The little island of Iona in the Western Isles of Scotland is known as one of Britain’s most historic holy places. It is remembered as the cradle of Christianity for much of Scotland and northern England. The Celtic mission from Iona, however, clashed with the sixth-century Roman mission, which represented a radically different way of seeing. This led to the Synod of Whitby in 664 and the tragic displacement of Celtic spirituality to the fringes of British Christianity. It lived on, however, almost as a spiritual resistance movement among the prayers of the people of the Western Isles. These were not so much religious prayers as songs and chants used in the context of daily life. They celebrated the essential goodness of all created life while not being naive or unaware of suffering and the bondage of evil.
Celtic Prayers from Iona is an attempt to incorporate aspects of this ancient stream into a pattern of weekly prayer for use today. It was initially written for use by members and associates of the present-day Iona Community, an ecumenical movement of men and women, lay and ordained. It has been made more broadly available in response to the widespread desire to recover aspects of this tradition’s way of seeing.
J. Philip Newell and his wife, Ali, were co-wardens of the lay religious community of Iona Abbey in the western Isles of Scotland. There Philip developed this book as an aid to daily prayer. Here is a weekly cycle of morning and evening prayers in the Celtic tradition, with gospel and psalm readings taken from the liturgical year.
Each “day” reflects a concern of the Iona Community:
justice and peace
healing
the goodness of creation and care for the earth
commitment to Christ
communion of heaven and earth
welcome and hospitality
The beautiful calligraphy sets a welcoming mood and contemplative pace to the prayers.Whether you pray from this book communally or in private, you are sure to be captured by the Celtic sense that God is present in creation, in the events of our lives, and in our hearts.
John Philip Newell is a Canadian teacher and author of spirituality based in Edinburgh. In 2011, he was honored with the first-ever Contemplative Voices Award by the Shalem Institute for Spiritual Formation in Washington, D.C. He served as Warden of Iona Abbey in Scotland (1989–1992), Assistant Minister at St. Giles Cathedral in Edinburgh (1992–95), Warden of Spirituality for the Anglican Diocese of Portsmouth in the Church of England (1995–2000), and Scholar in Spirituality at St. Giles Cathedral (2000–2002). In 2002, he transitioned into full-time writing and itinerant teaching in cathedrals, universities, and retreat centers on both sides of the Atlantic. He is author of Listening for the Heartbeat of God (Paulist Press).†
