From Visioning to Reality - A Labyrinth at St. Dunstan's

From the very first Visioning Day after our new church building was completed in 2004, the desire for a labyrinth has been present. During the first few years other projects naturally took priority, but as time passed, a small group of parishioners, who were regular labyrinth walkers kept raising the topic. Maybe over time, people just got tired of hearing “What about a labyrinth?” Or perhaps, like many other great ideas, its time had finally come, and in 2016 Parish Council approved the project.

Our labyrinth committee, Rev. David Taylor, Lorie Martin, and Mary Gillanders investigated builders, cost, and possible sources of funding. We eventually chose Diana Ng from Surrey as our designer and builder. After two or three meetings with her, we settled on the design, and chose the stones. The ground was blessed, and Diana and her crew began work as soon as weather permitted in March of 2018. Over the next six weeks, we all watched the creation of this stunning new addition to our church grounds.

On the day of the official opening, at Lorie Martin’s brilliant suggestion, we held a crepe breakfast. After all, our labyrinth is a smaller, modified version of the famous one in Chartres Cathedral. Some St. Dunstan members also remember how one summer the Ven. Beverley Stewart, our rector at the time, paid a visit to Chartres, and carried a copy of our parish list with her into the center of that sacred space.  

It is our hope that this beautiful creation will be a blessing to each of us, and will reach out to our community as a place where anyone can come, walk, and draw closer to God.

The St. Dunstan’s labyrinth has been in place now all summer and into the fall, it is in excellent condition, and all are welcome to visit and spend some time in the crisp, Fraser Valley fall air walking the labyrinth.                  

IMAGES

• The St. Dunstan's labyrinth
• The Reverend David Taylor, rector of St. Dunstan's blesses the space prior to construction