New Eucharistic Vessels

Our new vessels made of wood and metal have made quite an impression!  We had long valued our simple glass vessels that allowed us to clearly see the bread and wine, which, once transformed and received, make us the living body and blood of Christ in the world.  The bishops had now asked the church to shift our perspective a bit, and use vessels that are enduring and unbreakable, a reflection of the preciousness of what they contain.  The challenge was to embrace this in a way that reflected our Epiphany vision and values. 

As the Worship Committee prayed and researched, the possibility emerged of creating our own unique vessels, reflecting the nature and simplicity of our worship space as well as our value for community artistry.  We asked Master Wood-Turner Dick Kline to create plates out of wood in a similar style to the glass ones we’d been using.  He made seven shallow bowls, a smaller one for weekdays, and six larger for weekend liturgies.  Each is unique, yet made of the same wood (walnut) and with the same design.

Tonini’s worked with us in acquiring cup portions of the chalices, which were a fraction of the cost of individually crafted silver cups. With the commonality of cup, height and size, each base could be created uniquely, representing our value of diversity within our commonality.  Various woodworkers volunteered and many were invited to participate.  Four artisans ended up creating the vessels we now have.  The three community members -- Dick Kline, George Fackler and Dick Bowles -- donated their works. Friend Parker Curtis donated one, and offered others to us at a very modest price.  Along the way, the artists have shared what it has meant to them to create them, and we've been inspired by their reflections and dedicated their work with great appreciation.

Over the next few weeks, these artist stories will appear the Epiphany web site.  You can follow these stories -- and other Epiphany artist stories -- in our "Meet the Artist" series, or just by reading the stories as they appear on the Epiphany home page.

You can also view and download Epiphany's Eucharistic vessels pictures from our photo album.