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Thursday, June 06, 2013

Parish Kneelers--Works of Art for Prayer


Perhaps everyone else in the world has always known of them, but I discovered the world of parish kneelers only recently, at St James Anglican Church in Vancouver, BC. Their small side chapel has about forty burnished oak chairs, each with a small stool tucked in underneath them. They aren't footstools, they are kneelers--pulled out when needed and pushed out of sight when not.

Each one has a beautiful hand-stitched emblem over the padded top. Inspired by these, I looked on the internet to see if I could find any stitched in honour of St Brigit. I found this one (actually two of the same pattern):


Both may be seen in person at All Saints Church, Monk Sherborne, Hampshire, in the south of England.

The site which displays this and many other Welsh and English kneelers--Parish Kneelers--is a clear labour of love. There you can learn how to make your own, where to find others, and so on. You can even upload photos of your own kneelers, should you make them.

Enjoy!


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