in “Embodied Prayer & the Labyrinth” that Catholicism is a sacramental religion based on the mystery of the divine incarnation in Jesus Christ. Thus, the Church fathers taught “caro est cardo salutis” - "the flesh is the hinge of salvation”. This is reflected in the way we pray with our bodies in signing ourselves with holy water, genuflecting before the blessed sacrament, bowing our heads at the Holy Name of Jesus and reverently touching holy relics of the saints. Setting in opposition the body and the soul, the human and the holy, the material and spiritual, tears apart the divinely-intended unity of the human person. It also can lead to a heresy of dualism which violates the sacramental principle and leads to either a disembodied spirituality or a spiritless materialism.
 Early in Church history going on “the Way” or, later, on a “pilgrimage” to places such as Guadalupe, Czestochowa and Compostella were seen as a prayer discipline. Processionals as prayer arose from the same understanding. During the Middle Ages when the Crusades closed the route of Christian pilgrims to the Holy Land, two forms of walking meditation surfaced: the “Stations of the Cross” and the labyrinth. Perhaps the best known labyrinth in this tradition is the one on the floor of Chartres Cathedral in France.
Hence, praying with the body by walking the labyrinth is a part of our Catholic tradition. We are fortunate to have a labyrinth at St. Celestine which is periodically available for walking meditation. Unlike a maze that leads to confusion, a labyrinth has only one path, serving as a metaphor for our journey in life. In walking it, one tends to set aside worries about the past, as well as concerns about the future, in favor of being “nailed” to the present – the only moment in which we can dwell with God. Some prefer to walk using the three-fold path of the Franciscan St. Bonaventure: Purgation or a letting go to open the mind and heart as one walks the path to the center, Illumination or receiving what comes to one at the center of the labyrinth, and Union or returning to walk more consciously with God in the world of work and relationships.
In walking the labyrinth we reinforce the unity of our spirit and body in the world, like Jesus, the incarnate lamb of God, does in dwelling here on earth. Perhaps “lamb-yrinth” really does make sense after all!
- Robert P. Mitchell
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The labyrinth is a simple walking path used to meditate or quiet the mind. It is a path of reflection, contemplation and clarity. Labyrinths come in many sizes and patterns, but a labyrinth has only one path, there are no tricks to it nor dead ends: it is not a maze. The path winds throughout and becomes a mirror for where we are in our lives. The labyrinth is a wonderful tool for re-connecting the mind, body and spirit. For some, it allows self-realizations that provide peace, healing and comfort.
What does labyrinth walking involve?
 One walks a labyrinth into the center and then out of the center on the same path. Walk the labyrinth with an open mind and an open heart. Take a moment before entering to pause and clear your mind. Become aware of your breath. Enter the labyrinth allowing your body to set its own pace. You may “pass” people or let others step around you whichever is easiest at the turns. The path is two ways. Those going in will meet those coming out. Do what feels natural. There are three phases to the labyrinth walk:
- Entering: Release and let go of the details of your life. This is an act of shedding thoughts and emotions. It quiets and empties the mind.
- Illumination: Also called "communion" this is when you have reached the center. This is a place of meditation. Pause and receive what is there for you.
- Exiting / re-integration: walk out the same path you entered. Integrate and connect your thoughts.
What has been proven?
The labyrinth often brings a participant relaxation and peace. It can provide insights and improve one’s ability to cope with stress. Some anecdotal evidence suggests that it may lower blood pressure.
Pictures of Previous Labyrinth
Labyrinth - March 15-21, 2008
Thank you to all who helped on the Labyrinth Experience!
 Once again our parish enjoyed the prayerful experience of the labyrinth during Holy Week from March 15th through March 21st . A project like this is not able to happen without the help of numerous volunteers.
I would like to first thank all who donated candles for our environment. The variety of shapes and colors added to the atmosphere of our meditation rooms.
In setting up the labyrinth I had help from: John and Ashley DiCristofano, Haley Stoller, Bob, Lynn, Alexandra and Nick Schmidt, Nancy Mueller, Kim Kaminski, Rita Schmidt, Linda Santelli, Roger Gayer and Tom Lepore. Their attention to details transformed the gym and Annex into a prayerful place for all to enjoy.
During the week the following volunteers donated their time to the many visitors on the labyrinth: Joanne Bieschke, Rosemary Catellucci, Carolyn Fahey, Debbie Jankiewicz, Joe Joost, Mary Joost Maria Malo, Mary Kay Mastalski, Nancy Mueller, Lena Roy, Bob Schmidt, Lynn Schmidt, Rita Schmidt, Jackie Schweitzer, Donna Vessini, Judy Wisniewski, and Mary Zyk. I am extremely grateful for their time and support of this prayer experience.
What must go up…must come down! Thank you to the Schmidt family, the Lepore Family, and to John and Ashley DiCristofano for taking the time to return everything to order on Saturday morning.
I would also like to thank Fr. Larry and the entire Pastoral Staff and the support staff for their help throughout the week. In a special way I would like to thank our school principal, Jeanine Rocchi, for allowing me to “take over” the gym and for her unconditional support of the labyrinth experience.
Peace,
Eileen Lepore
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Some reactions to the labyrinth...
"Tranquil and peaceful-soothing"
"The labyrinth experience is amaizing everytime I go. It truly helps me to focus on all the things going on in my life. The atmosphere was wonderful this year. They transformed the gym to a prayerful place. The music and the decorations especially help to set the mood. Now I am much more relaxed and feel clean. This experience is one that will not be forgotten. Thank you so much for this opportunity"
 What is Labyrinth? The labyrinth is an ancient pattern found in many cultures around the world. Labyrinth designs were found on pottery, tablets and tiles date as far back as 4000 years. Many patterns are based on spirals from nature. In Native American culture it is called the Medicine Wheel and Man in the Maze. The Celts described it as the Never Ending Circle. It is also called the Kabala in mystical Judaism. One feature they all share is that they have one path which winds in a circuitous way to the center.
The labyrinth design used by Lauren Artress is a replica of the 11-circuit labyrinth of Chartres Cathedral in France. This pattern, once central to cathedral culture, was inlaid into the stone floor in 1201. For the last 250 years, however, it has been ignored -- covered with chairs -- until Artress led the effort to reintroduce the labyrinth into the world as a spiritual tool.
 Labyrinths are currently being used world-wide as a way to quiet the mind, find balance, and encourage meditation, insight and celebration. They are open to all people as a non-denominational, cross-cultural tool of well-being. They can be found in medical centers, parks, churches, schools, prisons, memorial parks and retreat centers as well as in people's backyards.
The labyrinth is not a maze. There are no tricks to it and no dead ends. It has a single circuitous path that winds into the center. The person walking it uses the same path to return and the entrance then becomes the exit. The path is in full view, which allows a person to be quiet and focus internally. Generally there are three stages to the walk: releasing on the way in, receiving in the center and returning; that is, taking back out into the world that which you have received. There is no right way or wrong way to walk a labyrinth. Use the labyrinth in any way that meets what you need.
There are many ways to describe a labyrinth. It is a path of prayer, a walking meditation, a crucible of change, a watering hole for the spirit and a mirror of the soul. May you be nourished.
The Art of Pilgrimage
An excerpt from Phil Cousineau's book
The following is an excerpt from The Art of Pilgrimage, The Seekers Guide to Making Travel Sacred by Phil Cousineau. It reminds us why we walk and facilitate labyrinth walks for others. There are sections that refer to Lauren's work with labyrinths, so if you haven't read this book yet, we heartily recommend it to you.
 Reading old travel books or novels set in faraway places, spinning globes, unfolding maps, playing world music, eating in ethnic restaurants, meeting friends in cafes whose walls hold the soul-talk of decades- all these things are part of never-ending travel practice, not unlike doing scales on a piano, shooting free throws, or meditating. They are exercises that help lure the longing out of the soul and honor the brooding-over of unhatched ideas for journeys.
But the oldest practice is still the best. Take your soul for a stroll. Long walks, short walks, morning walks, evening walks- whatever form or length it takes. Walking is the best way to get out of your head. Recall the invocation of the philosopher, Soren Kierkegaard, who said, "Above all, do not lose your desire to walk: Every day I walk myself into a state of well-being and walk away from every illness; I have walked myself into my best thoughts." As if in his footsteps, Friedrich Nietzsche also remarked, "Never trust a thought that didn't come by walking."
The Art Of Pilgrimage by Phil Cosineau. ISBN 1-56731-351-5 Published in 1998 by MJF Books. Our quote comes from page 25.
Taken from Labyrinth Journal, Fall 2006
Sole to Soul in a jail setting
by Ellen Meuch, labyrinth facilitator and member of Veriditas Council
 Most of my work with the labyrinth has been in the DuPage County jail outside of Chicago. It's important to note that there is a difference between jail and prison. Someone in jail is a "pretrial detainee" who may or may not be guilty of the crime they have been charged. They also could have received a sentence of one year or less or might just be too poor to post bail. Those in prison have been found guilty by trial or have pled their case.
There are very different dynamics in these two facilities. Those in prison are struggling to accept their sentence, their guilt and the time they must spend behind bars. Toward the end of their sentence, they are preparing for life after incarceration. The men and women who are in jail are primarily anxious, fearful, and often, remorseful. The future is unknown and there are a lot of factors that they can not control in order to determine what lies ahead for them. Add addiction problems for 90% of this population, abuse for 80%, incomplete educations or illiteracy for many, alienation from friends and family and you begin to see how difficult it is for them to create positive solutions to their complex problems. Many inmates aren't even ready for constructive life plans, they first must find forgiveness (for themselves and often others), grace, and most importantly HOPE. When I offer the men and women labyrinth walks in our jail my goal is that they find these things one step at a time — literally.
 What is the impact of the labyrinth on an inmate? I wish I had pages and pages to tell you my personal stories and the stories of others doing this work. First, taking the time to bring and explain the labyrinth to prisoners is impactful because voluntary efforts are immensely appreciated. Second, bringing an item of such beauty into a space that is usually void of color, or any sensory interest is breath taking and stimulating. Third, to give them a chance to be in a sacred space and experience a peaceful, sacred, safe event where they can drop their defenses and receive the gifts of the labyrinth offers them a moment to think clearly, focus, reflect, reconnect to the Divine and even cry. It is this awakening, or rediscovering, within an inmate's soul that never fails to amaze me each time I hold a walk.I have talked about the struggles inmates face. But the challenges of the human spirit are universal. They are more like you and me than you think. They are my friends. I believe we are better than the worst thing we have ever done. I also believe that a sacred space can be created ANYWHERE — especially with the help of the labyrinth.
It is important to become aware of the underserved in our communities. Family shelters, homeless shelters, treatment centers, jails and prisons are only a few locations where healing is needed. Reaching out with the labyrinth can create hope and healing for those who feel forgotten in our communities. And the beacon of hope lights the path of a better future one sole (or soul) at a time.
Tips for the Labyrinth Walk
Welcome!
 If others are using the labyrinth, please refrain from talking.- There are handouts available for your use.
- Please walk the labyrinth in your stocking feet.
- It takes about 20-30 minutes to walk the path.
- Walk at your own pace.
- If multiple people are using the labyrinth, please wait until the person in front of you has rounded the third turn (near the center) before you begin walking the path.
- You may pass another person. The best place to pass is at a corner turn. If you meet someone coming the opposite direction, making eye contact with the other person is a good way to give/obtain permission to pass.
- Before you leave, stop by the table, and:
- Cross off the next number on the sheet. We would like to keep track of the approximate number of those who walked the labyrinth.
- Feel free to share your thoughts about your experience in our journal.
May God bless you on all your faith journeys
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
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