Hello, Folks! I hope everyone’s Easter Weekend was filled with joy, peace, and the promise of new life amidst a time of strife. We had a wonderful Holy Week here at common art and Boston Warm. It was an honor to take part in the community’s meaningful Holy Week traditions!
We started common art with a short Holy Wednesday service, where we read the story of Jesus washing his disciples’ feet and then had a great discussion about the passage’s importance and modern-day relevance. We transitioned into a time of foot- and hand-washing, where pairs of members seated across from each other took turns washing the other member’s hands or feet. This was really powerful to both witness and take part in.
Shortly after lunch, we had our performance of Richie’s Easter play, “The Death of Jesus”. There is always a buzz in the air on the day of a Richard Berman play. The community really comes together to celebrate, support, and enjoy these plays. His invitation for audience participation is my favorite aspect of his plays. In this production, The Rev. Lisa led both the cast and the audience in Communion as the scene of the Last Supper unfolded. The play’s inclusion of a live piano performance from a longtime member brought another layer of emotion and feeling to the Last Supper, death, and Resurrection scenes! As my time here at Emmanuel grows short, I am grateful to have had the honor of working on yet another play alongside Richie and the rest of the common art community.
This week we will continue the Caretaker Art Group with boundaries as our theme We will be exploring the following questions through a boundary-mapping art activity:
- What are healthy boundaries?
- Why are they important?
- What boundaries do I currently have with myself and others?
- Where do I need to have more boundaries?
Meet you here next week! –Alex Shoemaker, 4/8/26