Clerical Stole for Lent
Please Note: This stole design uses one raw edge of fabric to symbolize the messy nature of relationships and also our imperfectness in relationship with Christ.
ALL PRICES ARE IN US DOLLARS.
For a price in Canadian dollars, email karen@brodiedesigns.com.
Those items bolded on the drop down size menu to the right are those in stock. The other sizes are those we will make as "Made to Order" in due time. Please see "Made to Order" information on the right. Questions or tight timeline? Email Karen or call 250-344-7815.
En Christo - PURPLE Clergy Stole for Lent
One day the words ‘En Christo’ really struck me. Of course, I had heard and read the words many times before but had never really contemplated their deeper meaning. I sat down and looked it up. This led me to a rabbit hole of words and definitions and further words and definitions. The sticky notes created from that time of contemplation have lived in my studio ever since and I often am brought back to them by a word I hear or the lived meaning which brings me back to them.
As I contemplated a new design to celebrate 30 years creating liturgical art in one design for all the seasons, I knew it had to tell a story. It had to be simple, powerful, rich and deep, even, and perhaps especially in its simplicity. En Christo has that power.
Allow me to take you down my rabbit hole:
En Christo = In Christ = In Love = In Light = In human form = In divine form = In Spirit
To live In Christ is “to live by choice and embodiment within the force field of the Risen Christ”*. Embodiment means incarnation, expression, materialization, essence, expression of something like an idea, a quality, a feeling in tangible or visible form; Christ in the Christian and the Christian in Christ. The New Testament tells us En Christo is a living bond with Christ, that Christ lives in us and that we can have the mind of Christ.
For me Christ lives at the intersection of God’s limitless love poured out for all (humanity and creation), and all of life and creation’s hunger and desire for the wholeness and peace which passes all understanding. God reaches out, sends God’s Son to be a tangible expression of this love and light. We as God’s creation reach out in longing to the divine, dancing with Spirit even as we stumble and grieve and delight and seek a way where there is no way. “In this humanistic age we suppose we are the initiators and God is the responder. But the Living Christ within us is the initiator, and we are the responders…” writes mystic Thomas Kelly.
This design reaches down, Holy and Great God of Love, pouring down into humanity and creation with mercy and grace, stirring in us a longing for wholeness. This design reaches up, us, all of life and Creation surging up toward life, light, love and resurrection in our God-inspired longing. This place of both - incarnate Love, humanity, struggle, grief, grace, mercy, truth, humility, trust, peace and ease is En Christo; the place in relationship where everything meets. Here the center portion is illustrated in shiny silk. The right holds the lines of intersection apart, Divinity and Humanity separate. The left holds the idea of the messy, overlapping, intertwining, two as inseparable, joined in love.
The En Christo series is meant to be celebratory of all seasons. I have chosen to continue using fine fabrics, as they are a trademark of my work and quality.
*Father Richard Rohr, November 17, 2015
All stoles are made with 100% natural fibres: wool, cotton, silk, linen, etc. If you have any questions about material quality, do not hesitate to contact us. Stoles are lined with cotton so they don't slip around. They should be stored away from direct light and are flammable.
Karen Brodie Designs has been making made to order stoles for over 30 years. Not all of our handmade clergy stoles are currently in stock but we will still be happy to make them for you. Made to order requests will take several weeks to get ready as we will create the product for your order. Currently there is a queue for Made to Order purchases. Please proceed with regular checkout, using the 'Made To Order' drop-down option. If at any point you have questions or comments, or would prefer to order offline, please do not hesitate to email or call.
Each of these stoles is offered in 48", 54", and 58" from base of back neck down the front. Custom sizing is available upon request. Please contact us to place your custom size order. We charge an additional $70 to make your custom stole length.
"I received my first stole: Returning to the Well, and let me just say how thrilled I was with your artistry and quality. You are a gift to the church." Rev. Kennon Pickett, Prairieville, Lousiana