Last evening I was invited to participate in the weekly Celtic Mass offered at Saint Paul's, Savannah. (Officially it's the Church of Saint Paul the Apostle, but it will always be St. Paul's to me). Anyway - Fr Liam Collins and some dedicated lay persons are the inspiration for this offering, which blends Celtic Spirituality with the beauty of the Prayer Book Liturgy.
We had almost 40 folks, and I was told that there are usually quite a few more. it is a diverse and eclectic group, which I found refreshing. I could only imagine the stories each person brought to the gathering. Celtic spirituality focuses on seeing God in the natural world around us (not in the sense of animism, but of the pervasiveness of God's love as exhibited in all of creation). it is marked by music - from the hymnal and from other sources with an obvious Celtic (Irish, Welsh Scottish and to an extent, English) flavor - think Spiritual pub songs(just kidding). There are lots of moments of silence which in this context was not awkward at all, as silence can often be.
It was good to be at Saint Paul's. A lot of my formation took place there and I was ordained Deacon and Priest (16 years apart) there. My old friends Omelia and Marsha and Sam were there so that was an added bonus. The scent of incense used often and well, is part of the ambiance of the place. It is a Holy Space - as the Celts would call it "a thin place" where heaven and earth are separated by only the thinnest and sheerest of curtains. Hope I get asked to participate again.
If you are looking for a different experience of liturgy and spirituality give the Celtic Mass a try: 6:30 pm every Sunday at Church of Saint Paul the Apostle, 34th and Abercorn Streets. (I would of course love to see you Sunday mornings at 9:30 am, at St George's Episcopal Church, White Bluff at Willow Road in Savannah).
No comments:
Post a Comment