Bringing Light Back to Historic Houses of Worship

Light is a fundamental symbol of hope, goodness, redemption, justice, and survival across many faith traditions. From the Diwali diya (lamp) to the Jewish menorah to Advent wreath candles, light is a recognizable and unifying feature of religious practice and iconography worldwide.

Too often, however, historic houses of worship face challenges with outdated electrical and lighting systems. Among other issues, outdated lighting and wiring can render spaces unusable from lack of visibility and pose fire or security risks. These systems are typically expensive to replace and often take secondary priority to other urgent repairs such as roof replacements and water mitigation work. Yet installing lighting upgrades can have a drastic impact on the sense of place and life safety of historic houses of worship.