Chaplain Paula Teague remembers a chilly evening in December 2018 when she watched children help illuminate the labyrinth, the spiral walking course at Johns Hopkins Bayview Medical Center.
It was the second night of Chanukah. A group of about 70 people had gathered outside the hospital to celebrate the power of light in many cultural and religious traditions, says Teague, the hospital’s senior director of the Department of Spiritual Care and Chaplaincy.
“The children from a Catholic school sat rapt, listening to a story of light,” she recalls. “As a rabbi told the story behind the celebration of Chanukah — how a single vial of oil in the desecrated Second Temple in Jerusalem miraculously burned for eight days — the wonder on their faces was so powerful. But what struck me most was that not only the children, but everyone who attended the ceremony seemed riveted by the story. That is what the event is all about.”
Now, after a two-year hiatus due to the pandemic, the Light the Labyrinth tradition returns on Tuesday, Dec. 6, at 5 p.m. [See box for details.] As in previous years, the one-hour program will include holiday musical performances by students from the Peabody Institute and Our Lady of Hope/St. Luke School choir.
The event will also honor practices celebrated during this season of shorter days. These include:
· The meaning of light in the Buddhist tradition
· The meaning of light in the Hispanic tradition
· The meaning of light in Kwanzaa, honoring African American tradition
· An invitation for guests to place candles around the labyrinth
· Lighting of the campus: With the help of a Facilities employee, a child will turn on the lights around the labyrinth.
What strikes Teague most about the annual gathering is how the experience seems to linger with people. “There’s so much divisiveness in the world; this is a way to see light as a unifying symbol of hope and healing across cultures. Just hearing about light in so many different faith and cultural traditions provides education and connection.”
Comfort Throughout the Year
Surrounded by a garden between the John R. Burton Pavilion and the Francis Scott Key Pavilion, the labyrinth serves people year-round. Families can visit the garden and walk the labyrinth while waiting for loved ones to come out of surgery. Johns Hopkins Bayview employees may venture out during their lunch break to enjoy a few quiet moments circling the labyrinth to relieve stress.
The labyrinth’s wide paths allow people to move along the walkway on foot or via wheelchair at their own pace. Teague says it “remains a great metaphor.”
She also says the act of walking a labyrinth is a form of taking a journey. “We are all on a journey, and walking for a little way on the labyrinth reminds us to pause and reflect, to seek guidance and comfort.”
She recalls other seasonal gatherings at the labyrinth when participants lit candles to commemorate someone who had inspired them — a teacher, perhaps, or a dear friend who passed away. “I’ve seen older people light candles and have tears in their eyes,” she says. “You just know they’re remembering loved ones. We always took time to pause and watch the candles flicker.”
Trained to work with people from all backgrounds, Teague says that hospital chaplains respect and celebrate diversity. “The labyrinth is our metaphor as chaplains, too. We walk with folks for a short time on their hospital journey, hoping to bring a spiritual presence to alleviate at least a bit of the suffering that so many experience.”
“It’s in our diversity that we find the sacred,” she says. “While most people associate pastors with a particular religious belief, chaplains represent the faith diversity of staff, patients and families who come from many different cultures — something we can all celebrate. The labyrinth offers a space for anyone to reflect. Like chaplains, the labyrinth meets you wherever you are.”
Learn more about the labyrinth at Johns Hopkins Bayview Medical Center.
