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'Group Meeting Friday May 7th 1999' Irish High Crosses Bowthorpe Worship Centre click on cross to enlarge On May 7th 1999 the Group welcomed the Rev. Peter Paine, Rector of Martham, Norfolk, to speak about the significance of Irish High Crosses. Peter used a series of slides, taken during a sabbatical visit to Ireland, to illustrate his talk. He explained that the idea of having a cross outside early Christian churches and monasteries came from Jerusalem where Christians gathered for a "Celebration of Light" each evening in front of the Crux Gemmata (Jewelled Cross) outside the Church of the Resurrection. The High Crosses were used for devotional services in early Christian Ireland and their structure represents Christ's death and resurrection. The stepped base refers to Golgotha, the capstone (or house) at the top is linked to the shrine marking the Place of the Resurrection in Jerusalem, the bosses (or knobs) imitate the jewels on the Crux Gemmata and the ring represents the glory or halo around Christ on the cross. Peter showed us details of the abstract decoration on the early sandstone crosses which later gave way to scriptural panels. We were shown slides of High Crosses at Castledermot, Moone, Kells and the two Monasterboice crosses. We were able to identify a sequence of biblical subjects on the panels of the crosses - Noah's Ark, the sacrifice of Isaac, Daniel in the lions' den, the three children in the fiery furnace etc - all of which represent God's help to the Faithful. The scenes from the Life of St Anthony, who was the first hermit of the Egyptian desert and the patron of monastic life, show us that the monastic life is a way of following Jesus. The biblical scenes also illustrate the concordance between Old Testament scenes as a type or forerunner of the New. Peter concluded his informative talk by asking us :- What are relevant Christian images for today? Which scenes would we select from Christ's life? What Christian theme speaks most clearly to today's rootless society? Which modern saints would best represent the Christian life as we see it lived in today's world? After the talk, the group shared a Eucharist on the theme of the Resurrection using music from Iona and Taize. During the service, Peter blessed a goblet which was made to commemorate the 1300th anniversary of the Lindisfarne Gospels. After a shared lunch, the meeting concluded with the sharing of news and a time of prayer. The cross illustrated above is the Cross of Muiredach at Monasterboice in Co Louth. Muiredach was a 9th Century Abbott of the Monastery of Monasterboice. The illustration comes from the bookbook THE CELTIC IMAGE, by Courtney Davis and David James (Blandford Press 1996, reprinted p/b 1997). It is believed that the high crosses were originally painted in bright colours, similar to those used in the great Gospels. Courtney has depicted the fine detail and imagery which is still to be seen in the now bare stonework of the cross and has added to it his own rendering of colours. If the crosses were originally painted, they would have been truly wonderful to behold. [return to top]

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'Group Meeting, Saturday 9th October 1999' The Desert Fathers and Mothers, and St. Fursey Bowthorpe Worship Centre On October 9th 1999, the Group welcomed Stephen Weston, a reader in the Orthodox Church, to talk about the Desert Fathers and Mothers and about St Fursey, who founded a monastery within the Roman Fort of Burgh Castle in Norfolk. Stephen spoke about the meaning of the desert in the scriptures and the Christian tradition, as a place of encounter with God, exemplified by Elijah, John the Baptist and Jesus Himself. Three texts were used to illustrate the refining and purifying nature of the desert encounter:- "What must I do to inherit eternal life?" "Repent, for the Kingdom of God is at hand" "Pray without ceasing". One important feature of the spirituality of the Desert Fathers was the use of the psalter in the daily offices and this was also true of the Celtic Church. Stephen described the visit of St Anthony (considered to be the founder of the Desert Fathers) to the cave of St Paul the Hermit. St Anthony was moderate in his advice and had great spiritual wisdom: "Our life and death are one with our neighbour". We were also told of the encounter in the desert between the monk Zossima and St Mary of Egypt, a prostitute who prayed for forgiveness and was able to enter the church. This story confronts us with a judgement on judgement and a lesson in repentance and humility. Stephen explained that the word "humility" comes from humus, meaning "touching the earth" and this is why, in the Orthodox Church, the people and priest make the sign of the cross and touch the ground before an icon. An outline of the history of the Celtic Church illustrated the unity and orthodoxy of the Celtic Church with the rest of Christendom. Stephen mentioned Caedmon's translation of the scriptures into Early English blank verse so that people could read them. The final part of the talk was devoted to St Fursey, who established a monastery at Burgh Castle in 633 AD. St Fursey came from a noble Irish family and his purpose was to spend his life as a pilgrim for the love of God. He was a visionary and in a vision God directed him to continue his ministry with great zeal. The vision included struggles with evil spirits and teaching from the angels and saints about the Kingdom of Heaven. The morning concluded with the Midday Office of the Sixth Hour which included a Troparion of St Fursey, some psalms and a sung Kontakion of St Fursey. After a shared lunch, the Group enjoyed a time of prayer and exchange of news. Jane Jones Kontakion of St Fursey Thou didst' need the walls of stone to defend the Faith against its pagan enemies, O Father Fursey, but pray for us that we may have a spiritual wall around us, to defend the faith against its enemies. Following thee and praising thy eternal memory, we stand firm against every error, ever singing, Rejoice, beloved of God, our Father Fursey. Stephen Weston is a Reader in the Antiochian Orthodox Church and founder of the 'St Fursey's Orthodox Christian Study Centre' in Sutton, Norfolk. [return to top]

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'Group Meeting May 2000' St Columba Bowthorpe Worship Centre On 12th May 2000, fifteen members and friends met at Bowthorpe, Norwich to hear a talk on St Columba. The talk was given by the Rev Peter Paine, vicar of Martham, Norfolk, and was based on an account of the life of St Columba by Ian Bradley, author of the book "St Columba - Pilgrim and Penitent". The contrasting sides to Columba's personality were emphasised; quick-tempered but gentle, statesman yet humble - an ambiguous and intensely human character. In the same way, the Irish monasticism which shaped St. Columba's life was a contrast between intense activity and quiet reflection following the example of Jesus in His ministry. After spending about forty years in Ireland, Columba went to Iona where he spent the rest of his life apart from visits to the mainland to forge links with kings and to establish monasteries. He presided over groups of monasteries known as familia, seeking justice, humility and mercy and Adomnan, his biographer, recalls Columba's life of austerity. Columba had a special gift of reconciling people to themselves and to others and there was a community for penitence on the island of Tiree. Peter read us Adomnan's moving account of Columba's death after which the group discussed Columba's message of sanctity and leadership for today. Following a Eucharist on the theme of St Columba, using the liturgy from Celtic Worship Through the Year' and songs from the Iona Community, there was a shared lunch and a time of prayer. Jane Jones [return to top]

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