The colour of Lent

You’ve probably noticed that the chancel - the area around the altar - is pretty bare this Lent. No colour, no flowers, no banners, no bright altar frontal, an unadorned chalice on the altar, the clergy in neutral coloured stoles.

This is to distinguish the penitential season of Lent from the rest of the church year, and particularly to provide a contrast with the vibrant beauty of the Easter chancel. The altar frontal is unbleached linen, following an ancient tradition called the Sarum Rite that originated at Salisbury Cathedral before the Reformation, and which is also the source of blue vestments in Advent. Helen and Peggy’s stoles are simple ones knitted by Elizabeth to tone with the frontal, in a pattern that represents the Tree of Life and the waters of Coleman Creek.