Viewing the Stations

The stations are currently hanging in St. Paul’s Church for viewing and prayer during the season of Lent (February 22 – April 9). The church is open Monday-Thursday from 9:30 AM to 4:00 PM, Friday from 9:30 AM to 12 PM, and Sunday before and after worship (8:30 AM – 9:30 AM & 11:30 AM to 12:30 PM). If you would like to set up a group viewing or meet with a parishioner about the stations, please contact the church office at 804-643-3589. You can view the liturgy HERE and learn more about the stations below.

About the Stations

In 2016, St. Paul’s began its multiyear History and Reconciliation Initiative (HRI) with a stated mission:

In light of our Christian faith, we will trace and acknowledge the racial history of St. Paul’s Episcopal Church in order to repair, restore, and seek reconciliation with God, each other and the broader community.

The community of St. Paul’s continues to explore and realize this mission. Even though the formal work of HRI is drawing to a close, they have one last, extraordinary project to bring to us: The Stations of St. Paul’s. These beautiful and inspired stations, modeled after the Stations of the Cross, are original to St. Paul’s and created by area artist, Janelle Washington. From the Introduction of the worship booklet for our Stations:

Each station depicts a specific moment in St. Paul’s history with a focus on race relations. These 14 moments were chosen to represent the whole sweep of the congregation’s 175-year history. For each station, there is a reading and a prayer set into a liturgical form. The reading describes an incident or situation. It is then followed by a prayer that acknowledges the effect of the congregation’s action or position, laments or gives thanks, and asks for forgiveness and renewal.

The Stations were hung in the church on Ash Wednesday and were available for viewing/praying through June 20th. Many individuals and groups visited St. Paul’s to pray the Stations and learn about this particular story and journey. We also had the opportunity to welcome the artist Janelle Washington during our Lenten Speaker Series to share about her journey creating the stations. Below you can find an interview with Michelle Walker and Adrian Luxmoore about the development of the stations, learn about the artist Janelle Washington, and watch a brief video about her artistic development of each station. You can also view the liturgy HERE.

I am thankful for the vision, ministry, and leadership of the History and Reconciliation Initiative and look forward to moving their hard work forward and into each aspect of our life together. Thanks to those who have helped to bring this creative and amazing series of prayers to us, and thanks to the community of St. Paul’s for your willingness to explore those spaces in which, with God’s help, we draw closer to each other, closer to our neighbor, and closer to God.

See you in church,
Charlie+

Interview About the Stations of St. Paul’s with Committee Members

About the Artist and Artist Description of Stations

ARTIST | JANELLE WASHINGTON
Janelle Washington is a self-taught paper-cut artist from Virginia. She graduated from Virginia Commonwealth University with a BFA in Fashion Design and found interest in paper cutting afterward. Through the simplicity of paper, Janelle creates images that showcase African Americans’ courage, achievements, and grace in difficult situations. In addition, her artwork explores themes of history, identity, and beauty in African American culture.

She has permanent silhouettes housed at the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture in Washington, DC, and Downing-Gross Community Arts Center in Newport News, Virginia. Janelle is currently illustrating a children’s book, and her silhouette of Breonna Taylor with the #SayHerName campaign was featured in the Oprah magazine, September 2020 issue. She is also a member of The Guild of American Papercutters.

www.washingtoncuts.com/about-janelle-washington

CLICK HERE for VCU article/interview with the Janelle

Richmond Times-Dispatch article on the Stations by Michael Paul Williams

Richmond Times-Dispatch video interview with Janelle.

ARTIST’S STATEMENT
My art-making begins with the process of contemplation, subject-matter research, information gathering, and art visualizing.

For The History and Reconciliation Stations Liturgy Project, my spiritual foundation for the prayer stations came from prayer and meditation from Isaiah 58:12, the guiding scripture found in the liturgy text. I built upon this foundation by taking personal photos of St. Paul’s Episcopal Church’s exterior and interior, reading “Blind Spots,” visiting the Hollywood Cemetery, and meeting and communicating regularly with church historians and members. My extensive research enabled me to formulate mental images for each prayer station, which turned into many sketches and finally into vector files, allowing me to use specific patterns continuously. I wanted each prayer station design to be truthful, exposing the good and the bad in history while also being a balm for personal confession. To do this, most of the stations are displayed in a tryptic: a top, middle, and bottom section with surrounding borders. The sections give space to the church’s history, allowing one’s eye to weave from one image to another while encompassing historical patterns that balance the design and connect with the accompanying station prayers. Another aspect of the process is the choice of material. Due to its strength and perseverance, Black Tyvek was chosen for this project, reflective of St. Paul’s Episcopal Church’s journey for justice and reconciliation.

Watch Janelle use her papercutting craft to create Station Two –

JANELLE WALKS THROUGH DEVELOPING EACH STATION

Each video is about 1 minute long and provides an in-depth insight into how Janelle Washington choose to develop the images and aspects to highlight. You can find the Liturgy Booklet with the prayers HERE.