A Celtic Journey – by Angela Brown
A reflection on the Carmel Celtic Retreat 2011
Sunday evening, 14 August 2011, saw the start of the 12th Celtic Christian Retreat held at Carmel just outside George in South Africa. Led by Bishop Eric, it has become an annual event and greatly anticipated by all who attend. This year, with around 54 pilgrims embarking on the spiritual journey, it was the largest group in all those 12 years.
As folk arrived from far flung places such as New Zealand and Germany, and various parts of South Africa, it was with all the excitement of meeting old friends and the joy of welcoming new pilgrims, first time travellers on this amazing faith journey.
Although the retreat is held in mid-winter, with crisp, cold mornings and evenings, the days were beautifully still and sunny and Carmel lived up to its reputation of being a ‘little bit of Heaven on earth’, with flowering gardens and prolific bird life.
The well-loved discipline of gathering in the Chapel before dawn for morning prayer, saw us all, daily, marvelling at the beauty of God’s creation in the early rays of the sun rising in splendour over Victoria Bay.
If it is possible to be carried in mind and spirit to an age, centuries ago, we were transported expertly through the words and stories that Bishop Eric brought to us. We realized the need to dig deeper into the spiritual & physical lifestyle of the Celtic Christians for our own times. And who better to give a good understanding of Celtic Christian Spirituality than Bishop Eric who, himself, humbly speaks with his life.
The worship sessions every morning, led by Revd Robert Penrith of Port Elizabeth, were eagerly awaited as times when, through the Celtic style of music & song, as well as Taize music, God ‘broke through’ and the Chapel was a very special ‘thin place’. Through ministry, times of stillness and through testimonies of God’s miracles today, we were reminded, that God is still powerfully at work among His people.
An exciting dimension for us in South Africa was to be made aware of some of the parallels between the spirituality of the traditional rural African people and that of the Celtic Christian people – both living close to the land and in many ways dependent on creation and the Creator.
All the teachings were interesting from a knowledge perspective, but what really makes the week so special for each pilgrim, is the actual experience, through those teachings and guidance, of God’s presence, His love and power and peace. Our eyes were opened to God’s presence through nature walks – some quite strenuous – but always rewarding. One of the walks to Victoria Bay ended with the distinct pleasure of seeing whales, God’s huge sea creatures, sporting almost playfully in the water.
The experience of Celtic Christian Spirituality wouldn’t have been complete without the encouragement to develop creative arts in handwork and writing. The Banner group, under the expert tutelage of Joyce Pike produced beautiful banners, once again, in the Celtic style. Evenings saw all the pilgrims – of varying skills – gather together for hand craft sessions. People were amazed at what they were able to produce in beadwork crosses, making Christmas bells and collages of whatever had been collected around the gardens. Who would have thought that God could have deposited so many gifts that had lain dormant in many for all their lives!
We discovered new creative gifts.
The retreat closed with a very moving dawn Eucharist. It was sad to leave not only a place of such beauty and peace, but also the many people who had become part of the Celtic Christian family. Each one took with them, in their hearts, a new understanding, through the Holy Spirit, of our Creator God and His love for us, through Jesus, and a real desire and commitment to live out the Celtic Christian Way of Life – simply, humbly, sharing and caring, seeing beyond the obvious, to the hand of God in our lives and in the world.
Silent, separate
Meeting with God,
Feeling His heartbeat
Hearing His voice.
Love of God, circle
Spirit of God, defend
Blood of Son, cover
Family and friend.
The beaded crosses needed a bit of concentration
