Ireland

 

As the travel in Ireland comes to a close, here are a few pictures that tell some of the story of our travels and of Ireland today.  We stopped in Belfast, Northern Ireland where we learned tensions at times still run high.  The history of Northern Ireland are complex however today you can go to downtown Belfast without realizing the tensions are still live.  And, many seem to just want them to go away, yet the differences are displayed in murals and in celebrations that pit on side against the other, the ones that want to stay part of the United Kingdom and those that do not. This tensions often aligned with the traditional religion of the sides, protestant vs Roman Catholic. Helen and I were shown around Belfast by Doug Baker a PCUSA mission coworker in Northern Ireland. This was a great introduction to the situation there and to know that our church has had some one there for 30 years helping to overcome the animosities that exist. 

 

The light is on at Corrymeela in the picture above. Corrymeela is a camp/retreat that has worked to bring peace and reconciliation between the two sides in Northern Ireland.  The experience of Corrymela continues to be used to diffuse conflict and to find ways to work together for ways to get beyond present conflicts.  Helen and I enjoyed talking to the director about his efforts to continue conflict remediation in various places around the world, including the northern Bay Area in California.  We felt fortunate to have the opportunity to visit for the one night that was available. 

 

After traveling to Dublin, a friend Helen made in Iona that lives in Dublin took us to Gledalough. It was wonderful that Brenda would take us to the important site in Celtic Christian history. Gledalough is where the ruins of an ancient Celtic Christian monastery can be visited (see the tower above.) This is the Celtic monestary that St. Kevin founded and which flourished from the 6th Century to the 12th.  To think a monastic community maintained life and worship together for 6 centuries is astounding to me.  We have begun to learn that the Celtic Christianity of Ireland did not merge with the Roman Catholic ways until sometime around the 11th Century.  So the development of Christian communities and ways of life were quasi-independent from what was going on in Europe in the same time period. The leaders or Celtic Saints as they are called, did travel quite a lot.  Often the travel was to bring the gospel to those that may not have received it.  Visiting this ancient site was moving.

 

As we planned our final free time together, we found a monastery near Limerick that took visitors, heard good things about it and decided to spend several days there.  We were not disappointed. The grounds were beautiful (see the picture of the tree), and the monks chanted the hours (four times as day).  The first service was at 6:30 in the morning (Lauds and Matins), one at noon (Mass), one at 5 (Vespers) and the final compline at 9:30. (A picture of the colorful sanctuary is on the lower right above.) The traditional Gregorian chanting of the psalms and other elements of the service was truly beautiful. I did not miss a service.  We found the rhythm of monastic life there very interesting and enjoyed meeting a few of the monks.  After our stay at Glenstal Abbey, we returned to Dublin.  Helen flew back to London to see Micah before flying home and I went to Manresa Retreat Center (botttom left picture) run by the Jesuits for an 8 day silent retreat.  More about that later.

 

I hope you all are well and that summer is a good season for you.  I am looking forward to returning soon to the states and to the church the end of August. 

Grace and peace,

Norman