PITTSBURGH (RNS) — The Rev. Aidan Smith is no stranger to the dark, he told the members of Trinity Cathedral gathered beneath soaring gothic archways lit by candlelight in downtown Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, on Wednesday evening (Dec. 18).
Raised in northwest Alaska, he grew up experiencing significant periods of real darkness — sometimes, he said, the light would barely crest the horizon. In that context, darkness can feel oppressive, and on the winter solstice, darkness is at its peak.
“Sometimes, our lives can feel like the longest night of the year,” said Smith. But, he reminded the congregation, “darkness doesn’t have the last word.”
The 40-minute service featured hymns, a liturgy of the Word and holy Communion. One couple in attendance, Lucy Price and Lizzy Williams, said they appreciated the quieter, more reflective service that didn’t shy away from the more painful realities of life.
The Rev. Aidan Smith, center at altar, leads a Longest Night service at Trinity Cathedral in Pittsburgh, Penn., Wed., Dec. 18. 2024. (RNS photo/Kathryn Post)
The cathedral is one of a growing number of mainline Christian churches across the U.S. to offer a service or celebration in conjunction with the winter solstice. While most are leaning into more somber Longest Night services, others are approaching the solstice as an opportunity for interfaith collaboration as solstice celebrations grow increasingly popular outside religious circles.
At St. Luke’s Episcopal Church in Evanston, Illinois, a winter solstice celebration on Dec. 21 will feature wassail (a hot spiced beverage), earth-conscious crafts involving wax candles, oranges and cinnamon cloves, and a performance by the EcoVoice Project, a group that uses music to raise awareness of climate change.
The brainchild of EcoVoice director Kirsten Hedegaard, the interfaith community event is also curated by the church and by local groups Climate Action Evanston and Interfaith Action. Housed in a large stone gothic cathedral in a residential neighborhood, St. Luke’s, known in Evanston for its community activism, has previously collaborated with local churches to observe cross-quarter days, which fall midway between the solstices and equinoxes, via outdoor worship services involving prayer hikes, kite making and, in the fall, baking Communion bread from the first wheat harvest.
EcoVoice Project perfo …