Abstract
Perigrinatio, the Latin term for pilgrimage was at the heart of the medieval Celtic church, but was this was understood and practised not only as a journey to a shrine, but more broadly as a spiritual journey, which could lead to an isolated hermitage or peripatetic evangelistic mission. In this paper, we outline the beliefs and practices of the broad assemblage known as the Celtic church, particularly the interleaving of pilgrimage, asceticism and landscape poetics, and how these have informed continued and renewed pilgrimage practices to sites of the early Celtic church by particular denominations, ecumenical groups and those interested in broader spiritualities. These sacred mobilities are explored through vignettes of embodied-emotional-spiritual practices situated in the landscapes and faith communities of Lough Derg, Ireland and the Isle of Man. They share geographical marginality, a focus on multiple Celtic saints and an enduring belief in the immanence of God, expressed through embodied spiritual practice in the landscape. However, they differ widely in matters of institutionalised structure, regulation, discursive scripting and gendered hierarchy, reflecting situated and denominational preferences for the ascetic and aesthetic spiritual legacies of the medieval Celtic church.
Highlights
We address pilgrimage as a form of sacred mobility (Coleman & Eade, 2004; Maddrell, 2011, 2013; Maddrell & della Dora, 2013; Maddrell, Terry, & Gale, 2015) within a regional historical geography of the medieval Celtic church and its continued influence today
In response, there have been calls for Christian Churches to develop liturgies and forms of worship that incorporate Celtic themes while bringing them in ‘the mainstream of the Christian tradition’(O’Loughlin, 2000, p. 35). Both case studies align with this latter sentiment as they feature Celtic elements which have been interwoven with denominational discourses, practices and priorities. Elements of these hybridities are evident in contemporary Irish pilgrimage, with many of the Christian sites being dedicated to Celtic saints, with practices often centring on natural features, such as wells, rocks and trees (Nolan, 1983)
What is seen as ‘Celtic’ theology coupled with the practice of outdoor worship is seen to offer spiritual inspiration to believers, whilst its poetics, embodied and non-denominational practices are attractive to those on the fringes or outside the church; as one Praying the Keeills (PTK) leader put it: ‘it is touching a nerve in modern society’
Summary
We outline the beliefs and practices of the broad assemblage known as the Celtic church, the interleaving of pilgrimage, asceticism and landscape poetics, and how these have informed continued and renewed pilgrimage practices to sites of the early Celtic church by particular denominations, ecumenical groups and those interested in broader spiritualities These sacred mobilities are explored through vignettes of embodied-emotionalspiritual practices situated in the landscapes and faith communities of Lough Derg, Ireland and the Isle of Man. These sacred mobilities are explored through vignettes of embodied-emotionalspiritual practices situated in the landscapes and faith communities of Lough Derg, Ireland and the Isle of Man They share geographical marginality, a focus on multiple Celtic saints and an enduring belief in the immanence of God, expressed through embodied spiritual practice in the landscape.
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