The Flower Ceremony, or Flower Communion, is an annual ritual celebrating beauty, human uniqueness, joy, diversity, and community. The ritual was created in 1923 by Unitarian minister Rev. Norbert Fabian Čapek of Prague and introduced to the United States by his wife, Rev. Mája Čapek. During the service, everyone brings a flower to place in a shared vase. The flowers are blessed by the congregation and ministers, then redistributed so each person takes home a different flower. All are invited to participate, and we will have extra flowers available for anyone who needs one.
Memorial Day is a time to pause to honor those who died in the armed forces, a national observance that began as local expressions of grief for casualties of the Civil War. This service will reflect on reclaiming our gratitude for the lives of those who serve in our name as we mourn the absence of those we lose to death. A ceremony to dedicate new plaques on the Memory Wall in the Memory Garden will be held immediately after the service.
Mother's Day 2025 will, as always, arrive with that forced expectation that children and mothers of all ages set aside the complexity of their real lives and invite Hallmark to remind us of what maternal appreciation would look like if the mothers of America were really doing their job.
The living tradition we share draws from many sources.” This is a fundamental difference that distinguishes Unitarian Universalism from the monotheistic faith traditions. A short list of these sources is noted, among other places, in the front of our hymnals. An additional source might be the stories of our own, individual experience, stories that have shaped our values of “love, justice, learning and hope” and of the source of life that sustains us; stories that we hold within us that have connected to the value of this community of faith.
On this May 4th, Rev. Abhi draws inspiration from Star Wars and the spirit of resistance to explore how imagination fuels courage, hope, and renewal. As he prepares to step back into sabbatical, we’ll reflect together on what it means to resist despair—and dare to dream a better future into being.
