The Spirituality Of The Celtic Saints

The inspired wisdom of the saints and scholar who made the Celtic lands a lamp of learning and holiness.

Let the lives and the wisdom of the Celtic saints teach you to pray. An excellent resource for individuals or groups who want to learn from the masters.

They may be coated in layers of myth and pious anecdote but dig deep enough and the pioneering leaders of Celtic Christianity are revealed as reassuringly human individuals, responding to their faith by deliberately living on the edges of society. From the goddess-nun Brigid and absent-minded Cainnech to severe ascetics such as Columbanus and Baldred, together they demonstrate a close connection with the natural world, an astonishing self-discipline and, above all, a rigorous commitment to what it meant to be 'pilgrims for Christ'. Establishing a network of influential monastic communities, they travelled from the territories of the Atlantic seaboard – Ireland, Wales and Cornwall – across Scotland, the north of England and deep into continental Europe, transforming the religious experience of all they encountered.

Faithfully presenting the lives and legacies of twenty-eight Celtic saints of the sixth to ninth centuries in this newly revised and expanded book, Sellner reveals their wisdom in a way that can be understood and appreciated by contemporary readers. With background material on the Celtic Church, the characteristics of its spirituality, the symbolism in the stories, and the roles of soul friends, readers will reap a rich harvest for their own spiritual growth. The stories recounted range from the well-known saints, like Patrick, Brendan, Columcille, and Brigit, to those less likely to be familiar--Monesan, Ita, Samthann, and Declan. Vivid portrait-illustrations by Susan McLean-Keeney add to the prayerful beauty of the book. Readers will appreciate both the abiding truths the stories contain as well as enjoy these good stories, well told. In Europe, the author is considered a pioneer in writings on Celtic spirituality and soul-friendship, and in the United States, "one of their primary interpreters."

The Celtic Christians beheld the world around them and perceived the divine life of God as upholding every aspect of the material universe. Their prayers and poems, their liturgies and theological interpretations give Christians a sense of faith that is confident in a merciful and infinitely creative, healing God.

This volume offers translations of numerous texts from the Celtic tradition from the 6th through the 13th centuries, in a cross-section of genres and forms.

Celtic spirituality is the "forgotten faith" of the West. It is essentially joyful and holistic and holds together the two human faculties of reason and intuition, taking joy in the beauty of the created world. The Celtic saints were intuitives whose feet were very firmly planted on the ground. It is their equilibrium as human beings that gives much of their appeal, and in this, as in the holiness their lives display, they are Christlike. This book by Anglican cleric Anthony Duncan examines the lives of the Celtic saints in the context of their time, along with the sacred places in the landscape that have become associated with them.

Cutting through the mists of Celtic myth, this historical account introduces the saints to us as real men and women in pursuit of holiness. The Celtic period began in 435 and ended in 715; this work tells the stories of the various branches of the Celtic church in this period.