The labyrinth is an ancient form of prayer which has experienced a renewed appreciation in recent years.  Christians in the middle ages who were unable to make a pilgrimage to Jerusalem walked labyrinths in their towns as an alternative.  Many walkers have had powerful experiences from their labyrinth walk.

On various occasions during the year, a full size canvas labyrinth is set up for parishioners and visitors to walk.  Introductory talks are given as part of the labyrinth experience.

Click on thumbnail to view image of recent Labyrinth walk at St. Bartholomew's.  For more information about the Labyrinth contact The Rev. Beverley Elliott. or Linda-Claire Synder.

Additional information about labyrinths is available from these resources:
The Labyrinth Society
Georgia Labyrinths
Veriditas
Cathedral of St. Philip, Atlanta
Holy Trinity Parish, Decatur

St. Hildegard of Bingen

Abbess and Visionary (1098 – 1179)

St. Hildegard was by any standard one of the remarkable figures of her age: abbess and foundress of a Benedictine religious community; author and theologian; prophet and preacher; musician and composer; poet and artist; doctor and pharmacist. But increasingly Hildegard is honored not only as an outstanding woman of history but as a visionary whose ecological and holistic spirituality speaks prophetically to our time.

There are many elements to Hildegard’s visions which speak to our ecological age. She had a wide understanding of the cosmos as a whole and of the human place in it. Human beings, she wrote, are the universe in a microcosm, made of the same elements that constitute the world. But within the great cosmos human beings are the thinking heart, called to be co-creators with God in shaping the world. Through human sin the entire world was fractured and fell out of harmony with the Creator. But this sin does not erase the original goodness and blessing of creation. Through Christ – first fruits of a new creation – the cosmos and human beings find their way back to their original destiny. Constantly Hildegard refers to God as "Living Light," and she employs a remarkable word – "greenness" (viriditas) – to describe the animating energy or grace of God that shines forth in all living things. For this holistic vision Hildegard has been particularly celebrated by proponents of "creation spirituality."

From: All Saint – Daily Reflections on Saints, Prophets and Witnesses for Our Time by Robert Ellsberg.

Sunday Morning Labyrinth Walk

Wanting time to focus your hopes for 2005 in a new way? And a way to offer them to God? On Sunday morning, January 2, the labyrinth will be set up in Warden’s Hall. Adults, children and families are invited to take this opportunity to experience this ancient prayer tool as a vehicle of grace. If you want a basic introduction to the labyrinth, there will be a short video shown in the Brooks Room at 9:30 a.m. If you would like some ideas to help you think about the new year, couples and families with children might like to discuss some reflective questions together; perhaps talk about what each of you are living for, and how you might each be faithful to that in the next year.....as individuals and as a family. There will then be the opportunity to offer the fruits of your reflections to God in a prayer walk. Of course, you might know exactly what you want to carry to God and head straight for the labyrinth. Labyrinth facilitators will be available to answer questions and guide you.