The Chalice

At the beginning of the UUCSC worship service, a flame is lit inside our unique chalice, and special words are spoken.
This simple ritual is a focal point for worship and is intended to create sacred space and community.

Chalice History

The flaming chalice has become a well-known symbol of our denomination, since its creation in 1941 by Austrian artist, Hans Deutsch, to give dignity and importance to the Unitarian Service Committee “papers,” that were used to assist Eastern European Jews who were escaping Nazi persecution. His design was made into a seal for “papers” and a badge for agents moving refugees to freedom.  Originally a symbol for service, over time, different versions of a flaming chalice have come to symbolize Unitarian Universalism around the world.

The UUCSC Chalice

The UUCSC Chalice was created by artist Christian Hopkins, a member of the Narragansett Tribe, which is indigenous to Rhode Island. Hopkins was commissioned in 2016 on the occasion of the 25th anniversary of the congregation. The Chalice was handcrafted from naturally felled red cedar and mountain Laurel.

Unitarian Universalist congregations are free to use the UUA’s chalice logo in their congregational work, but they are not required to do so.  

UUCSC’s Logo 

An early UUCSC member, Linda Whyte Burrell, designed UUCSC’s official chalice logo.  We use it on all printed materials.