LABYRINTH AT VILLA MARIA A history with the Humility of Mary community

Saturday, August 26, 2006 Sister Stella Schmid compiled this history of the labyrinth at Villa Maria Community Center, Villa Maria, Pa. The beginning: In 1987, Sister Margaret Daniels visited the labyrinth at Chartres Cathedral in France and shared her story. Sisters Mary Therese Berry and Rita Costello also became interested in having one at Villa Maria. The experience: In 1996, Sister Rose Bator talked about the labyrinth idea with Sister Therese Pavilonis, who visited the labyrinth at Trinity Cathedral, Cleveland, with Sister Stella Schmid. People walked in silence as a Gregorian chant filled the Gothic cathedral. The nuns recalled how powerful the experience was. Project in U.S.: Trinity Cathedral circulated fliers describing a labyrinth project begun in 1991 at Grace Cathedral, San Francisco, by Dr. Lauren Artress, whose goal was to have labyrinths around the country for people to walk in celebration of the new millennium. In August 1997, Omega Institute for Holistic Studies in Rhinebeck, N.Y., offered a labyrinth workshop featuring Artress. Sisters Therese and Stella attended and returned to Villa Maria with the conviction to pursue construction of a labyrinth. Discernment process: For the election of a new major superior in 1997, Ruby Cribben, facilitator, brought a portable labyrinth to Villa Maria for the nuns to use as a tool in the discernment process. Uses: In January 1998, Sister Ruthmary Powers, Major Superior, met with the nuns involved in ministries at Villa Maria Retreat Center, Villa Maria Education and Spirituality Center and EverGreen to discuss indoor and outdoor labyrinth and uses. Information on a canvas labyrinth was presented. In a related project, Sister Elaine Schindler at Villa Education Center had painted a large tarp of the Chartres labyrinth to use in children's programs. In the works: In June 1998, Sister Therese contacted Sister Marilyn Mihalic, an Akron Dominican nun, who had constructed outdoor labyrinths and arranged for her assistance. Sisters Therese, Mary Stanco and Marilyn Mihalic laid out the 47.8-foot in diameter Chartres labyrinth pattern in the field between the pond and Villa Maria Apartments on the south side of Evergreen Road. The maintenance department at Villa Maria has maintained the labyrinth. Surprise: Sister Therese used a measuring instrument to walk the labyrinth and discovered that the footage is 1,864 feet. 1864 is the year the Humility of Mary order came to America. Programs: The entire Humility of Mary community came to Villa Maria for retreats and were invited to walk the labyrinth. In October 1998, the first formal program was attended by 30 people from six states. A series of walks were scheduled with Sister Therese offering a history. The nuns participated in the worldwide labyrinth project by having a global New Year's Eve gathering from 9 p.m. Dec. 31, 1999, to 9 a.m. Jan. 1, 2000, when about 100 people walked the tarp labyrinth in the education center. Additions: Sister Therese designed a sign to welcome visitors to the labyrinth. Mary Ann Whitehouse, a contributor to EverGreen programs, donated a monastic bell that was mounted at the labyrinth. The Villa Maria labyrinth is listed under Veriditas-World Wide Labyrinth Project locator list. (wwwgracecom.org) Source: Sisters of the Humility of Mary