Journey to the Center of the Labyrinth Can Offer Spiritual Answers

Constructed of gravel and paver bricks, the labyrinth at the Portiuncula Center for Prayer at St. Francis Woods is a tool for spiritual growth and discernment.

“It’s a walking meditation or a walking prayer,” said Mary Lou Nugent, Portiuncula’s administrator.

While the prayer labyrinth at St. Francis Woods property was built more than a decade ago, use of the labyrinth in Christian art and architecture dates back to Roman Emperor Constantine’s conversion to Christianity and his hosting of the Council of Nicaea in 325. Founded in 324, the Basilica of St. Reparatus outside of Algiers in North Africa is the first documented example of a Christian church with a labyrinth. Following the Roman-style mosaic tile floor layout, the center contains the words “Santa Eclesia” or “Holy Church” repeated over and over again as a type of prayer.

But don't confuse a labyrinth with a maze, as they are very different things. Both are pathways, but a maze is filled with dead ends, twists and turns. A labyrinth, however, does not trap or trick the walker into getting lost. The oldest form, called a Classical labyrinth, is rounded and contains a single path that loops back and forth on itself toward a center point that requires the walker to turn around and go back out the way she came.

During medieval times when labyrinths grew in popularity as a Christian symbol of following one path to God, another design emerged, based on a symmetrical, quadrant geometry, with the most famous one still on the floor of the Chartres Cathedral in France. Again, its purpose was to allow the walker to move intentionally toward the center (toward God), pause for a time of extended prayer or worship and then follow the path back out of the labyrinth (toward the world), hopefully leaving with a deeper sense of God’s presence in her life. Portiuncula’s labyrinth is based on the Chartres design.

“It’s a journey in to the center of the labyrinth,” Nugent said. “Some people like to focus on a question on the way in. Then they will sit in the middle and wait for an answer.”

While walking a prayer labyrinth doesn’t guarantee spiritual answers, it does provide the time and space to be still and listen for God’s voice in the noise of the world.

Which is what the Portiuncula Center for Prayer is all about. Signs scattered throughout the gently rolling, wooded grounds remind visitors to be quiet while on campus. Walking paths wind across the 50 acres, at one point following Hickory Creek through the woods for quite a ways. Benches dot the landscape inviting guests to pause and seek God’s presence.

And the best thing is that the Franciscan Sisters welcome the public to walk the labyrinth and their grounds, free of charge (although guests are encouraged to check in at the motherhouse or the Portiuncula office before doing so).

But Portiuncula offers more than just outdoor soul searching.

“We have five hermitages that are based on the Franciscan model of simple living,” Nugent said . “People come for different reasons, but they really are for private, individual retreats.”

The hermitages can be booked for day use or overnight-extended stays and range from a very rustic one-room cabin with a bed, toilet, sink and hot plate to two beautiful, modern cottages complete with a full kitchen and bathroom, electric fireplace and screened porch.

In addition to individual retreats, Portiuncula sponsors a full calendar of programs and services, including workshops, weekend retreats and spiritual direction. Outside groups from different denominations and cultures also use the facilities to host their own retreats with guests routinely saying they feel like they’re “at home” the moment they step onto the grounds, Nugent said.

The onsite Poverello Holistic Center offers therapeutic massage, healing facials, reflexology and more to retreat guests and the public by appointment. Call 815-464-3808 or click here for more information.

Portiuncula Center for Prayer is located at 9263 W. St. Francis Road in Frankfort.