ZELIENOPLE — The landscape at Calvin Presbyterian Church requires little maintenance, but the primitive stone walking path there was not designed for convenience.

Like all labyrinths present in Christianity since medieval times, the path was constructed as a prayer tool at the church on East Grandview Avenue.

The Rev. Graham Standish, pastor at Calvin, said the design replicates a labyrinth in the Cathedral of Our Lady of Chartres in France, where the quadrants of concentric circles are laid out to also delineate the shape of a cross.

About 35 feet in diameter, the labyrinth at Calvin Presbyterian is outlined with limestones. Pine and Hemlock trees along the perimeter of the circle shade much of the path, and their fallen needles provide a natural mulch to walk on.

Labyrinths have some relationship to an early pagan concept called sacred geometry, Standish said.

"If you laid out cathedrals, sanctuaries and other things in certain ways, they could help people experience God," he said.

For Christians, labyrinths became popular in the 14th century, after the Muslims retook Palestine, Standish added.

"The mark of a good Christian was believed to be a pilgrimage to the Holy Land," explained Connie Frierson, Calvin's program director and a church member for 14 years.

"Going to the Holy Land was expensive and dangerous, so the church used the labyrinth metaphorically and symbolically," she said.

Although the labyrinth resembles a maze, Frierson noted the two are distinctly different: The maze aims to trick those who walk it whereas the labyrinth offers a path that concludes at its center.

"To tell you the truth you don't have to pay attention to where you walk. You simply follow the path in front of you. That allows your body to quiet," said Frierson, 51, who holds a master's degree from Pittsburgh Theological Seminary. "A lot of people have problems meditating because their body is antsy and anxious."

"Often you're not quite sure where you are in the walk," Frierson said. "But the reassurance is that you do come into the center."

Standish and Frierson both point out symbolism present in the labyrinth: The design's 12 concentric circles are based on the 12 tribes of Israel and the 12 apostles. The rose traditionally at the labyrinth's center symbolizes Mary or the Holy Spirit, depending on denomination.

The walk itself, which replaces a physical journey, symbolizes the journey toward God and of faith.

"Whenever you feel some distance from God, you're really only a turn away from coming into the center," Frierson said.

"I think that is a physical tool that really helps to illustrate a lot of the truths of the Christian."

Standish said the Zelienople church constructed the labyrinth in 1998. Initially, the church tried to host annual services to educate the public about the labyrinth and encourage community residents to use it.

But improvements that began at the church in 2006 necessitated removing part of the labyrinth to access utility lines, leaving the footpath unuseable.

The path was reconstructed in recent years by 2010 Seneca Valley High School graduate Zach Albert as part of an Eagle Scout project.

Frierson said the labyrinth has since been used by various individuals and study groups.

"The labyrinth fits very much into our whole approach at Calvin Presbyterian Church," Standish said. "We're focused very much on prayer: our connection with God. It's a tool that fits very much into what we do."

<B>WHAT: </B>Labyrinth prayer service. The event will begin with an introduction to the history of labyrinths, then offer time to walk the path. The service includes communion as part of the walk, estimated to take 20 minutes.<B>WHEN: </B>7 p.m. Aug. 26<B>WHERE: </B>Calvin Presbyterian Church, 415 E. Grandview Ave., Zelienople<B>INFORMATION:</B> Reserve a spot by sending an e-mail to office@calvinchurchzelie.org. For more activities and information church events, visit www.calvinchurchzelie.org.