One of the unexpected “gifts” of the pandemic for Union Chapel during the Summer of 2020 was the creation of Poetry Sunday in the Grove.
Because returning indoors was risky, Union Chapel Chairman Jay Sterling and the trustees came up with the idea to have outdoor services centered around poetry. Each week featured a different poet, including Emily Dickinson, John Keats, Elizabeth Barrett Browning, and Mary Oliver.
Poetry Sunday proved to be immensely popular. It’s fitting, then, that Sterling and the trustees decided to conclude our 150th-anniversary summer with a Poetry Sunday on September 4 at 10:30 AM.
The work of Irish poet, priest, and mystic John O’Donohue, will be highlighted, with readings from his posthumously published book, “To Bless the Space Between Us.”
Returning as they have for many years, Heather Reylek and Island Folk are the guest musicians for the interdenominational service.
About John O’Donohue
O’Donohue was a native Gaelic speaker from County Clare, Ireland. Born in 1956, he died suddenly of unknown causes a few days after his 52nd birthday.
During his lifetime, the Hegelian philosopher and scholar earned a Ph.D. in Philosophical Theology at the Eberhard Karl University of Tübingen in Baden-Württemberg, Germany, and completed a post-doctoral study of Meister Eckhart, a 13th-century mystic.
Some of his best-known works include international bestsellers “Anam Cara,” “Beauty and the Invisible Embrace,” and “Eternal Echoes.” His words are widely used in lectures and podcasts on religion and spirituality.
Krista Tippett, journalist and creator and podcast host of “On Being,” described O’Donohue as having “a very Celtic, lifelong fascination with the inner landscape of our lives and what he called the ‘invisible world’ that is constantly intertwining what we know and see.”
O’Donohue was credited with popularizing Celtic spirituality and mysticism and the beauty of solitude and self-discovery.
“When you cease to fear your solitude, a new creativity awakens in you,” he wrote in “Anam Cara.”
“Your forgotten or neglected wealth begins to reveal itself. You come home to yourself and learn to rest within. Thoughts are our inner senses. Infused with silence and solitude, they bring out the mystery of inner landscape.”
‘For Equilibrium: A Blessing’
O’Donohue offers this lovely blessing, a benediction that’s especially poignant for our lives in the beautiful place, on this beautiful island. Here’s an excerpt:
Like the joy of the sea coming home to shore
May the relief of laughter rinse through your soul.
As the wind loves to call things to dance,
May your gravity be lightened by grace.
Like the dignity of moonlight restoring the earth,
May your thoughts incline with reverence and respect.
About Island Folk
Island Folk has been keeping the spirit of traditional music alive on Shelter Island for many years and has performed at the Union Chapel’s end-of-summer service for over 20 years.
This year’s lineup features Penny Kerr on guitar and vocals, John Kerr on upright bass, Wendy Clark on banjo and vocals, and Heather Reylek on guitar, harmonica, and vocals.
Join us on Poetry Sunday to celebrate the final service of our 150th anniversary summer season. Weather permitting, it will take place outdoors in our leafy grove (or move indoors, in the event of rain). A reception, catered by STARS Café, follows.
Our commemorative book, “All Are Welcome:150 years of Shelter Island’s Union Chapel in the Grove,” by Carrie Cooperider, will be available immediately after the service. You can also find it at Finley’s Fiction.
JoAnn Kirkland assists the trustees of Union Chapel in the Grove. To learn more about the historical chapel, visit the nonprofit’s website, unionchapelinthegrove.org.
