HARRISON — The United Parish of Harrison and North Bridgton invites the public to walk a large canvas labyrinth Friday and Saturday in the church vestry at 77 Main St.

The labyrinth is borrowed from the First Parish Church in Brunswick. It’s the second year the parish has offered it. The single, winding path leads to the center and out again. It takes about 30 to 45 minutes to complete the meditative walk.

The public is invited to walk from 4 to 7 p.m. Nov. 7 and 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Nov. 9.

Susan Fitzgerald of the First Parish Church in Brunswick said parishioners decided in 2000 to create a labyrinth. Using three pieces of 12-foot-wide canvas, a group of parishioners and community members spent six Saturdays sewing them together and painting the path, which is about 30 feet in diameter.

Walking a labyrinth is an old spiritual practice of praying while walking.

“The labyrinth has only one path, and someone who follows the path always comes to the center,” United Parish pastor Franklin Anderson said. “Sometimes the path brings a person close to the center, sometimes far away. In a similar way, our lives are journeys to God. Sometimes we feel far away, sometimes very close. But whether we fell far or close, we are moving along the pathway that brings us to God, who is our life’s true center.”

Church officials said the labyrinth has a long history. The most famous one is built into the floor of Chartres Cathedral in France. For many years it was simply forgotten, but in the past 30 years or so it has gained renewed interest.

For further information about the walk, contact the church at 207-583-4840.

For more in formation about the labyrinth, contact Susan Fitzgerald at sfitzgerald@firstparish.net or call the First Parish Church office in Brunswick at 207-729-7331.

ldixon@sunjournal.com