FLAMING CHALICE

The flaming chalice (a cup with a stem and foot) is the central symbol for Unitarian Universalism (UU) worldwide, embodying the values of faith, freedom, service, and the commitment to justice. Its flame is a symbol of the light of truth, the spirit of justice, and hope, while the chalice itself symbolizes hospitality, sacrifice, and community.  It is also a focal point for worship.

When the Unitarian and Universalist denominations consolidated in 1961, their shared symbol became an off-center, flaming chalice with two overlapping circles.

The Story of the Original Flaming Chalice and How it Got its Rings

The flaming chalice originated during World War II, as a symbol of the Unitarian Service Committee (USC), a group formed to assist Eastern Europeans, among them Unitarians as well as Jews, who needed to escape Nazi persecution.   UU minister Beth Dana described its origin story in her January 12, 2025, sermon as follows:

“The chalice cup is…a Christian symbol, which comes from the cup in which Jesus served wine to his friends and disciples at the last supper before he died, now used in the ritual of communion.  The flame…inside the cup was added by Unitarians.  During World War II, the Unitarian Service Committee was working in Europe to get people safely out of Nazi-controlled areas.  They needed an official symbol for their work to put on correspondence and documents, but also as a clandestine way of representing or signaling safe places…[I]t became a symbol of active love and a willingness to take risks for truth and justice.”

Dr. Charles Joy, who worked for the USC, conceived and commissioned Hans Deutsch to create the flaming chalice.  Dr. Joy was a member of the Albany UU congregation in his later years, and for whom the Albany UU library is named.  (More information on Dr. Joy can be accessed here or through the QR code under his photograph in our library.)

Deutsch, a refugee, was politically outspoken and used his art as a form of resistance against fascism. He created anti-fascist illustrations and cartoons criticizing Hitler, which eventually put him at risk under the Nazi regime and forced him to flee.  Though he knew nothing of Unitarianism, and had never attended a service, when he drew the chalice, he came to appreciate the religion and started working for the USC.

The Story of How the Flaming Chalice Became an Integral Part of Worship

The practice of lighting a chalice as a part of UU began in the early 1980s. But the path it took to reach the sanctuary is a very Unitarian Universalist one that begins with Nazi resisters and ends with children in the religious education program.

Originally, the 2-dimensional chalice image was a two-dimensional image stamped on documents created by the USC to help refugees escape. The flame represented a spirit of helpfulness and sacrifice, and eventually the chalice design formed the basis for the American Unitarian Association’s official logo. With the merger of Universalism and Unitarianism in 1961, two overlapping circles to represent each of the two traditions were added.

How the 2-dimensional chalice transformed into a 3-dimensional object used in worship is unknown.  However, evidence suggests that it was through the children’s religious education programming.  Curricula used in the late 1970s stressed the meaning of the chalice and encouraged children to make chalices in different media, morphing into chalices that could be lit.  The first documented uses of chalices in worship are from Sundays the children and youth led worship and demonstrated their practice of chalice lighting to the adult congregation.  How wonderful that a children’s church craft captured the imagination of an entire denomination.              

The chalice was a symbol invented to represent courageous deeds that were already taking place, which was then developed by children in the cradle of love.

The Flaming Chalice’s Symbolic Meanings

No single meaning or interpretation is official. The flaming chalice, like our faith, stands open to receive new truths.  To put it in theological terms: in UU, revelation is not sealed.

At its most literal level of meaning, the flaming chalice signals Unitarian Universalist identity. But it also suggests that transformations take place when we are held in a religious community. When we light the chalice in worship, we illuminate a world that we feel called upon to serve with love and a sense of justice; as demonstrated by our hymn “The Fire of Commitment.”  Ultimately, the flaming chalice has become a profound and central symbol for UU, embodying the values of faith, freedom, service, and the commitment to justice.

Unlike other religions where the flame is Jesus, or Buddha, or Mohammed, in UU the flame surrounded by a protective circle represents freedom – the freedom to love, of thought, from oppression, of belief – with the flame itself representing guidance and enlightenment, as well the light of truth and wisdom.  And the fact that the chalice is not in the exact middle of the circle, as if it has moved over to let something else come into the circle, reminds us that as Unitarian Universalists, we always leave room for other ideas and other ways.

-This description was drawn from many sources, including the Unitarian Universalist Association pamphlet by Rev. Susan J. Ritchie