My Easter Story

Easter is always a great day in the life of the church. Lots of activity, energy and preperation. Great music, wonderful liturgy, and I hope a good sermon. Well, that's for others to decide.

Yesterday-Easter-was special to me in another way. And it was what happened to me AFTER the church service that made yesterday-Easter-so very unique and unlike any other. I was cleaning up the church after the service when a young thirty something homeless man came into the sanctuary. He walked upto me and as he began speaking, his eyes welled up with tears. He told me had been carrying his grandmother's ashes with him for some time-over a year I think, and wanted to know if I could bless them and have a small service for her. After saying "Of course" he disappeared and returned with a small baggie of ashes which he placed on the table we were using. I selected some sections from the Book of Common Prayer and as the service concluded, the man broke down again but now  mentioned that he felt he could "move on".

I thought about that event several times today. That experience, that image, reminded me of the importance of a ministry of "presence" and "service" in people's lives. Just "being there" and available to others-even the stranger- can result in an incredible spiritual experience. I don't know if I'll ever see this person again (I can't even remember his name) but I'll remember that experience forever. As I left the church and went over to our homeless feeding, I noted about two hundred people were in line, and eating picnic style. Many of them thanked me for the food and wished me a happy Easter. Little did they know how gifted and graced I felt to be in their presence.

Glory to God, Christ is Risen.

Dara Malloy and The Globalisation of God

"What the Celtic monastic paradigm establishes beyond doubt is that this form of spiritual community can achieve not only personal transformation but the transformation of human society. Personal and social transformation can take place without war or violence, without an imperialist or colonial agenda and without any top-down imposition of ideas. Celtic Spirituality offers the possibility of avoiding dogmatism, fundamentalism and all other temptations to control or change the behaviour of others from the outside. It emphasises change in oneself and invites an heroic commitment to one's own transformation" pg. 185.




My first encounter with Dara Molloy took place when I googled "Celtic Priest" one day. Up popped Dara's name and website (which is linked  here) and I decided to take a peek.  As I read about Dara, I was fascinated to learn that Dara lives on a small, remote island off the coast of Ireland, Inis Mor. I've been to similar islands in Scotland in the past, Jura and Islay to name a few, and believe me they are tough, rugged places, and not for the weak of heart. Almost like living on Skellig Michael! And yet what else would one expect from a modern day Celtic priest? Living apart, on the edges of the culture, just like the Celts of old. This raised my curiosity level a few more degrees. And as I read more about Dara, his interesting spiritual journey, his distinct take on the world, I realized this was a person I wanted to learn something more about. We spoke on Skype several times and therefore, I was delighted when my copy of The Globalisation of of God (2009) finally arrived in my mailbox. 

The Gobalisation of God  (GOG) is an interesting as Dara Molloy the person. GOG is a fascinating blend of  history, theology, spirituality and cultural and social analysis. A clue to the main argument of GOG is contained in the cover image. There, a parasitic cuckoo chick kicks out the indigenous egg from  the nest. So too, GOG goes onto convincingly demonstrate that Roman Catholicism "kicked out" and destroyed the "local" expression of Christianity in Ireland. This was a tragedy because the ecclesiatical colonisation of Ireland destroyed a vital and distinctive brand of Christianity.

This book is an entertaining read, with many unexpected twists and turns. Personally, I found the sections on Celtic Christianity and the Celtic Church to be the real strengths of the book. Obviously Dara knows the history well, and he writes with great poise. For example, Molloy outlines in a fresh and convincing way, how the Celtic Church thrived for nearly 800 years on its own, in splendid isolation, without any outside interference from Rome. There are terrific sections on the hermits of Egypt, St. Patrick, St. Columba, St. Columbanus and others. There is also a super chapter on Pelagius, detailing his intellectual brawls with Augustine. Yet,  as I hinted at in the opening quote above, the real brilliance of GOG is the way Molloy holds up the model of the Celtic Church. In so doing, Molloy provides a way forward for faith communities. The kernal of that message is to "go local", to build a spirituality from the ground up, from the community around you, and the relationships you share. Other key principles include simplicity and respecting diversity; believing that life is sacred; staying close to the natural environment; emphasizing simplicty.

GOG will challenge you, and I think Dara is onto something significant here. Although I don't agree with everything theologically that Molloy says, (what Celt would?) GOG got me thinking more about a bottom-up approach to spirituality. Dare I say an earth based AND people based spirituality. It made me question my relationships with people around me, and what I am doing to be connected with what is going on "locally". We've discussed before how one of the worst features of Western Christianity is that its too often individualistic and brain centered. Here's another example where the Celtic Church of the past can be a model for the present. The focus on relationships with people, communities, and the earth  help to keep the faith relevant, issue based, rooted in people, and something more than just some intellectual formula.

GOG reminds us of just how great spirituality can be. We have a phrase here in Hawaii, which is "local style" and describes the way folks do things differently than others.  This is another way of saying we need not do things in a cookie-cutter fashion like Wall Mart or Home Depot. Local customs, traditions, and styles should be celebrated-even in church. Else such structures are no different than McDonalds or some other franchise.

This book is a must for all Celtic lovers, and especially those who are interested in Celtic Christianity. You can order The Globalisation of God from Dara's website or Amazon.

Praticising the Presence of God

This is a blog post long, long overdue. I've been meaning to write a post about two of our volunteers, Darryl and Jeff for sometime and you'll soon understand why.

We are grateful for all our hundred volunteers from different churches and the community, but we are particularly grateful for Darryl and Jeff who have been with us every Sunday for over two years. That's a long time! Each and every Sunday Darryl and Jeff arrive at 11:30am helping to prepare the food we receive from many places, helping organize the volunteers, serving the homeless, planning for the week ahead, and assuring that everything on the food side of the house runs smoothly. It's an endless, thankless task, and yet these two gentlemen perform a terrific job with dignity, grace and love. It's high time we say a great big "thanks" and "well done"!

Darryl and Jeff do an amazing job with both passion and excellence. In true humility they are committed to being "servants" and to work behind the scenes. Yet they are both responsible for ensuring that food is ready, properly prepared, served, and that there are enough supplies for the next week.

We could not perform this valuable ministry without their generosity of time, and commitment to hard work. They are both a blessing to our ministry, and a crucial part of the ministry. We are grateful for your many gifts. In true Celtic fashion, you welcome the stranger and make him and her feel like an important guest.

Thanks guys for all your hard work from the staff of St. Aidans!

The Celtic Way of Doing Church

"First, a host of New Barbarians substantially populate the Western world once again; indeed, they are all around us. Many of them are "secular"; that is they have never been substantially influenced by the Christian religion; they have no Christian memory and no church to "return" to. Many have never acquired a "church etiquette" (they would not know when to stand, or where to find Second Corinthians, or what to say to the pastor after the service)...these populations are increasingly simlar to the populations that the movements of Patrick, Columba, and Aidan reached as the New Barbarians become increasingly postmodern" (pg. 96)

I first read George Hunter's The Celtic Way of Evangelism (2000) in 2002. The book made a big impression on me, and was one of the first books that got me hooked onto Celtic Christianity. This is an important book, and I often go back and reread sections just to make sure I'm reading it right. There is something distinctive about Celtic Christianity, and Hunter's book does an excellent job in explaining  what that "distinctiveness" is.  Hunter begins his story by focusing on the uniqueness of Patrick's mission to the Irish. The "single greatest lesson" is that Patrick went out of his way to understand everything he could about the Irish. He took an active interest in the Irish people, taking the time to learn and understand their language, their habits, their thought forms, and their culture. I've lived in other cultures and these graces are not easy ones. Patrick demonstrates an amazing humility, and  understood that to be effective and make a real impact, he had to be both genuine and sincere. Patrick had all these qualities and more

Secondly, Celtic Christianity was more of a movement, a way of life, an "experience" instead of a religion of Empire, or something linked to an institution or church building. Moreover, the movement stressed the importance of the laity and not the clergy. Hunter remarks that the Roman visitor would have encountered a faith group which was more imaginative, less brain centered that Latin Christianity.  The Celts also had a creation based theology which stressed the "immanence" and "providence" of God.  A major reason for these differences were the Celtic roots in Desert and Monastic Christianity. Celtic Christian communities were focused around the monastery and abbot instead of the bishop and cathedral. Monastic communities tended to be less individualistic and more community orientated. Hunter believes the Celts communities were better integrated and focused not only on the "utlimate" issues of life, but also the "middle-level" issues of life, including life's daily struggles.

Hunter also explores the "missionary ecclesiology" of this ancient church and identifies five themes. First, the Celts took a relational, and team approach when sharing their faith story. Before sharing the message of the gospel, they first tried to relate to the people, identify with the people, and engage in friendship, ministry and witness. What a sharp contrast to the confrontational evangelism often practiced in the church both then and now. Second, monastic communities helped prepare people to live with depth and compassion. The Celtic communities were places of great learning, an Open Univeristy with ongoing adult education hundreds of years ago. Hunter also asserts that Celtic Christianity helped prepare people through a "fivefold" structure of experiences including almost every realm of life. These stages included voluntary periods of solitary isolation, time with a "soul-friend" (spiritual direction), time in small groups in a monastic setting, participation in the common life such as meals and prayers, and an environment where people were seeing ministry all around them. These were vibrant, rich faith communities, where learning, art, poetry, and storytelling were all valued.  Hunter also notes how important hospitality was in the Celtic monastic community. Celtic communities were welcoming ones. Within many of the monasteries, a place was always set for a guests and seekers who come to the community.

The sharing of one's faith is important and needs to be done tactfully. As the Christian Church huddles, and reviews its standing in the world, it would be wise to look to lessons of the past, and learn how one church, the Celtic church,  took new and bold steps centuries ago. For instance, there are several clear "takeaways" people can apply to their own churches. In true Celtic fashion, how welcoming is your church to newcomers and strangers? And second, if you have congregations with different ethnic backgrounds, what is being done to help understand their culture? If you're looking for a blueprint on how "to do" church in our own day, you'll find The Celtic Way of Evangelism worthwhile to read.

Scotland: theological center of Great Britain

Several days ago, an earthquake of sorts rumbled through the theological world. The announcement came that the current Bishop of Durham, N.T. Wright would be stepping down, and taking a position at St. Mary's College, the Divinity college, at the University of St. Andrews. What a coup for the most ancient of Scottish Universities, and St. Andrews, the ecclesiastical capital of Scotland!

N.T. Wright is arguable one of the greatest New Testament scholars in the world, and has written voluminously. He was written a series of commentaries on the New Testament, (bringing William Barkley's commentaries upto date), and a number of provocative theological works, beginning with The New Testament And The People Of God (1992) and several other volumes. A more general work, Simply Christian (2006), is considered by many to be a classic along the line of C. S. Lewis's Mere Christianity (1952). For more about N.T. Wright, check out the N.T. Wright page linked here. Beware, you could be at this site for weeks, as it contains lecutes, videos, podcasts, and reviews.

What a great moment for theological studies in Scotland, and for those of us who are interested in Celtic things! Wright follows a long line of great New Testament scholars from Scotland including James Dunn, Andrew Black, and I. Howard Marshall. And of course, I cannot omit a reference to my old professor of New Testament, the late J.C. O'Neill, a most humble and distinguished man. He possessed the gift of story telling, and I'll never forget one remark he made. He stated that "theology was conceived in Germany, corrupted in America, and corrected in Scotland."

Amazing to think that in such a small country as Scotland (as compared to us big boys in the States) has at least four nioteworthy theological colleges at Aberdeen, Edinburgh, Glasgow, and St. Andrews. This certainly bodes well for the Church of Scotland, the Scottish Episcopal Church, and current and future students. Indeed with this news, I am sure that many letters for admission are now being sent to St. Mary's (pictured above) on South Street in St. Andrews.

Mental Health Ministries

If you've never heard of NAMI, the National Alliance of Mental Illness, it's an agency worth learning something about. Much of what I know about NAMI comes from my work, and of their strong emphasis on peer led groups and services. NAMI, which is a national group, also has a part which is trying to work more closely with clergy and churches. That subsection of NAMI is called Faithnet.

What a wonderful opportunity and work for churches to get involved with! The national statistics on mental illness are staggering, and indicate that as much as a quarter of the population will experience some kind of mental illness in their lifetime. This would include illnesses such as depression, anxiety, schizophrenic, bipolar disorder, and PTSD, just to name a few.  

Several churches throughout the country are forming ministries for people with mental illnesses. In some cases, these ministries are places were people would come and receive helpful information, spiritual direction, as well as finding support. This is exciting. This is needed. This is what ministry is all about. Reaching out to others in need and trying to help them along the parth to mental health recovery. If you're interested in learning more you can contact either NAMI directly, or feel free to email me.

How can monks marry?

Oftentime people are confused when they learn that I am a Christian priest who is also married. "How can this be?" says the puzzled look on their face. And yet you could say the very same thing regarding this blog. "How can a monk be married?"

Good questions. The explanation to these questions is really quite simple. Celtic monasticism (and Christianity for that matter) was quite a different "brand" than that of the Roman kind. See my earlier blog entitled "Culture Clash" for a longer discussion. Remember that much of Ireland was influenced by the monks of the Eastern desert, particularly the writings of John Cassian. When this "brand" of the faith, returned to Ireland, it blended into with other local cultural understandings and ways of doing things, just as it has whereever it is taken, and that is not necessarily a bad thing.

We also need to thing differently when we hear the word "monastery". The Celtic notion of "monastery" was worlds different than the typical medieval monastery which existed in Europe. Unlike Latin Christianity, which often had a large stone monastery, and a huge church with flying buttresses and cloisters, the Celts had nothing of the kind. A monastery to them, was something like a monastic village. The village, or small town would be enwalled, a wall on a lesser scale than say St. Andrews, or York. Inside the walls, there would be huts, wooden buildings, and of course clochans, those stone beehive huts famously linked with Celtic Christianity.  And quite cleverly, the Celts built these small communities in strategic places, so that they could also be places of influence, and be places for strangers, seekers, and passerbys to go. Monasteries open to the public-sounds Celtic to me!

As you can expect, the Celtic understanding of religious orders was also different and at odds with Latin Chrisitianity. And perhaps it was this which really jazzed the Latin church, so much that it would send over St. Augustine to basically clean house. For most of Christendom, religious orders consisted of deacon, priest, and Bishop, with the Bishop top dog. This was not the case in Eire. There, the abbot (there's that monastic influence again) was number one, and the Bishop was often relegated to evangelical duties. Perhaps due to the close knit communities and tribes and clans, these distinctions may have seemed artificial. Anyway, what resulted was a wider range of religious orders and offices. So here, monks could marry, clergy could marry, and women such as Brigit could be Bishops, over a thousand years before the rest of Christendom ever began seriously considering these issues.

The history of the Christian church of one filled with the  themes of both freedom and structure. I've always like the notion that more is better, and in this case I think that is true. The church today needs to rethink the way it's conceives of clergy and how its trains clergy. A good place to see how things can be different is to look at the example of the early Celtic Church, which was way ahead of it's time.

A Celtic Church near you!

There are many different branches of the Celtic Church throughout the world. Just try Goggling Celtic Church and see how many entries there are! It's amazing, and evidence that people from all over the world are attracted to Celtic Christianity and Spirituality.

One person, Fr. Mike, has nobly begun the effort to try to create an online directory of Celtic Churches. No easy task as there are several Celtic denominations. In addition, we  Celts have always been the wandering type, so this task is probably the equivalent of trying to heard cats. The list is just forming, and its quite fascinating to see there are churches as far away as Brazil and South East Asia, and as close as California, Washington State, West Virginia, Minnesota and Kentucky. Here's the link here and feel free to add your church or denomination.