The challenge of uninstalling a labyrinth: Galveston, Part II

The William Temple Episcopal Center labyrinth in Galveston, Texas

In 2013, we received a call from our friend Kay Sandor in Galveston regarding a labyrinth we had installed in 2001 at The William Temple Episcopal Center. The beloved community labyrinth was in jeopardy because it was in the way of a redevelopment plan for the downtown space. Despite vociferous opposition by isle community residents, led by Kay, the labyrinth had to be moved or it would be destroyed. Could we possibly uninstall the labyrinth?

De-installation of the labyrinth involved more than 5,000 hand-sculpted pieces.

Good question. We have installed a lot of labyrinths, but we had never been asked to remove one. De-installing a labyrinth is much more complicated than, say, removing a patio. The main reason is because a labyrinth is a sacred work of art which has been created specially for the installation site. More than 5,000 hand-sculpted pavers went into the making of this labyrinth. Each piece would have to be measured, removed, cleaned, labeled, and meticulously inventoried for storage until a suitable space could be found to re-install the labyrinth. Fortunately, by the time we were ready to take on the challenge, the labyrinth had found a new home at Moody Methodist Church across town, thanks to the fierce advocacy of Kay Sandor and her dedicated group of labyrinth enthusiasts.

Isle community residents, led by Kay Sandor, came together to save their beloved labyrinth.

This particular labyrinth was beloved by so many people in the community. While we were carefully removing each brick paver, many people stopped by to tell us how much the labyrinth meant to them, sharing stories and expressing their gratitude for the labyrinth and its makers. They told us how they had walked it to pray, solve problems, deal with illness, reduce stress, relieve anxiety, heal a relationship--on and on. Most of them expressed sorrow that the labyrinth would no longer exist in the current location, and a few were quite distressed about its removal. Little did they know when they shared their stories that they were talking with the creators of the labyrinth! Listening to their stories was so humbling, and it felt so sacred--almost like confession--that we never revealed our identity to a single soul. Our hearts swelled with gratitude, hearing that our work in the world had helped so many people in so many ways. 

Marty meticulously measures the placement of pavers to prepare for their removal.

With the invaluable assistance of our friend Dave Keller, we carefully measured, removed, cleaned, cataloged, and palletted each paver, transferring sections to a flatbed trailer to transport to the new location. We could feel the emotions that walkers had left in the pavers, and as we cleaned them for reuse, we blessed everyone who had ever walked this sacred path. We felt sad for the people who would miss it in this location, yet we were glad that the labyrinth would have a new life at another church nearby.

A portion of the rosette is ready to transport to the new location.

The whole process would not have been possible, however, without the fierce advocacy of Kay Sandor and the skilled help of Dave Keller. We are also grateful for the proactive work by all of the community advocates and church leaders, who created a plan of succession for the labyrinth, treating it as a valuable resource with the utmost respect for this sacred work of art and the people who use it as a spiritual tool.

The labyrinth's beautiful new home at Moody Methodist Church

The labyrinth now has a beautiful new home at Moody Methodist Church, where it continues to serve congregants, community members, and visitors to the Galveston area. We are so grateful to the people of Galveston for their dedicated efforts to save the labyrinth for the sake of the community and everyone who will benefit from walking this sacred work of art.