One of the most meaningful symbols of Unitarian Universalism, the flaming chalice has an important history in our denomination. Recently a chalice was specially commissioned and created for FMUU by renowned potter Richard Bresnahan. Created as a memorial to member Cindy Palmer, the chalice is a magnificent artwork imbued with meaning specific to our church. Bresnahan will talk about the process of creating our chalice in the context of the environmental principles for which his program is famous.
Bresnahan is artist-in-residence at St. John's University and founder of the St. John's Pottery, the only university program in the United States to fully integrate local and recycled resources with the art experience. All of the primary materials used in the pottery process — clay, glazes and fuel — come from local sources. The program also is home to the largest wood-burning kiln in the United States.
A new chalice, given in memory of Cindy Palmer and created by Richard Bresnahan, will be dedicated.
Dorothy Day was a communist and socialist who eventually converted to Catholicism because she felt it was the "religion of the poor." In the early 1930's, she and Peter Maurin started the Catholic Worker Movement that included pacifism, anarchism, peaceful protests, and volunteer poverty. Dorothy opened her first homeless shelter in NYC in 1933. In the early 1980's, two priests at the Newman Center (MSUM) were housing homeless people in the basement there. They decided to buy a house and turn it into a homeless shelter. Thus, Moorhead's Dorothy Day House was born in 1983. The Home provides beds for 10 homeless men, plus support services of laundry, showers, blankets, clothing, toiletries, food, and phone to anyone living on the streets. DDH also has a food pantry that serves an average of 445 families per month, including 60-70 new families every month. Continuing our conversation about poverty in Fargo-Moorhead, Sue Jacobson, director of the Dorothy Day House will share her insights.
A new social justice project will be announced
Poetry, song, stories, classical guitar, and odes to the long Solstice night will combine to delight young and old as we celebrate the Winter Solstice with an all-music program. The FMUU choir will be accompanied by guitarist Mike Coates and flutist Debora Harris, Bill Thomas and the FMUU youth will perform, and the congregation will sing carols. This will be an intergenerational program, but child care will be offered downstairs for the little ones.
Solstice Intergenerational
A cozy intergenerational service with stories and carols to herald Christmas. Come and celebrate Christmas in the peaceful embrace of our church home.
Christmas Intergenerational
Plan ahead and join us for a Gourmet Potluck on New Year's morning for a sparkling and delicious start to 2006.