Celtic Pilgrimage – May 16-26, 2023
Join LTI and the Spiritual Formation for Ministry Leaders GCTS DMin cohort for a pilgrimage to Britain in May of 2023.
Walk in the footsteps and pray in the abbeys of two amazing and inspiring active contemplatives/contemplative activists, the great Celtic saints Columba & Cuthbert, who together re-evangelized post-Christian Britain.
We begin on the way from the airport with a visit to Melrose Abbey on the border of Scotland and England, arriving at our base in Northumbria for the next four days at Minsteracres Retreat Centre, a peaceful place of prayer surrounded by gardens, meadows, and even several stands of redwood trees.
We’ll take a couple of days to settle in with retreat/class for students –with special parallel formational activities for co-pilgrims (spouses &/or soul friends) led by Sue Currie & Ruth Macchia. Then the whole group will travel to Durham for a day to tour the cathedral where the remains of Cuthbert are interred and explore this Medieval city.
We’ll have another day for retreat/class and head off on Sunday to the Holy Island of Lindisfarne for worship in the parish church and experience this place of apartness and prayer, so cherished by Cuthbert. Sunday night we will stay overnight in Stirling and enjoy our own private ceilidh—filled with traditional Scottish music and the opportunity to try Scottish Country Dancing (a lot like square dancing in North America).
From Stirling, we take the long journey over land and sea, with a ferry from Oban on Scotland’s west coast to the island of Mull, then across Mull to another ferry that will deliver us to the centerpiece of our pilgrimage, the remote island of Iona, sacred to Columba and the launching pad for the re-evangelization of Britain. Most visitors to Iona can only stay for an hour or two. We will have the exceptional privilege to spend two nights there, with ample time for extended exploration, reflection, and prayer. We will join the Iona Community, renowned for combining strong commitments to spirituality and justice, for daily prayer, as well as having a private tour of the Abbey, rebuilt by pastors and unemployed workers in the 1930s.
Our final two nights will be in Scotland’s capital, Edinburgh, with our last day together featuring a tour of the Old Town concluded with midday prayer at St Giles Cathedral and our mentor meal in the evening.
Woven through this full schedule will be times for individual and corporate silence and prayer, but also for fun and exploration with plenty of opportunities on your own to enjoy Melrose, Durham, Lindisfarne, Iona, Oban, and Edinburgh.
A more detailed schedule will be provided closer to the pilgrimage. [Participant Info Form]
WHEN: May 16-26, 2023
Arrival: Tuesday, May 16 to either leave Edinburgh town center at 11:00 AM or Edinburgh Airport at 12:00 noon on the bus that will take the group to Melrose Abbey and Minsteracres Retreat Centre.
Note: If anyone misses this bus, it will be complicated and expensive to get to the retreat center.
Departure: Friday, May 26 after breakfast.
Note: The mentor meal will be Thursday, May 25 so students should not book evening flights unless late in the evening.
ACCOMMODATIONS:
Single (limited availability) or Double-Occupancy (double or twin) rooms at: Minsteracres Retreat Centre, Stirling Highland Hotel, St Columba Hotel (Iona) and Jurys Inn (Edinburgh)
Room Options:
- Double (1 bed for married couples). Note that some locations (Minsteracres & St Columba Hotel) may need to substitute twin beds for a double bed.
- Twin (2 beds for married couples or roommates* of the same sex)
- Single (SOLD OUT)
* Roommate can be spouse, another DMin student, or a soul friend
PRICING**:
Double-Occupancy Rooms: $3,450 total
$1,450 deposit due now, $1,000 due Dec. 1, 2022, $1,000 due March 1, 2023*
Single-Occupancy Rooms (SOLD OUT): $3,750 total
$1,750 deposit due now, $1,000 due Dec. 1, 2022, $1,000 due March 1, 2023*
*Second and Third payments of $1,000 each will be automatically charged on Dec. 1, 2022 and March 1, 2023, respectively, to the same credit card used to pay for the initial deposit.
**Pricing includes lodging, transportation on the pilgrimage, entry fees for tours in Durham, Iona, and Edinburgh, and most meals (all but 6 lunches and 1 dinner).
REGISTRATION DEADLINE: March 1, 2023
Have any questions? Contact Rick Anderson with Leadership Transformations, Inc (LTI).
Please fill out the form below to register and secure your spot. Once you have paid your deposit and secured flight and travel arrangements, you will be invited to fill out a second form to complete your registration.
CELTIC PILGRIMAGE INITIAL REGISTRATION FORM
