2010: SUMMER UPDATE
The Lord greatly blessed our 2009 venture, and this, together with the positive welcome received from the other Iona Christian Communities, encouraged Iona Orthodox Retreats to return to Iona this year. In April, the temporary Iona Orthodox Centre opened for 3 weeks; this time 32 pilgrims visited and stayed with us - including three priests and two deacons. The Centre was again based at Clachanach; a spacious and comfortable house with simple accommodation, close to both the Abbey and St. Oran’s Chapel.
It is hoped to open up the Centre once more this year, in September. However, Clachanach (which is privately owned by an island family) is available this Autumn for one week only:
Saturday 25th September to Saturday 2nd October, 2010
AN INVITATION. If you would like to come to Iona this September to make your own Pilgrimage or personal Retreat for this week, you would be welcome to stay at the Iona Orthodox Centre. Please write for further information to:
WORSHIP. The Orthodox Centre offers the opportunity of daily worship:
Orthodox Mattins and Vespers in the 11th century St. Oran’s Chapel, and
Midday Prayers in the Prayer Room at Clachanach.
When a priest is present, Divine Liturgy is also served in St. Oran’s.
Pilgrims will join in with as much or as little of the worship as they wish.
There is also a daily programme of ecumenical worship at the Abbey, and daily services in both the Episcopalian Bishop’s House and at the R.C. Prayer House, Cnoc a Chalmain.
Guests from the Orthodox Centre are made welcome at all of these services.
The Abbey also conducts a mid-week all-day walking tour of Iona.
LIFE-STYLE. The life-style of the Orthodox Centre is simple, as befits pilgrims: breakfast and an evening meal are provided, but guests are asked to make their own lunch arrangements (there are a number of places which provide lunches). All guests are asked to share in simple house chores.
FINANCE. There is no set charge for staying at the Orthodox Centre; please make a donation as the Lord moves you. If you are able to make your donation, or give a deposit, before you come that is especially helpful as the rent of the Centre has to be paid in advance. Please make your cheque payable to Iona Orthodox Retreats, and E-mail us at ionaorthodox@gmail.com for the address to which to mail it so that we can acknowledge your gift.
If anyone wishes to support the Centre anonymously, please pay your gift into
Bank of Scotland, Iona Orthodox Retreats A/c 00204769, Sort Code 80-06-84.
View from Clachanach: Sunrise over Mull
GRATEFUL THANKS for donations this year of £500, £300, £100, £50, £50 and £25 (last one, anonymous) - all from well-wishers unable themselves to come to Iona. These donations enabled Iona Orthodox Retreats to meet the shortfall between Pilgrims’ donations and the running costs of the Orthodox Centre.
HOW YOU CAN HELP THE CENTRE: CHIEFLY, WITH YOUR PRAYERS.
Please support the Iona Orthodox Centre with regular prayer - daily if you can. Any gift you may wish to send will also be greatly appreciated (no gift is too small) - but it is your prayers above all that are needful. Without prayer support the Centre simply could not function. Satan has a vested interest in preventing Orthodoxy returning to this sacred Isle.
Pray that the Lord’s Will may be done on Iona and especially at the Centre:
“Our Father in Heaven, Your Kingdom come, Your Will be done,
as in Heaven, so also on Iona”.
ECUMENISM ON IONA. Last September we developed excellent relationships with Iona’s existing Christian Communities and Churches. Before we left the island I was told that the Iona Inter-denominational Prayer Group were praying for us, that we may be able to establish a permanent Orthodox House on the Isle of Iona. This entirely unsolicited loving act is indeed most heart-warming. A permanent Orthodox Centre on this sacred Island, which in the past has played such an important role in the Christian evangelisation of Britain, would obviously be a great blessing to Orthodoxy world-wide.
THE FUTURE. Two Iona Pilgrims, one Romanian, one English, have approached me this Spring with the same suggestion: that we should now raise money to buy an Orthodox house on Iona. These men do not know each other, and there has been no contact between them. One has also already offered a substantial sum of money. It therefore seems likely that this is God’s plan for Iona at this time.
Metropolitan Kallistos, our Chairman, has now given his blessing to a planned Appeal for this purpose.
Watch this space!
Accommodation is limited to a maximum of 7 guests so please write a.s.a.p.
WORSHIP. The Orthodox Centre offers the opportunity of daily worship:
Orthodox Mattins and Vespers in the 11th century St. Oran’s Chapel, and
Midday Prayers in the Prayer Room at Clachanach.
When a priest is present, Divine Liturgy is also served in St. Oran’s.
Pilgrims will join in with as much or as little of the worship as they wish.
There is also a daily programme of ecumenical worship at the Abbey, and daily services in both the Episcopalian Bishop’s House and at the R.C. Prayer House, Cnoc a Chalmain.
Guests from the Orthodox Centre are made welcome at all of these services.
The Abbey also conducts a mid-week all-day walking tour of Iona.
LIFE-STYLE. The life-style of the Orthodox Centre is simple, as befits pilgrims: breakfast and an evening meal are provided, but guests are asked to make their own lunch arrangements (there are a number of places which provide lunches). All guests are asked to share in simple house chores.
FINANCE. There is no set charge for staying at the Orthodox Centre; please make a donation as the Lord moves you. If you are able to make your donation, or give a deposit, before you come that is especially helpful as the rent of the Centre has to be paid in advance. Please make your cheque payable to Iona Orthodox Retreats, and E-mail us at ionaorthodox@gmail.com for the address to which to mail it so that we can acknowledge your gift.
If anyone wishes to support the Centre anonymously, please pay your gift into
Bank of Scotland, Iona Orthodox Retreats A/c 00204769, Sort Code 80-06-84.
View from Clachanach: Sunrise over Mull
HOW YOU CAN HELP THE CENTRE: CHIEFLY, WITH YOUR PRAYERS.
Please support the Iona Orthodox Centre with regular prayer - daily if you can. Any gift you may wish to send will also be greatly appreciated (no gift is too small) - but it is your prayers above all that are needful. Without prayer support the Centre simply could not function. Satan has a vested interest in preventing Orthodoxy returning to this sacred Isle.
Pray that the Lord’s Will may be done on Iona and especially at the Centre:
“Our Father in Heaven, Your Kingdom come, Your Will be done,
as in Heaven, so also on Iona”.
ECUMENISM ON IONA. Last September we developed excellent relationships with Iona’s existing Christian Communities and Churches. Before we left the island I was told that the Iona Inter-denominational Prayer Group were praying for us, that we may be able to establish a permanent Orthodox House on the Isle of Iona. This entirely unsolicited loving act is indeed most heart-warming. A permanent Orthodox Centre on this sacred Island, which in the past has played such an important role in the Christian evangelisation of Britain, would obviously be a great blessing to Orthodoxy world-wide.
THE FUTURE. Two Iona Pilgrims, one Romanian, one English, have approached me this Spring with the same suggestion: that we should now raise money to buy an Orthodox house on Iona. These men do not know each other, and there has been no contact between them. One has also already offered a substantial sum of money. It therefore seems likely that this is God’s plan for Iona at this time.
Metropolitan Kallistos, our Chairman, has now given his blessing to a planned Appeal for this purpose.
Watch this space!
GLORY TO GOD