Flowers Proclaim the Gospel
Dear friends in Christ,
Now that we are in the Season after Pentecost, I get to wear my favorite green stole, the one with the flowers set amid Celtic knotwork. Many of you have commented on it, so here is the story of its creation. I had this stole made after I was ordained a priest. It was created at a liturgical embroidery shop in Inverness, Scotland, by Ruth Black, who sadly passed away last December. It is full of meaning for me.
I love flowers and wanted to design a stole full of them. Especially since the Victorian era, flowers have been assigned specific meanings. For my stole, I chose flowers that I felt were important characteristics and tools a priest should have. Below are the flowers I chose and what they represent.
- Rose (red) ‘Mr. Lincoln’ [Love, Christ’s crucifixion]
- Dianthus plumarius ‘Rose de Mai’ [The flower of God]
- Dutch Iris Hollandica ‘Discovery’ [faith, hope, wisdom]
- Viola Tricolor (Johnny Jump up) [the Trinity]
- Aquilegia Vularis ‘Blue Alpina’ Columbine [the Holy Spirit, wisdom, peace]
- Myrtus (myrtle tree) [romantic love, marriage]
- Dahlia ‘El Santo’ [compassion, gratitude, grace, fortitude, resilience, commitment, kindness]
- Paeonia lactiflora ‘Coral Sunset’ [‘flower of the soul’, honor, integrity, empathy, righteousness, beauty, Virgin Mary, prosperity, marriage, love, healing, beauty]
- Echinecea purpuea (Coneflower) strength, power
- Narcissus Trumpet ‘Yellow River’ [joy, creativity, life and death]
I wonder what flowers you would pick to define yourselves? It is a fun exercise in determining your values and what is important to you.
May you be blessed,
Mother Catherine+