Celtic Christianity for 2019

1 Be thou my vision, O joy of my heart;
 naught be all else to me save that thou art,
 thou my best thought, by day or by night,
 waking or sleeping thy presence my light.

2 Be thou my wisdom, my calm in all strife;
 I ever with thee, and thou in my life;
 thou loving parent, thy child may I be,
 thou in me dwelling, and I one with thee.

Be Thou My Vision vs 1 & 2 of 5
(4th C? 8thC? Irish)

I'm willing to concede that I don't have a clue what this New Year holds for me, let alone the world. I'm doing some planning but I realize that is folly to assume that it matters!

Therefore I tell you that I hope to offer a study series in our adopted church home, Trenton United on a subject that was dear to my heart for years, somehow fell into dormancy, and which I hope to rekindle.


Roughly two dozen years ago my departed mother invited me to join her in Toronto for an evening at a nearby Anglican church where Herbert O'Driscoll would be speaking on Celtic Christianity. I drove from Sudbury with our son, Isaac, who is now our minister, and who was perhaps twelve or thirteen at the time. Although O'Driscoll was the Dean of an Anglican Cathedral he wrote for the United Church Observer magazine and I was aware that he was born and raised and educated in Ireland.

That evening he was persuasive in explaining that the ancient Celtic way of spirituality still offered an alternative to the outward, objective  emphasis of traditional Western Christianity with an inner, subjective emphasis which includes meaning, intuition, mystery, synthesis.



I was intrigued and began my exploration of the legends and history of Celtic spirituality, including a trip to Ghost Ranch in New Mexico in 2007 where J. Philip Newell was presenting on the subject.

Along the way I discovered how deeply Earth-honouring this tradition was and is, and it resonated strongly with my own passion for the natural world as Creation. I was fascinated by the "green martyrs" of Celtic Christianity who often lived in solitude and in harmony with the creatures around them.

While the great enthusiasm for all things Celtic has waned (remember Riverdance ad nauseum?) much of what was worthwhile then is even more important now, given the climate crisis of our planetary home. Isaac has asked me to spend a few weeks exploring some of the themes, so I'll both revisit and address new developments for a new day.

Join us, if you're able, January 9th, 16th, 23rd, at 9:30 AM, Trenton United.


Christ, as a light
illumine and guide me.
Christ, as a shield
overshadow me.
Christ under me;
Christ over me;
Christ beside me
on my left and my right.
This day be within and without me,
lowly and meek, yet all-powerful.
Be in the heart of each to whom I speak;
in the mouth of each who speaks unto me.
This day be within and without me,
lowly and meek, yet all-powerful.
Christ as a light;
Christ as a shield;
Christ beside me
on my left and my right.


Canticle -- Celtic Daily Prayer Northumbria Community