In the season of Epiphany we are experimenting with a new time and a new name for our Celtic service. This remains an intimate, casual service with songs, readings, prayer, scripture reflection, and Holy Communion. If you’re looking for something like a house church, this might be the service for you, or if you’ve simply missed church on Sunday morning and want to a space to refresh and recharge, consider joining us. We welcome all and hope you come as you are. Meets in the Guild Room.
What to expect
This service is emerging from and being developed by our Celtic Spirituality Community. Celtic-themed worship services at All Saints Parish is a long-standing tradition. The worship is intimate and draws from texts and music from Ireland, Scotland, Wales, and other Celtic lands. Music from the American Diaspora (such as that from Appalachia) is also sprinkled in and the format of our services is relaxed, participatory, and inclusive.
Celtic Spirituality emphasizes a love of nature and a passion for the wild and elemental. Celtic art and a love of stories which often predate the spread of Christianity are a respected and cherished element of our community. Our worship is theologically orthodox, with heavy emphasis on the Trinity, an appreciation for the feminine aspect of the Creator, the Incarnation of Christ, and the indwelling of the Holy Spirit.
Pilgrimage was a Celtic Christian tradition that in many ways kept Christianity alive. Many of our members continue this tradition by pilgrimages to Scotland and Ireland, and enrich our worship by sharing the history and music of the current Celtic centers such as Iona and Lindisfarne.
Celtic Christianity talks of a Thin Place, the place where the spiritual and the secular meet. All Saints is a place where many experience this. For more on Celtic Spirituality recommended authors are J. Philip Newell, John O’Donohue, and Esther De Waal. Selected works on Celtic Spirituality are available in our parish library.