How to Make a Banner for Lent

A Coffee with Padre Video

By Fr. Timothy Armbruster, C.PP.S.

Each year as Lent rolled around I had every intention of making a new banner for the church. Ash Wednesday would arrive and still no new banner. This year as I helped decorate our chapel at Precious Blood Center, in Liberty, Missouri, I decided no more waiting.

We decorated the chapel to begin Lent with burlap and purple cloth. I am working to create a banner to change out mid-Lent. It will be a banner of purples and black focused on the cross. Not sure how it all might look, I decided to make a smaller version as a practice run.

After deciding upon the pattern, I needed to figure out the dimensions. I revisited the days of math and algebra class as I tried working out the ratios and proportions. To make it a bit easier, I decided to use standard 2.5-inch cloth strips. They are the perfect length for this size, but I will need to decide how to lengthen them for the wall-size banner.

As I worked on this Lenten banner, it drew me into the season of Lent and what the colors and symbols mean. The creation of this banner started with an idea. I wanted something that had energy and movement. I wanted colors that would highlight and stand out against the black of the cross.

I selected colors that would balance one another without being too busy. I began the process of cutting, sewing and ironing the strips together. I took my time to ensure that I kept the strips in the proper order, sewing right sides together and keeping the edges together so the sew lines would be straight and even. As careful as I tried to be, I did have to pull out the seam ripper and correct a couple sew lines.

After getting all the strips sewn together, it came time to connect the three sections. Top and middle went together fine. The screwup happened with the bottom and final section. Instead of sewing to the bottom of the black I sewed purple to purple. So once again I sat with the seam ripper.

I’m happy with the direction this smaller banner is going. Although it might not be finished, I can stop on it and begin on the larger wall-size banner. I still need to add a hanger, border and decide on a backing.

For me, this banner with its various shades of purples and blacks and the cross as its focal point tells the story of Lent. The cross, once a symbol of death and torture, becomes a way of life for those who believe. How many crosses do we each carry in our lives? How many challenges do we face day in and day out? What heavy burdens and worries do we carry each day? Where do we find the courage to face each cross, each challenge? Where do we find the strength to help lift the burdens and challenges of others?

The shades of black and grey that make the cross. There is life and energy within it. Sometimes we might feel that solid black is the end, no hope left, a color that drains all life away. The hints of grey in the black remind me there is still hope, there is still energy there to tackle life.

The shades of purple speak of penitence and preparation, royalty, authority, and spiritual insight. Purple is the color of Lent, a season of penance and reflection, because it symbolizes royalty, suffering, and repentance, mirroring both Jesus’s kingship and his suffering for humanity, as well as our own need for penance and forgiveness. During Lent, we are called to reflect on our sins, turn to God, and prepare for the celebration of Easter. The color purple serves as a visual reminder of this spiritual journey.

We continue this journey of Lent. We know the challenges we face and the choices we must make. We know our rights and wrongs and what we might need to correct or rip out.

I invite you to join me next time as I complete the larger wall banner. Until then, Happy Lent.

All of the videos in this series can be found here: Coffee with Padre

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[Fr. Timothy Armbruster is a Precious Blood priest whose ministry has focused on parish work and retreats for youth and young adults. He holds a Master’s of Divinity Degree from Catholic Theological Union and describes himself as “a clown at heart.” Fr. Timothy incorporates clown ministry into his work to open our hearts, to seek laughter and happiness, and to see the world around us a bit differently. “In the stuffiness of life, we need God’s humor to see things anew,” he says.]

 Credits: Photo ID 352949596 © Frederica Aban | Dreamstime.com. Music: We Are a New Creation (Instrumental) · Christopher Walker · Paule Freeburg We Shall Praise Your Name ℗ 2011 OCP All rights reserved. All selections BMI. Released on: 2020-03-31 Music Publisher: OCP https://youtu.be/1NmInyrziZE

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