(no subject)
“Girls, do not forget that tonight is the most important night of camp. From the time the bell rings until you wake up tomorrow morning, there is no talking what so ever,” I quietly remind my 8 year old campers lined up and dressed in all white how important that night is, with the tradition of the pageant of the Holy Grail dating back 81 summers. Above the pine trees, black replaces blue, and the tones from the bell ring out into the night. The entire camp proceeds to Brewer Chapel, some returning and others virgins to the night, but all in anticipation of what is to come. Next there is an endless parade of standing and sitting as honored leaders and staff, disguised as King Arthur and his closest companions, embark on the famed story of the quest for the Holy Grail. The congregation watches in admiration, one small girl letting out a squeal as her favorite leader appears, as if by magic, singing, “follow the gleam,” and giving Sir Galahad, the purest and best of all the Knights, a vision of The Holy Grail. “It seems to call me, and I must follow,” Sir Galahad nobly informs the court after his revelation. The other knights loyally follow Galahad, all willing to risk their lives to serve. Some return, some do not. The audience leaves, following the cast out and each person is handed a candle and reminded to continue the search for their own grail. Led by hot flickering radiance and echoes of “to the knights in the days of old, keeping watch o’er the mountain height, came a vision of holy grail, and voice through the waiting night…” campers, leaders, and visitors alike make their way to Hillside, the scenic over look of the falls. Everyone is silenced in awe when the 80 foot wooden bridge is suddenly dazzled by flames as soon as Sir Galahad steps upon it, chalice in hand. Campers then return to the steps of their cabin, form a maltese cross, and sing “Taps.” The cast of the pageant ends the night by forming their own candle-cross on the porch of the chapel, blowing them out, then the cast disappears and another cross is lit, its light illuminating the entire campside.
I’ve spent the best days of my life at Camp Winnataska for the past 8 summers, and seen Holy Grail thirteen times. While I did not grasp the true importance of the story in my life as a Christian until a few years ago, it has always bemused me. King Arthur’s final lines in the pageant, “Knighthood is not dead. The pomp and pageantry are mere symbols of the ideals that still exist in the hearts of man. In our troubled world, the flames of knighthood are burning low. Let us, like knights of old, go forth in search of our Holy Grail. Let us keep the purity and courage which are the ideals of knighthood, and pledge ourselves to a holy cause. Let us so live that we may be found worthy of achieving the realization of our dreams,” shows exactly the deeper meaning of Holy Grail for most people. But Grail holds such a special place in the bottom of my heart. It challenges me to best the best I can possibly be. My faith is rarely ever as strong as when I’m seated in those hard wooden pews watching respected peers model what I have the ability to be. It is just such incredible motivation to go out and fight a harder battle that words simply do not seem to describe it well enough. I cannot wait for the day to come when my best friend and I are cast as Sir Boris and Sir Percival, and can proudly walk down that aisle with our pinkie fingers locked together. Even more so, I look forward to my last time in grail as the coveted part of Galahad. It is a dream I have had for many years, and hopefully someday I too will be worthy of achieving the realization of my dreams.
I’ve spent the best days of my life at Camp Winnataska for the past 8 summers, and seen Holy Grail thirteen times. While I did not grasp the true importance of the story in my life as a Christian until a few years ago, it has always bemused me. King Arthur’s final lines in the pageant, “Knighthood is not dead. The pomp and pageantry are mere symbols of the ideals that still exist in the hearts of man. In our troubled world, the flames of knighthood are burning low. Let us, like knights of old, go forth in search of our Holy Grail. Let us keep the purity and courage which are the ideals of knighthood, and pledge ourselves to a holy cause. Let us so live that we may be found worthy of achieving the realization of our dreams,” shows exactly the deeper meaning of Holy Grail for most people. But Grail holds such a special place in the bottom of my heart. It challenges me to best the best I can possibly be. My faith is rarely ever as strong as when I’m seated in those hard wooden pews watching respected peers model what I have the ability to be. It is just such incredible motivation to go out and fight a harder battle that words simply do not seem to describe it well enough. I cannot wait for the day to come when my best friend and I are cast as Sir Boris and Sir Percival, and can proudly walk down that aisle with our pinkie fingers locked together. Even more so, I look forward to my last time in grail as the coveted part of Galahad. It is a dream I have had for many years, and hopefully someday I too will be worthy of achieving the realization of my dreams.