Some Leeds churches are going to create an outdoor labyrinth from twigs at Kirkstall Abbey, to offer people a space of quiet reflection during the week before Easter,
Revd Jude Smith, Pioneer Team Vicar of the Abbeylands Team, says, “A labyrinth is a path that weaves and twists in a circle, leading anyone who walks it into a centre and back out again. For centuries people have walked such paths - in joy and sorrow, hope and anger, with faith and with doubt. They can help us contemplate the infinite, or find joy in life’s detail.
“We hope that people will add leaves and blossoms to the path - available on site, or you can bring some (non poisonous!) from your own garden. So in the course of the week it will go from being dead twigs to a living pathway. And we will hold a sunrise service there on Easter Sunday".
The labyrinth will be set out in the church part of Kirkstall Abbey, using twigs that have come down in the winter storms in churchyards around the archdeaconry. It will be open while the Abbey is open, from Tuesday 22 March to the end of Easter Sunday (27 March).
For most of the time there will be a live guide available, but there will also be written guides if you want some pointers on how to walk the path. Other resources will be available at www.themonastery.org.uk from 1 March.
At some points groups will come and walk the labyrinth together. If you’d like to bring a group please contact revjudesmith@gmail.com (to avoid clashes).
Anyone is welcome to walk the path which has flat access and is wide enough for wheelchair or pushchair. It's recommended that children are accompanied.