The Work of Angels

On Wednesday 1st February 2012 – St. Brigid’s Day – Dr Rachel Moss of Trinity College Dublin came to the cathedral to speak to us about the heritage of The Book of Kells and The Book of Armagh.

The Book of Kells is the most beautiful and the best known example of Celtic Christian art of all time.

These ancient scriptural texts were artistically written on vellum – calf-skin. According to Dr Moss, it took 100 calf skins to make The Book of Armagh -no wonder it became a highly prized relic for its monastic community in Armagh!  Giraldus Cambrensis, who visited Ireland in the 12th Century, was so entralled by the artwork of these early Celtic Christian communities that he wrote of it -

‘You will make out intricacies, so delicate and subtle, so exact and compact, so full of knots and links, with colours so fresh and vivid that you might say that all this was the work of an angel and not of a man.’

In the Book of Kells, said to have been written on Iona, there are inspirational portraits of Christ, the Virgin and of the Evangelists. Cats, mice, hens, foxes and geese run and play through the text, speaking of both the Celtic imagination and their respect for the natural world. There are also the old Celtic spirals, interlace and knotwork that speak of the pre-Christian Celtic world, which probably carried the idea of fertility and the continuity of life. These Celtic Christians allowed their spirituality to be imbued with the beauty of Art. Nowadays we know from Psychology that human beings have a right and left brain perception. The right brain is the artistic, intuitive side and Celtic Christian monasticism placed equal value on academic study, physical work and artwork – unlike the left-brain focused studies of most people preparing for ordination nowadays.

In her wonderful book The Artist’s Way Julia Cameron says that Creativity is the essential nature of God.

This insight into the artwork of The Book of Kells and The Book of Armagh inspired us to express our creative side more often in our spiritual path.

Dr Moss illustrated her talk with beautiful photographs, enlarged on screen, and we were lucky to have available in the cathedral facsimilie copies of both The Book of Kells and The Book of Armagh.

The evening concluded with time for questions and an opportunity for conversations over tea and coffee.

  ]]> http://celtic-spirituality.net/2011/05/report-by-janet-maxwell-of-the-recent-conference-may-2010/feed/ 0 http://celtic-spirituality.net/2011/05/annual-conference-14th-to-16th-may-with-john-bell-from-the-iona-community/ http://celtic-spirituality.net/2011/05/annual-conference-14th-to-16th-may-with-john-bell-from-the-iona-community/#comments Sat, 14 May 2011 09:41:01 +0000 grace http://celtic-spirituality.net/?p=126 Saturday 2nd and Sunday 3rd June 2012

THE ART OF CELTIC CHRISTIANITY

With Mary Fleeson from the Lindsifarne Scriptorium.

Mary Fleeson has published beautifully artistic collections of Celtic prayers and writings and will share with us her knowledge and experience of Celtic Artwork.

The full Programme will be published by March 2012.

Poems of the Cross:   A day of creative writing led by John Harding.

To mark the beginning of Passiontide and Holy Week 2012.

Venue: The Church of Ireland Cathedral – Rooms nearby.

Programme for the day

10:30a.m. Registration and coffee

11:00a.m. to 1:00p.m. Introduction to Creative Writing – Workshop.

1:00p.m. to 2:00p.m. Lunch – please bring a packed lunch and tea/coffee will be available.

2:00p.m. to 3:00p.m. Creative Writing workshop.

3:00p.m. to 4:00p.m. Poems of the Cross around the old cathedral, concluding with Celtic Prayer.

Cost: £20

(It would be helpful if you could book early for this workshop, as numbers will be limited)

The Work Of Angels: The Art Of Early Christianity

An evening with Dr Rachel Moss from Trinity College Dublin’s History of Art Department. She will tell us about the beauty of the illuminated manuscripts of The Book of Kells and the artwork of Celtic Christianity – also about the Book of Armagh.

Modern Psychology tells us about the left brain and right brain approaches to knowledge. Celtic Christianity valued Artistic expression and reminds us of the importance of being able to express the whole of our humanity in the search for the Divine. ‘Knowing God’ is not just about theological books and academia. It is also about an experience of the Divine through the senses, through art and poetry and through the intuitive aspects of our humanity.

Venue: St. Patrick’s Church of Ireland Cathedral

Admission: £5.00 – payable at the door.

Venue: Armagh Public Library

Launch of a new book on Celtic Spiritualityby Grace Clunie:-

SACRED LIVING: Practical Inspirations from Celtic Spirituality for the contemporary spiritual journey.

Published by Columba Press, Dublin. £5.99

This new book is a very practical introduction to Celtic Spirituality dealing with themes such as  Creation/Ecology, Hospitality, A Way of Living, simplicity, Pilgrimage, death and the afterlife. Each chapter concludes with practical suggestions for personal living and for ways in which communities can put into practice the ideals embodied in Celtic Spirituality. An inspirational read!

Available now from Columba Press, 55A Spruce Avenue, Stillorgan Industrial Park, Blackrock, County Dublin, Ireland. Telephone: +353 1 294 2556 or +353 87 234 0229

OR order online from Amazon.

Samhain Day Conference with the St. Bronagh’s School of Celtic Studies, Rostrevor.

Venue:  The Lecture Hall, Bridge Street, Rostrevor.

Programme

10:30a.m. Coffee and welcome

11:00a.m. Celtic Morning Prayer followed by Fr. Sean O’Duinn on ‘Coptic/Egyptian Fathers and their influence on the early Irish Church’.

12:00 Midday – Viewing Church preservation

1:00p.m. Lunch in Kilbroney Inn

2:15p.m. Dolores Whelan – ‘From Samhain to Bealtaine – ‘The soul’s journey through darkness’.

3:15p.m. Brian Rogers – Viking Longpart.

4:15p.m. Celtic Evening Prayer.

Afternoon tea.

COST (including lunch) £15.00 – pay at the door.

The course is facilitated mainly by the Director of the Centre for Celtic Spirituality, Rev’d Grace Clunie M.A., and is based on her book Sacred Living: Practical inspirations from Celtic Spirituality for the contemporary spiritual journey. (Published by Columba Press, Dublin, 2011 £5.99) Spiritual Direction is also available (evenings only) by arrangement.

The suggested base for your stay is The Servite Priory Benburb, a lovely little village, 6 miles from Armagh, and surrounded by acres of beautiful woodland and nature walks. The Priory contains several libraries and books on Celtic Spirituality will also be available. Arrangements for your stay will need to be made directly with the Priory.

Servite Priory Benburb 10 Main Street, Benburb, County Tyrone, N. Ireland BT71 7JZ.

Tel: 028-3754 8241/ 028-3754 8533   Fax: 028-3754 8524 EMail: servitepriory@btinternet.com

Web site: www.Servites-benburb.com

The Programme

Day One: Arrival, welcome and introductions. If you are coming from Dublin Airport, we would suggest you might want to spend a night or two in Dublin before you come North, in particular to see one of the best preserved early Christian monastic communities in the world – Glendalough, County Wicklow. You may also want to see The Book of Kells in Trinity College Dublin and the wonderful Irish High Crosses at Monasterboice, County Meath.

Day Two 10:00a.m. Celtic Prayer

10:30 a.m. to 1:00p.m. Introduction to Celtic Spirituality – an overview.

Day Three 10:00a.m. Celtic Prayer.

10:30a.m. to 1:00p.m. Mythology and Mystery – A visit to Navan and a tour of the old cathedral from a Celtic Perspective.

Day Four 10:00a.m. Celtic Prayer.

10:30a.m. to 1:00p.m. – Sacred Creation – The wells and the High Crosses.

Day Five 10:00a.m. Celtic Prayer.

10:30a.m. to 1:00p.m. Hospitality and Anamcara – A visit to a local group or from a representative working for peace and reconciliation.

Day Six 10:00a.m. Celtic Prayer.

10:30a.m. to 1:00p.m. Creative Spirituality – an art workshop and meditation, drawing together the threads of the week.

The Cost  (Flight and accomodation not included). This price includes morning sessions and transport to sites , where there are one to three people. (N.B. Prices quoted are in pounds sterling, whereas the Republic of Ireland uses the Euro).

One person – £36.00  per day for The Centre for Celtic Spirituality.

Two people – £25.00 per day per person for The Centre for Celtic Spirituality.

Three people – £20.00 per day per person for The Centre for Celtic Spirituality.

Larger groups can negotiate a reasonable total cost.

Spiritual direction sessions are £25.00 per one hour session.

For further information - Send an EMail to contact@celtic-spirituality.net with your suggested dates and outlining your particular interest in Celtic Spirituality. Booking The Centre for Celtic Spirituality’s sabbatical programme will require a down-payment (non refundable) of £50 sterling.

Each lunch is preceeded by Celtic Prayer at 12:30p.m. in the Cathedral Ladychapel, and all are welcome.

Please note – no lunches during July and August

Dates for Charity lunches in 2012

- Wednesday 4th January

 Wednesday 1st February

- Wednesday 7th March

 - Wednesday 4th April

-Wednesday 2nd May

-Wednesday 6th June

-Wednesday 5th September

-Wednesday 3rd October

- Wednesday 7th November

- Wednesday 5th December

I saw a stranger last night.
I put food in the eating place, drink in the drinking place,
music in the listening place
and in the sacred name of the Triune,
He blessed myself and my house, my cattle and my dear ones.
And the lark said in her song,
Often, often, often goes the Christ in the stranger’s guise.
(ancient rune of hospitality used by the Iona Community).

This service takes place on the first Wednesday of every month at 12:30p.m. in the Cathedral Ladychapel. On alternate months there is a Celtic Eucharist i.e. January 2012 – Celtic Prayer, February 2012 – Celtic Eucharist, and so forth. All are welcome.

He whom the universe could not contain
is present to us in this bread;
He who redeemed us and called us by name,
now meets us in this cup.
So take this bread and this wine,
in them God comes to us, that we may come to God.