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A Traveler's Reflection - Part I
A Traveler's Reflection - Part II
A Traveler's Reflection - Part III
Return to Clergy
Reprinted from the
Sept, Oct, Nov 2002
Newsletter
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A Traveler's Reflection
The Setting Sun
Part I
When Amy Eckel presented me with the parish's wonderful gift of a trip to "any where in the world" at my 25th Anniversary surprise party last year,
I was really surprised! Sandy and I talked and prayed and thought and talked some more about how we would use this opportunity to travel. The Holy Land, the Islands, Europe, Alaska, the West,
all were possible. But my greatest passion was to see, and understand more deeply, the roots of my Anglican Heritage. Aware of a resurgence of interest in Celtic Spirituality in the Episcopal
Church, I, too, was curious to discover the basis for this quest. Why not journey to those places where the ancient CelticChurch played such a key role in the formation of our Church? Sandy
agreed, but I suspect she wondered what she was getting herself into this time, as we planned the journey in search of our Anglican roots!
Our journey this June took us to some of these rooted places. The first leg of our Celtic Pilgrimage was the remote Isle of Iona, off the
western coast of Scotland. We left Philadelphia on June 3rd and arrived at our initial destination 22 hours later! I had no idea that the travel time for this first leg of our pilgrimage
would be so long! But, after two planes, a three hour train ride through the Scottish highland, a ferry crossing to the Isle of Mull, a forty-five minute bus ride over single lane road and another
ferry crossing, we arrived on Iona, that sacred island in the Hebrides where in 563 AD, St. Columba founded a monastery. It was raining and we were exhausted, but the sight of our destination is
still vivid in my mind: remote, yet welcoming; desolate, yet glowing; cold and wind swept, yet ablaze with life. We were met at the jetty by Jenny McClellen who runs a small retreat house named
"Duncraig," and our host for the four nights we would spend on Iona.
Jenny greeted us as old friends and drove us to her home. We were taken to our room and invited to join our fellow pilgrims for
supper. At supper we met new friends: Mimi, a Presbyterian pastor from Golden, Colorado; Phil, a Methodist pastor, his wife Jo, and their daughter Eleanor from Birmingham, England; and Gwen, an
Episcopal priest from Massachusetts. An Ecumenical group of travelers, we all had a common interest in learning more about Iona, its legacy as well as the current ministries being carried out
by the Iona Community. After supper we attended a healing service in the ancient monastic chapel. The chapel, as well as the other buildings of the ancient monastery, is in the process of
being rebuilt by the Iona Community on the original sight of Columba's 6th century community. Just imagine what it was like to be worshipping in a place where Christians have praised God for over
1500 years! Sandy and I prayed for our friends and loved ones, asking Christ to surround them with Love.
For 3 days we hiked the island, exploring the places, experiencing the natural beauty, and sharing in the Spirit of those who came before us. Iona
is 4 miles long and about 2 miles wide and has a year round population of about 250 people. Celtic folk talk of Iona as being a "thin place." The island landscape is made up of grassy
meadows filled with sheep and cattle and rocky hills overlooking the sea. Dotting the island are large carved stone crosses, some of which are over 1,000 years old. Life on the island, when the
last tour boat leaves in the evening seems slow and leisurely; but harsh when the winds blow and the weather turns cold. To be a part of this environment is to experience a mystery beyond
words. God is apparent. One can fully appreciate why Celtic Spirituality is so much based on an understanding of the Gospel of Jesus Christ experienced in the glory of creation. We came
seeking God in Christ and we found him in the natural beauty of Iona, and in the people who have lived and are living there.
We discovered that the sun never really set on this sacred place. The light shined in the darkness for us and still shines for me as I
remember my time on Iona. Someday I hope to return and take other pilgrims with me to share in the continued light of Christ in this sacred place.
More of our experiences will be shared with you in the months to come. Sandy and I invite you to join us for two Sunday evening presentations
on Celtic Spirituality on Sunday, September 15th and Sunday, September 29. We will start the evening with a potluck supper at 6PM. After sharing a meal, we will share our experiences
with you in word and picture! Please let us know of your interest by returning the form included with the newsletter to the parish office or by phoning us by September 8th. Our plan is to meet
at our home, numbers permitting!
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JCB
Sept 2002
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A Traveler's Reflection
The Setting Sun
Part II
We caught the 9:00 AM ferry from Iona to the Isle of Mull on Saturday morning on our way to Edinburgh. To get to our final destination on
this leg of the journey, we needed to catch a noon day train in the port town of Oban. We were subjected to a 45 minute bus ride across the Isle of Mull on a single lane highway to catch the ferry
to the mainland and the train in the town of Oban. (What a comedy!) Having reservations on the 3 PM train, we were not certain we would be able to find a seat on this earlier train to
Glasgow, but by the grace of God, we did. It was a happy raucous train ride filled with spirited vacationers returning home, sharing stories and a "pint or two" as we rambled through the
highlands. We arrived in Glasgow and were able to make the connection for the train to Edinburgh to spend the night before picking up the car the next day and heading to our next Celtic holy place,
Lindisfarne located off the West Coast of Northumberland.
Arriving in Edinburgh, the first thing to catch our eye was the spire of the memorial to Sir Walter Scott. As we rode through the streets of
this ancient city, it was obvious to Sandy that we made a serious mistake not planning more time in this Mecca of history and quaint little shops. We figured out that we could at least spend the
next morning exploring Edinburgh. Setting out from the B&B early in the morning we headed for the "Royal Mile." This ancient, historic street with EdinburghCastle at one end and Holyrood
Place at the other contained some of the quaint shops that attracted the interest and discerning eye of my traveling companion! We went into a wool shop and as we were chatting, met a mother and
daughter from the US. We discovered to our amazement that they had once lived in New Jersey in a little town called Hopewell! And to add to our surprise, found out that they were related to
Bill and Linda Metcalf of our parish. It is a small world! The other shop that I will remember from this walk through the ancient city was the kilt shop. In the window was a mannequin
dressed in clergy attire wearing a kilt. What a stir that would cause, if I returned to Pennington in that!
We caught a cab to the airport to pick up our rental car to head off to the Holy Island of Lindisfarne. We were warned that if we arrived at
the wrong tide, the causeway, the only way on to the island would be flooded by the tide. So, we planned our arrival accordingly. I looked at the car in the parking lot of the airport and
noted that it was not what we had ordered. They were out of small cars, so they upgraded us to a large car! How thoughtful! I got behind the wheel of this monster on the right (wrong)
side of the car and tried to acclimate myself to a new set of circumstances, not only driving a strange large car, but on the wrong side of the road. My navigator was most helpful with her
encouraging words as I pulled out of the parking area and drove around the first roundabout, not once, but twice: "Better you than me!" "We'll find the easy way there." "Now, where are
we on the map?" These were harrowing moments, but after about fifteen minutes of practice, I got the hang of it and we proceeded down the motorway toward Lindisfarne, avoiding a critical accident
only once!
It took us about an hour and a half, driving the country roads through the border country of Scotland and Northern England. We arrived at our
destination early and discovered the tide was still in. There we were sitting in the rain, hungry with no place to go; so we drove back up to the main highway and paid a visit to the local pub for
supper. It wasn't fancy, but was colorful. The two yanks were an obvious novelty to the local characters enjoying their friendly place. The food was good and very reasonably
priced. The atmosphere was warm and friendly, what a gift from God to calm my frazzled nerves from the drive.
After supper, it was off to the causeway again and this time the tide was out and the road miraculously appeared. It took about fifteen
minutes to drive over the mud flats to our destination, Lindisfarne, a place that had been home to the Christian Community for 1400 years.
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JCB
Oct 2002
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A Traveler's Reflection
The Setting Sun
Part III
Lindisfarne, also called Holy Island, is located on the North Sea off the coast of Northumbria (Northern England) and is connected to the mainland
by a causeway that disappears at high tide. Sandy and I arrived at Lindisfarne in the rain at high tide as I shared with you in the newsletter last month. After an interesting supper at the
local pub, we returned to the causeway and discovered that the road had indeed miraculously appeared out of the depths. A five-mile drive across the mud flats brought us to Holy Island and the
village of Lindisfarne. We witnessed a quaint cluster of about forty ancient houses, which made up the village. The retreat house, in which we stayed with four other guests, "The Open Gate,"
was built in the sixteenth century.
Lindisfarme was the place chosen by the Celtic monk and Bishop, St. Aidan to establish a monastery in 635 AD to serve as a missionary outpost to
the Saxon Kingdom of St. Oswald. Aidan and twelve companions made a month long trek from their home at the monastery on Iona at the invitation of Oswald to share the Gospel of Jesus Christ with his
pagan subjects. We are told that through the loving generous nature of Aidan, Christianity became established in Northern England and that Lindisfarne became the hub from which other religious
communities where established in such places as Whitby, Hexham, Jarrow, Durham, York, Melrose to name but a few. The two names that are associated with Lindisfarne are Aidan and Saint Cuthbert who
came after Aidan, but whose ministry and leadership were of equal significance in the establishment of the Church in Northern England.
Jean and Ross Pert, an interesting couple that we came to love very quickly, ran the "Open Gate." Ross, a Methodist minister, had been a
prison chaplain in his former life. He was a crusty witty chap that exuded hospitality and enthusiastically shared his knowledge with us about his new home. His wife, Jean, was a complete
compliment to his personality. She was gentile, loving and visibly spiritual, sort of a female version of St. Francis. We learned very quickly about the family dog and also about Madge and
Billy, a blackbird and a thrush. The birds would appear daily in the courtyard of the house looking for a morning "handout" and then would proceed to let themselves into the house in search of Jean
while completely unnerving the poor dog!
No sooner had we arrived when Ross told us about St. Cuthbert's Island. This was a spit of land about fifty yards off Holy Island that St.
Cuthbert had used as a retreat and place of solitude to escape from the business of administering the monastery. The tide was still out so we walked across the rocks and the mud to visit this holy
place and discovered that the foundations of the ancient 8th century hermitage were still there. There we stood on this windswept peace of sod, surrounded by the same sea, rocks and remoteness sharing the experience of this ancient Celtic Holy Man! I was impressed by the abundance of wildlife: terns, gulls, fulmars, cormorants, eider ducks, and seals. It is obvious why the environment plays such a significant part in the spirituality of these, our Christian ancestors.
The day after our arrival, we set out to explore some of the other spiritual gifts of Holy Island. We attended the morning Eucharist at St.
Mary, the Virgin, the local parish. The Vicar, Fr. David Adam was the celebrant. David is a remarkable, holy man who is the leading expert on Celtic Prayer. The liturgy was filled with
the graceful, poetic mystery that he shared so naturally with the community assembled. It was a humbling privilege to be present with our Lord in this ancient sanctuary where Christians have
worshipped for more than 1000 years!
Like Iona, Lindisfarne remains a remote ancient outpost of a heritage that is being rediscovered by the contemporary Church. It is a simple
beautiful natural place, where God continues to speak through creation and also in the lives of the Holy people living the Gospel life. What was most amazing to Sandy and me, was the fact that the
Sun really never totally set during the time we were there. On the evening before we departed, our hosts invited us to walk to the edge of the marsh on the western edge of the village to witness
the Sunset. It was absolutely breathtaking, the blazing light filling the clouds with such color and majesty! It is apparent why this is called "Holy Island." The Spirit of the Lord was
and remains upon us as God filled us in that moment of the "Setting Sun."
My beloved friends of St. Matthew's, thank you for giving us the opportunity to visit the Holy places of our Church and to experience Celtic
Spirituality for ourselves.
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JCB & SB
Nov 2002
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