Joan of Arc Parade and Costume Workshop at Holy Wisdom Monastery
Volunteers on the Lake Edge-New Orleans annual volunteer trip this January will be marching in a Mardi Gras kick-off parade on Epiphany. Any Lake Edgers who would like to help sew costumes and create parade giveaways are invited to a workshop/retreat at Holy Wisdom Benedictine monastery on Saturday November 21. Projects will involve very easy sewing, fabric cutting, and labeling and tying parade favors. Cost: $10 for supper.
The Parade:
Lake Edge UCC has been accepted into membership in the Krewe d’ Jeanne d’Arc, one the many “krewes,” or social clubs, which put on the Mardi Gras parades and balls New Orleans is famous for. This special group membership was created just for Lake Edge and is a sign of the exceptional warmth the people of New Orleans feel for our volunteers. Lake Edge will represent the UCC in a very positive way; we are to be the conclusion of the parade, blessing the people. (Krewe website; krewe blog; Mardi Gras background)
Joan of Arc is the patron saint of New Orleans, and her birthday, Epiphany (January 6), is the first day of the Carnival season which culminates in Mardi Gras (aka “Fat Tuesday”) and ends with Lent on Ash Wednesday. A courageous woman of faith and a symbol of cultural pride, Joan of Arc is gaining momentum as a rallying point for the recovering city.
Last year was the first year for the Joan of Arc parade, and Lake Edgers were among the participants. (See photos of the 2009 parade here.) This year the parade will be more elaborate and only krewe members can march.
We expect that this will be the first of many years Lake Edge volunteers will march in the parade and the start of a deeper social and cultural relationship between Lake Edge and the people of New Orleans. Authentic medieval costumes are required for the parade, and, in keeping with the medieval faith theme, Lake Edgers will be costumed as 15th century Benedictine monks and nuns.
Handmade themed "throws" or parade favors are also required. Lake Edge will give tiny vials of holy water, with little booklets tied to each bottle with a quote from Joan of Arc about her visionary voices, a reference to God is Still Speaking, and a mention of Lake Edge and the UCC New Orleans volunteer program. We will use pouring pitchers in worship at Lake Edge to commission our work camp participants (much like the commissioning for the Celebration of Lay Ministry Lake Edge did in March), and this water will be used for the holy water for the parade. (Holy water was all the rage in superstitious medieval times.) Accompanied by the music of recorded Gregorian chants, we will also sprinkle the crowd with holy water as we walk (another ancient tradition). The parade is at dusk and we will carry processional candles.
The Workshop/Retreat: Saturday Nov. 21
ANYONE who wants to help with costumes is welcome, whether or not you are able to join us in New Orleans. Help your fellow Lake Edgers represent the UCC to the people of New Orleans and send a gesture of goodwill from Madison to New Orleans. We plan to make a set of 10 costumes and expect to use these costumes for many years in this same parade.
Holy Wisdom Benedictine monastery, located in Middleton, is an ecumenical faith community and retreat center and has just completed a brand-new "green" building. We will start our retreat by joining the sisters for morning prayer at 8 am and then will do Lectio Divina with one of the monastery's spiritual guides. Our costume-workers are encouraged to make the day truly one of retreat as well as work, and mix in some personal quiet time and a walk on the monastery grounds. We will close the day by joining the sisters for evening prayer at 4:30, learning about the Benedictine tradition and the modern monastery from the sisters, and joining the sisters for supper. Supper is $10 and we will do a potluck or sack lunch.
If you can't stay for the whole day or can't make it as early as 8 am, that's OK. (Unfortunately we don't get to pick the sisters' morning prayer time!) Come when you can. Let's aim to be together for the evening prayer and supper if we can.
We will buy commercial "medieval monk" Halloween costumes so that we will start with plain brown one-size robes and hoods, which will save us a lot of sewing time. At the workshop, we will add the "scapular," the straight over-tunic you see in the pictures above, as well as create wimples (the inner veil with many folds) and veils (the outer veil in the picture) for the women. Thus, the sewing will be very simple straight lines. We may also make a banner for the Krewe and Lake Edge. We will also put labels on the tiny vials of holy water and cut, fold and tie on the tiny booklets. Thus, even if you can't sew, there will be plenty to do.