Flower Sunday, which First Parish celebrates on June 8, is a joyful tradition shared by UU congregations around the world. But its origin story is a sobering reminder about how precious our freedoms are.
Sometimes called Flower Communion, the ritual calls for each parishioner to bring a flower to place in a shared vase or basket, symbolizing the unique individuals in our beloved community. When leaving, each parishioner takes a different flower home, a symbol of our shared journey.
The ritual was created in 1923 by Rev. Norbert Capek, founder of the UU church in Czechoslovakia. His wife Maja, also an ordained minister, brought the idea in 1940 to the First Parish in Cambridge, Mass., and it spread to UU parishes throughout the US. In Prague, Rev. Capek was attracting the attention of the Nazis — his homeland was now occupied by Germany — for his fervent preaching about freedom of thought and the large crowds he was drawing. In 1942, at age 71, he was arrested by the Gestapo and convicted for listening to foreign broadcasts on a shortwave radio given to him by his congregation. He was sent to Dachau concentration camp, where he was killed.
Rev. Capek’s life and legacy, and his fervent belief in freedom and the power of community, are inspiring.
Photo from Dictionary of Unitarian & Universalist Biography