Celtic Distinctions in Service and Practice
On a worldwide scale, there is no official Celtic Church although there are small national or local organizations that are organized to promote or "be" the Celtic Church. Because some of the Celtic forms of church and practice were often seen as wrong or wayward by the Roman Catholic Church, Celtic practices and perspectives were largely condemned and survived for many centuries only in subtle or hidden ways beyond the edges of the Roman empire (mainly Ireland and parts of Scotland, England, Wales, and some smaller regions). During those many centuries there was no official manifestation of the Celtic Church, therefore it is not possible to speak of a specific Celtic Church service in the same way that we can ask what is an Episcopalian service for example.
However in the last 100 years or more, we are waking up to the great contributions of the Celts as a whole culture and specifically as a way of understanding spirituality, faith, practice, and Christian perspective. Christians in the Celtic regions continued their church practices over the centuries and millennia, but those practices were heavily influenced by the Roman church and therefore have a similar feel to Roman and Anglican liturgy. However, in the spoken prayers and structure of the practices, it is easy to discern the unique Celtic perspective that celebrates the dignity of each person, the call to remember who we are, an enjoyment of life of union with God in the present, and encouragement to love others and the Earth as acts of spiritual practice.
Instead of focusing on a Celtic tradition in the same way that we would explore the service or worship style of a particular denomination, it is better to consider Celtic perspectives, beliefs, and distinctive practices that can be used in any gathering.
The ancient Christian Celts believed that one way that God is revealed to us is through Nature. They understood the cycles of Nature to be ways of knowing God and understanding our own spiritual lives, and that participating harmoniously with Creation is an act of knowing and loving God. Therefore, Celtic gatherings, whether formal or more casual, may include acts of raising awareness of Nature, cycles of life, lessons from Nature, attuning to wisdom and beauty of all parts of Creation, or calls to care for Earth deliberately and effectively. To borrow the phrase from St. Francis, Celtic practice my include a reverence for Brother Sun and Sister Moon.
Celtic Christians believe that we are dignified by being created in the image of God and that is our starting point in understanding ourselves and our rituals. This differs from the idea that we are sinners who are radically separated from God. Celts believed that we have a tragic habit of forgetting who we really are and thus fall into our self-focused ways that damage our union with God, but that we always have the possibility of returning or remembering our beautiful and authentic place "in Christ". Celtic prayer and practice often calls for awareness of the Creator of Life and Love, gratitude for that Divine Love revealed through Christ, and the call to acknowledge our forgetful hearts and return again and again to our deepest truth of relationship with the Great Spirit.
Poetry and the use of artistically crafted words has always been a part of Celtic culture. Celtic services often include poetry and blessings that allow words to shine brightly as invitations to joy, learning, and as artistic acts of spiritual practice. And of course, Celts love soul-ish music. Gatherings often include music that is distinctive to those Celtic lands as well as the southern Appalachian culture of the United States (which is so very influenced by Celtic heritage). If the music is not uniquely Celtic, it is still designed to invite each soul to awareness of union with God, love of one another, and shared joy in the listening to soul-filled melody.
And finally, Celts believe that the love of God, the heartbeat of Life itself, is to be experienced through each moment by becoming present to the Spirit's presence at all times. As such, many Celtic gatherings include contemplative practice such as deliberate silence and prayerful meditation so as to attune ourselves to the presence of God's Spirit in that "now" moment. In these kinds of practices, we let go of our noisy and ego-centered clatter and allow the Great Spirit to move into our awareness and be greeted deliberately, joyfully, and with gratitude.
As you may know, The Celtic Center offers a monthly Celtic Service which begins on February 2 this year. All are welcome. Join us if you are interested in experiencing these unique contributions to spiritual practice and gathering. The link for more information is below and we would love to have you there.
Kirk Webb
(Director of The Celtic Center)