Celtic Religious Communities and Christianity

The Celts, particularly the Irish, are well-known for being a Christian people. What a lot of people are unaware of is the unique, monastically-influenced communities that thrived in Ireland during the days of early Christianity there. Celtic monastic communities brought a lot to these early Christians and influenced Irish Christianity for the better.

Early Celtic Christianity owes much to the beliefs of Eastern Orthodox Christians. While much of Europe was following a Benedictine-influenced, Western theology, Celtic Christians shared much of the same theology as the Egyptian Desert Fathers. Monasticism initially began in the Middle East, and was spread to Gaul. Christianity in Gaul soon influenced Britain and Ireland (Christianity would spread to Scotland later). The Celtic saints placed much of an emphasis on personal holiness, which has remained an influence in Irish religious life to this day. The Celts were historically considered to be a spiritual people, regardless of whether pagan or Christian. The biggest difference between early Celtic Christians and much of Western Christianity at the time was the Celts' holistic view of the physical and spiritual world. There was no reviling of the physical world for the Celtic Christians! This innate spirituality helped prepare the peoples' minds and hearts for the coming of Christianity.

George G. Hunter's "The Celtic Way of Evangelism: How Christianity Can Reach the West-Again" covers the life of early Celtic communities quite extensively. From this book, we learn that Celtic religious communities were different from more modern communities that have tended to be cloistered. Hunter describes a full community made up not just of clergy and religious, but also families who worked and prayed together. Much like the early Middle Eastern communities, these religious communities may have provided a safe haven from an often violent world. Like the Church in the apostolic era, Christians who were clergy and lay, married and celibate, came together for the common cause of the Gospel.

Many will be surprised to learn that the ancient Celtic Christian communities have modern counterparts. Probably the most well-known is the Iona Community, founded by George MacLeod in 1938. The isle of Iona was the sixth-century home of St. Columba, evangelist to Scotland. The modern Iona Community's members profess a Rule of life that includes Bible reading, prayer, mutual accountability of use of resources, and work for peace and justice, according to their website. They also maintain a shop that sells books, music, and crafts online.

The Northumbria Community also follows early Celtic spirituality. Like the Iona Community, they include Christians from various backgrounds. This community had its beginnings in the 1970's and 80's, with the current mother house in use from 1992, according to the website. They're also beginning to have a presence in the United States as well. One of the features the community uses to reach out to others is a daily prayer page including offices for morning, noon, evening, and compline prayers.

Another group that isn't necessarily Celtic, but follows a way of life similar to that of the Celtic Christian Communities, is Community of Celebration. In addition to Community members, they also have a number of Companions. Originally founded in Houston in the 1960's, several of the community's members lived in Scotland together for several years. This was chronicled in the book, "The Wind at the Door" by Maggie Duran. They not only worshiped together, but also worked within the larger local community. Their website has much information about their current ministry projects and information on joining.
If communities similar to the ancient Celtic Christian communities were more common today, this would empower both the Church and the local communities. Not only would members of the community and their friends be drawn closer together through prayer, but non-members could also benefit. If a community not only provided worship opportunities, but a way to work and possibly a place to live, this might help eliminate poverty. While religious communes have often failed because of their socialist nature, a community modeled on Celtic Christian religious communities could be a viable solution.
The recent interest in Celtic Christianity will probably also bring about a renewed interest in religious communities as well. Hopefully they will change the face of Christianity for the better as they did in earlier times.