You are invited to bring flowers or a potted plant on Sunday in honor of the UU Flower Communion.  As is our tradition, we will welcome new members to our community, and share this service of celebration with each other. Special music will be provided by Kristi Hayes-Devlin.

 

Why Do We Celebrate Flower Communion?                          

The Flower communion service was created by Norbert Capek (1870- 1942), who founded the Unitarian Church in  Czechoslovakia. He introduced this special service to that church on June 4, 1923. For some time he had felt the need for some symbolic ritual that would bind people more closely together. The format had to be one that would not alienate any  who had forsaken other religious traditions. The traditional Christian communion service with bread and wine was  unacceptable to the members of his congregation because of their strong reaction against the  Catholic faith. So he turned to  the native beauty of their countryside for elements of a communion which would be genuine to them. This simple service was the result. It was such a success that it was held yearly just before the summer recess of the church. The flower communion was brought to the United States in 1940 and introduced to the members of our Cambridge, Massachusetts, church by Dr. Capek’s wife, Maja V. Capek. People were asked to bring a flower of their choice, either from their own gardens or from the field or roadside. When they arrived at church a large vase stood waiting in the  vestibule, attended by two young members of the Church School. Each  person was asked to place their own flower in the vase. This     signified that it was by their own free will they joined with the  others. The vase that contained all the flowers was a symbol of the united church fellowship. By exchanging flowers, we show our willingness to walk together in our search for truth, disregarding all that might divide us. Each person takes home a flower brought by someone else – thus symbolizing our shared celebration in community.