May you be blessed as you browse in these halls,
may the Blessing walk with you as you leave
may the Spirit dwell with you,
the Trinity of love embue you and enfold you,
each morning and evening of your life
each morning and evening of your life.

The Celtic gift of prayer

The great resurgence of Celtic spirituality has already given much to Christian life. Historically speaking, it is probably not too much to claim that the Celtic Church brought literacy to Europe, now, we are finding that the resources of Celtic Prayer, especially the Carmina Gadelica, are showing us, not only a new way of seeing the world in which we live, but also how to pray from moment to moment, unceasingly.

Among the most precious gifts the Celtic style of prayer can offer us is a sense of, first, our own center, then our environment, and Our Lord's connection with every part of our being, and the being who surrounds us. Secondly, we are discovering how to touch the earth on which we were born, with love and reverence as well as with sweat and tears. Here is a way to live spiritually and remain grounded and practical.

Celtic Prayer is about living and complete relationship. It is designed so that our mind and our feelings should follow the direction within the prayers, and that we should feel our connectedness with the innermost being and graces which our soul, and our minds touch through those words.

Some of the prayers on these pages were written within the last decade, some of them are ancient. I have lost touch with some of those who wrote the new ones, and this makes me sad, for I would like permission to use them in the new Breviary we are currently putting together for our community. It is not too much to say that the Celtic Spirit has always permeated the prayer life of Christians, it is profoundly incarnational. It has also permeated and transformed my own way of life, since I began to pay attention to it. I believe that this Perfect Spirit is once more enriching the whole Communion of the Followers of the way.

This Part of Sanctuary is best viewed using stonehenge.ttf which you may download here and choose to install