Walking an Ancient Path at St. John’s Cathedral

by Karen Gann
St. John’s Cathedral
When the Rev. Canon Laura England and Deacon Mary Lee Bergeron came back from a retreat at Kanuga a couple of years ago, they brought with them a sense of joy and excitement. At Kanuga, they discovered an ancient Christian tool called a labyrinth. In walking the labyrinth, they had rediscovered a path to prayer and meditation that Christians have used for centuries.

Their excitement was contagious, and very soon a committee of interested people from St. John's Cathedral was formed to learn more about this practice.

Their mission was to determine whether a labyrinth would be a tool that St. John's family, and the downtown Knoxville extended community could use in their search for more meaningful communication with God. The committee worked diligently for nearly two years, and with a generous gift in memory of Mary Clark-Wright, the labyrinth is finally in place at St. John's.

The labyrinth is a tool for meditation and prayer. Unlike a maze, a labyrinth has only one path. There is one way in, and one leaves the same way you came in, separating the "walk" into three stages.

The act of walking the path helps quiet the mind as you go toward the center. As you shed the worries of the day you become ready to listen more closely to the word of God.

The center of the labyrinth is for illumination, where one can receive what is to be found there.

The walk back from the center prepares one to re-enter their world, renewed with a sense of purpose, or simply a feeling of well being.

It is believed that the early Christians used labyrinths as a metaphor for the pilgrimage to Jerusalem. As you discover for yourself this tool for walking prayer, you will see that it is also a metaphor for life.

We at St. John's Cathedral invite you to try walking the sacred path.

The labyrinth was dedicated in memory of Mary Clarke Wright, along with the Courtyard Gardens in memory of William Miller on Sunday, September 30 as part of the 9:15 a.m. worship.

Please contact the St. John's Cathedral office at 865.525.7347 for more information concerning the labyrinth and when it is available for use.