You begin in Oban and take a 45 minute ferry ride to Craignure on Mull. Then you take a bus on a single track road across Mull to Fionnphort where you catch a second ferry for a brief 5 - 10 minute ride to Iona. The first thing you see is the impressive Abbey church.
The present one was built in 1203 and restored in the 20th century. The Abbey marks the foundation of a monastic community established by St. Columba in 563 when he was sent from Ireland to do penance on Iona. The monastery he founded was influential in spreading Christianity to the British Isles. The famous illustrated manuscript known as the Book of Kells was created on Iona.
Anyway, the Abbey Church was where we worshipped twice a day for the week we were on Iona. We were part of an intentional community of about 50 people for the week. We lived together, did chores together (I washed windows and Joe cleamed toilets), ate meals together, drank endless cups of tea and coffee together, and participated in a program facilitated by John Bell and Jo Love of the Wild Goose Resource Group, the small staff of which creates wonderful music and creative worship materials.
Our group had people from the US, Canada, Australia, Scotland, England, the Czech Republic, Cameroon, and Sweden. We were clergy, music directors, lay church workers, and people interested in exploring their own spirituality on Iona, truly a "thin place."
A couple of highlights of the week for me was the ceilidh, a marvelous and energetic evening of Scottish dancing. It's kind of like contra dancing or square dancing, but with its own unique flavor. We had a brief instruction time before each dance, which for Joe and me was pretty important since we didn't know any of the steps. However, everyone danced. We were many ages and levels of competence, but it was awesome!
Another highlight was the pilgrimage. We were part of a 7 mile off-road exploration of the island. We began at St. Martin's Cross, an 8th century Celtic Cross and one of the earliest surviving ones. We walked over hill and dale, to the highest point island, to St. Columba's Bay, which is the most beautiful stone beach I have ever seen. Joe and I went back there later to collect rocks and find some Columba's tears, which are marble stones with bits of green serpentine in the shape of tears. Though these are not the oldest rocks on the island, there are some of the oldest rocks on earth there - up to several billion years old! We also walked through the ruins of the nunnery and a wonderful peaceful spot with the remains of a hermit's cell.
Being part of this Christian community for a week was truly a privilege. Though based on the island, Iona Community is a world-wide dispersed ecumenical community of members and friends committed to "working for peace and social justice, rebuilding of community and the renewal of worship."
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