Very slowly and gently I am gradually finding the confidence to share something of the idea of St. Columba House Community with friends and acquaintances old and new. I have been humbled by the reflective quality of the responses we are already receiving and I am hopeful that over time those who become interested in helping us realise the vision, will reflect in response to blogs here too. The more we share ... the more things can evolve.
Just today I heard from a dear friend who has received the various discussion papers and not only found it in his heart to affirm us in our dream, but will help us think further. These things are huge encouragements.
On Tuesday we will explore another possible site for setting up community. We feel this will probably be for discussion purposes rather than a falling in love moment - but stranger things have happened!
I will post information about the actual place when we have viewed. It's an interesting prospect; a manse and an adjacent redundant kirk. Not much land and in an area we don't know well - Aberdeenshire. But it is near Turiff. Turiff is an interesting place because St. Columba founded a monastery there! Where we stay just now we have named St. Columba House because we have settled just a few hundred yards from the original site of St. Columba Chapel which was founded by St. Columba when he landed on these shores to evangelise the locals. Maintaining that sense of connected journey does appeal to me, I must admit.
Once we have viewed this property (and assuming we aren't immediately upping sticks) then I must and will stop looking for properties for a bit. In my heart I feel I need to begin a process of exploring what community means for each of the people who care enough to engage with this project. What's community mean if you are a visitor for a few days each year at The Sanctuary for retreat? What do we need to hold and continue? How important is the view? The sense of privacy and space? I am already aware that if we are to set up a community which has a permanent group who live together - we will, almost certainly, have to curtail our work with people who need solitude and absolute privacy and discretion. I suppose this may still be possible if we could create a Hermitage in woodland and agree that no one enquires about whose there - but in reality that's a lot to ask and it amounts to pseudo privacy rather than actual solitude.
I wonder too what community means if you are for example, considering a change of life direction? If you are single? Have a family? Long to belong or have had bad experiences of Church or community in the past? If you are in your teens?
For me I think community is a mixture of things. I love the sense of belonging and purpose that comes with a shared life of prayer/meditation, study/creative work and service. I like the overt challenge of finding ways to work through difference; celebrate others joys and my own; dance and find silence. Show my vulnerabilities and risk they will be loved and accepted - or at least endured and tolerated.
I love the vision of people coming on retreat into a community which is unostentatious, genuine and comfortable with itself - despite the inevitable differences and perhaps, tensions. I like the reality of this; the transparency and authenticity. You can't fake it in community. You have to learn to be you - all the way through - and that is so much of what I believe the spiritual pilgrimage is about too.
My own experience has been that there is also a certain edginess in community living - and this can be used to sgnificant effect as a crucible in which ideas, visions and actions are 'tested' and I am held accountable. I warm to the idea of a community that has an open heart to the needs of the world. I would love to work with others who have a passion for social justice and are concerned about issues of equality and inclusiveness. I can imagine a time when churches, schools and other spiritual communities would be using materials we had created out of the fusion of the experience of being the St. Columba House Community.
Communities that interest me:
Iona,
Little Gidding,
The Potter's House, Washington DC
Findhorn
Mmmm so much to reflect upon.
Jubilate Deo!
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