Dr. Charles Joy

Dr. Charles Rhind Joy (1885-1978) was a Unitarian minister, humanitarian, and key figure in the establishment and operations of the Unitarian Service Committee during World War II.  Yet he is probably best known for having conceived the idea and commissioned the creation of the Unitarian Universalist flaming chalice symbol.  Albany UU’s library is named in honor of Dr. Joy, who was a member of our congregation in his later years, and whose donated book collection was the seed that grew into our current diverse collection.

Dr. Charles Rhind Joy

After graduating from Harvard Divinity School, he was ordained; and between 1911 and 1940, he served as minister to several congregations.  His early work as a minister reflected his deep commitment to liberal religion and social justice.  But it was his years from 1940 to 1954, working at the American Unitarian Association and the Unitarian Service Committee (USC), when he became deeply involved with humanitarian efforts that would become his most enduring legacy. 

Dr. Joy and the Unitarian Service Committee

The USC was founded in Boston at the beginning of World War II to assist Eastern Europeans who needed to escape Nazi persecution, securing visas, safe passage, food, and shelter for thousands of refugees. Their mission was to rescue Jews, intellectuals, artists, political dissidents, and other individuals targeted by the Nazis.  Appointed executive director in 1940, Dr. Joy was in charge of the Lisbon headquarters. From his Lisbon headquarters, Dr. Joy oversaw a secret network of couriers and agents; and through his tireless efforts, many were saved from certain death in Nazi concentration camps.

The USC was an unknown organization in 1941. This was a special handicap in the cloak-and-dagger world, where establishing trust quickly across barriers of language, nationality, and faith could mean life instead of death. Disguises, signs and countersigns, and midnight runs across guarded borders were the means of freedom in those days. 

Dr. Joy and the Flaming Chalice

It was Joy who conceived the idea of creating a symbol to represent the USC, which would make their papers “look official, to give dignity and importance to them, and at the same time to symbolize the spirit of our work . . . . When a document may keep a man out of jail, give him standing with governments and police, it is important that it look important.”  Dr. Joy enlisted an artist, a refugee from Austria, Hans Deutsch, to create such a symbol.  Under Joy’s direction, Deutsch conceived and created the flaming chalice.  The chalice lent a “seal” or “badge” of legitimacy to USC and its agents, and served as a symbol of sanctuary and hope, helping to guide refugees to safety.

The symbol was simple but powerful: a chalice with a flame, representing hope, freedom, and compassion amidst the darkness and danger of war.

Now, many years later, the flaming chalice, with its added off-center double rings, is the official symbol of the Unitarian Universalist Service Committee, and of the Unitarian Universalist Association.  (You can access more information on the history and symbolism of the flaming chalice, and how it got its off-center double rings, through the QR code next to the large chalice in our front lobby.)

Over the next 14 years, Dr. Joy continued to devote his time to international relief work, serving in many positions around the world, which led him to more than 100 countries.  During that time, he became a great admirer of Albert Schweitzer.  Joy translated many of Schweitzer’s books and writings into English, and wrote his own books on Schweitzer. 

Dr. Joy’s Later Career

In his later years, Joy devoted his time to speaking engagements and writing.  Over the course of his life, Joy wrote more than a dozen books on various topics from Goethe, to Jesus and the Bible, and to police state methods in the Soviet Union, plus several travel books on the countries he visited.