Ursuline Center to begin guided labyrinth walks Sunday

Staff report

CANFIELD

The Ursuline Center, 4280 Shields Road, will begin its 2016 guided labyrinth-walk season this weekend.

This year’s themes are following those created by the Diocese of Youngstown to celebrate the Year of Mercy designated by Pope Francis. All people of faith are invited to participate in these free events. Walks generally take 20 to 30 minutes.

The first walk will be at 2 p.m. Sunday and will start with a presentation on the “Spirituality of Labyrinths” in The Ursuline Center followed by the walk on the theme “Counseling/Advising the Doubtful: Listening for God’s Revelation.”

The walk schedule is:

6:30 p.m. May 24, “Visiting the Homebound and Imprisoned: Reflecting on God’s Presence.”

6:30 p.m. June 28, “Consoling the Sinner: Come to the Well of Mercy.”

6:30 p.m. July 26, “Comforting the Afflicted: Compassionate Care.”

6:30 p.m. Aug. 23, “Clothing the Naked: Wrapped in Jesus’s Love.”

6:30 p.m. Sept. 27, “Feeding the Hungry/Giving Drink to the Thirsty: Filling the Empty with Good Things.”

2 p.m. Oct. 9, “Visiting the Sick: A Healing Presence.”

The Ursuline Center Labyrinth is a ministry of the Ursuline Sisters of Youngstown and open year-round from dawn to dusk for all people of faith. There is no cost to use the labyrinth, which is handicapped-accessible and offers ample parking.

Printed guides are provided at the labyrinth’s entrance that give suggestions for following the path.

The labyrinth is an ancient pattern found in many cultures around the world. Labyrinth designs found on pottery, tablets and tiles date as far back as 4,000 years.

Many patterns are based on spirals from nature. In American Indian 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 that winds in a circuitous way to the center.

The labyrinth design at the Ursuline Center 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.