Posted & Written By: Caela Collins, Digital Storyteller feat. Artwork from local Artists around the Diocese

Silence in the Chapel

Artist: Caela Collins
Parish: St. Paul’s Cathedral, Oklahoma City

September is a time to celebrate and honor the beauty of our natural world as the temperature shifts and the green leaves begin to adorn themselves in warm-toned fall jackets, with yellow hues in remembrance of pausing with purpose, optimistic shades of orange welcoming in change, and burning with red-hot excitement for the future. 

During this season of change, I too adorned myself with the poetic aspect of rebirth as I blossomed into a newly-elected board member of the Episcopal Communicators, a nation-wide organization of communications professionals working in Episcopalian dioceses, congregations, and organizations, commended by The Episcopal Church. In this month of transition, I experienced an inspiring first in-person board meeting and retreat in Oklahoma City, where the upcoming Communicators Conference will take place May 13-16, 2025!

This leads me to the picture presented below: After an outdoor walk in the St. Paul’s Cathedral labyrinth, I allowed my heart to internally guide me throughout the space, leading me to the silence in the chapel. There was something special about the contrast between light and darkness, vibrant color and pitch blackness. Standing still in the midst of what many would perceive as opposing natural forces allowed me to get a small glimpse into the birth of creation. From darkness, God created light and magnificent color. I imagine the beginning of existence being similar to an artist’s studio: a black hole serving as the blank canvas, and creation being the detailed and intentional paint strokes from God’s paintbrush.

The stained glass windows, which coincidentally bear the title “Creation Windows,” are the focal points of this photo. If you look closely, you can see how the three windows on the left and the three windows on the right mirror the six days of creation in the following order: light, waters covering the earth, plant life appearing on the land masses, seasons with the cycles of the sun and moon, creatures living in the sea, creatures that fly, and animals living on the land.

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Sunflower Sunrise

Artist: Kim Davis
Parish: Christ Church, Pomfret

Jamie Trunnel summed up Sunflowers best:
“God enjoys encouraging us through things in his creation, and sunflowers are certainly no exception. Growing from a small seed, they show how mighty a little faith can become. Their constant pursuit of the sun is a good reminder to continually seek the Son, Jesus, during our days. And, bursting with glorious color, they implore us to share our own contributions with the world.”

The addition of a sunrise reminds us of the son, Jesus, rising from the dead, saving us from sin, and showing us the way to eternal life.

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Serenity Sunset

Artist: Laurie Marcho
Parish: Christ Church, Bethany

In my happiest hours, the ocean brings me joy and gratitude.  In my saddest hours, the ocean brings me solace and hope. The sound of the waves are where my prayers, which often have no words, reach God.  God hears my heart. 

“In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth.  Now the earth was formless and empty, darkness was over the surface of the deep, and the Spirit of God was hovering over the waters.” -Genesis 1

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Magic Wings

Artist: Johanna Jacob Kuruvilla
Parish: The Church of St. Andrew the Apostle, Rocky Hill, CT

This is a series of three paintings inspired from pictures I took following a swallowtail butterfly while walking in my aunt’s garden. As children, one of the first things we learn about creation is the metamorphosis of the creepy, crawly, hungry caterpillar to a fluttering, beautiful butterfly. 

Butterflies are known for their beauty and cultural symbolism in many countries. Some people believe that they are symbols of resurrection and transformation. As a Christian, I can’t help but notice the parallels drawn between Jesus’s death and resurrection and the metamorphic life of the caterpillar. 

These ever-so delicate winged creatures flutter from flower to flower, fulfilling their role as caretakers of our planet. Like these magical wings, Creation is filled with marvelous wonders, holding secrets and stories, waiting to be discovered and shared if only we can keep our curiosity fluttering.

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Sunset Over the Connecticut River

Artist: Deborah Simmons
Parish: Christ Church Cathedral, Hartford

Living near the Glastonbury, CT, boat launch, I have the awe-inspiring experience of witnessing the sun’s setting on the Connecticut River, as with many who live nearby, throughout the year. The image was taken on the eve of a January winter. Each minute of the setting sun, one can see how the colors and shadows change. As the light fades into darkness, I am humbled, amazed, and blessed. I do not know any of the folks gathered around me.  I don’t know of their lives and beliefs. I believe the one common purpose of the moment for others in attendance is to view the setting of the sun. For me, I stand as a witness to God’s creation and caring.

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Sands of Time

Artist: Susan Varanka
Parish: The Church of St Andrew the Apostle, Rocky Hill

This textile art quilt depicts the beauty, diversity and reality of God’s creation as well as our responsibility in caring for our earth and its inhabitants.  Each creature is encircled with a quote from a renowned scholar highlighting our connections.  We are all responsible nurturing caretakers as we leave our foot print upon God’s creation.  

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Twisty Old Apple

Artist: Roxanne Steed
Parish: St. James, New London

Flourishing Community: The moment calls to mind the community between this tree, the soil in which it flourishes, the rocks that lie on the downward slope just beyond it’s trunk, the waters of the sound that wash the shore twenty feet below, and the winds that blow ashore here. The tree’s branches reach out almost to the sound, shading the rocky breakwater (a welcome relief on hot summer days at low tide I would think!).

I imagine at higher waters and during storms, the sea spray, and perhaps even the waters, reach for the tree above the buffeted slope. And yet the soil where her roots plunge deep, is steady, present, and un-eroded. The rocks live out their vocation-of-service in what strikes me as a relationship of mutual giving in spite of wind and water.

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Written and Filmed by Caela Collins

Today marks exactly one month following the Juneteenth National Celebration. As of June 17, 2021, The Juneteenth National Independence Day Act was passed by Congress with unanimous consent. This bill was passed over to President Biden whom signed it into law, making Juneteenth (June 19th) a federal U.S. holiday. Although Juneteenth is a fairly new addition to our list of U.S. federal holidays, it has been a core societal reset which flung the gates of God’s beloved community wide open; challenging the world to be the community God called it and needs it to be*. Stemming back to June 19, 1865, freedom from enslavement was embraced by more than 250,000 African Americans by executive decree.

For “Sacred White Folk,” a term used by Dr. Christena Cleveland, social psychologist, public theologian, author, and activist who has collaborated with the ECCT Office of Mission Advocacy, Racial Justice, & Reconciliation, Juneteenth is a celebration that can be widely celebrated alongside your Black and Brown siblings in Christ due to the divine nature of diversity. From lush green forests to dry sandy deserts, or the luminous stars within the night sky to the pitch-black depths of the frigid ocean, we can note God’s intentionality of diversity. The extent of physical variation within God’s creation is a reliable citation for the Creator’s purpose of painting a beloved community on this earthly canvas.

How to Celebrate Juneteenth

1. Learn more about the holiday.
2. Teach others, including children, about the holiday.
3. Read books about Juneteenth.
4. Watch videos and documentaries about Juneteenth.
5. Have a Barbecue Family Feast highlighting red colored foods like fruit punch, red meat, watermelon, strawberries, and red velvet cake, symbolizing the bloodshed, sacrifice, ingenuity, and resilience of enslaved ancestors.
6. Support Black-owned businesses.
7. Listen to music from Black artists. June is also Black Music Month.
8. Visit an African American Museum.
9. Host a Juneteenth information session at your parish and hire a speaker of color.
10. Create a Juneteenth inspired Liturgy via hosting a Juneteenth Sunday Service and invite locals within your community to attend and learn.
11. Learn more about your parish’s past by connecting with the Witness Stones Project.
12. Collaborate with local Black churches to learn about Juneteenth and its tie to Christianity as a time of Jubilee.
13. Connect with our Office for Mission Advocacy, Racial Justice, & Reconciliation.
14. Write a card or kind note or prayer for your Black and Brown siblings in Christ, appreciating their contributions and spread the gift of love.
15. Contact and coordinate with your local towns or DEI (Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion) Leadership to find out what Juneteenth events are happening within CT!

A Great Example

On June 18th, 2023 St. Peter’s Episcopal Church, Hebron hosted a Juneteenth Service. In creating this Juneteenth service, the parish did something groundbreaking by having the descendants of formerly enslaved persons by the parish’s 1st rector officiate the service.

Quote: The Rev. Ron Kolanowski:

“While I was away at a family wedding, I was confident that our lay leadership and others in the wider community would join hands to make this a memorable experience for all.  The descendants of formerly enslaved persons by our first rector took an active part in leading much of the service.  The family is half Muslim and half Christian, and both took active part in the service.  We’re especially indebted to Zakiyyah Peters Hasan for bring us a powerful word for that day and helping to shape the service to reflect the values of all.”