The Iona Community Members, Associate Members, Friends, and supporters celebrated the life of St Columba with an urban festival and a public lecture in June.
Each 9th June, we remember the Irish monk who built his first Celtic church on the island of Iona. We were delighted to take the opportunity of this remembering to recommit ourselves to the work of the community.
Ruth Harvey said: “This is a special weekend in the life of the Community. It is a moment when we consider Columba as well as those who continue to work together for justice and peace, the rebuilding of community and the renewal of worship in Scotland and around the world”.
BBC Radio 3 broadcast the breakfast programme from Fionnphort beach. The programme included The Treasure, a track by John L Bell performed by the Macappella Ceilidh Band and the Wild Goose Collective on the album “I Will Not Sing Alone”. You can listen to the programme on BBC Sounds.
The Iona Community Lecture, held at the University of Glasgow Chapel, was led by Professor Alison Phipps, Member of the Iona Community and UNESCO Chair in Refugee Integration through Languages and the Arts (RILA). Pinar Aksu and Dr Hyab Yohannes also contributed to the lecture, discussing the importance of global voices to themes of climate justice, hospitality, faith and the integration of the whole of life. The lecture is available to rewatch here.
The Wild Goose Resource Group hosted ColumbaFest at Govan and Linthouse Parish Church in Glasgow. The programme included a Wee Sing led by Iain McLarty, a Govan pilgrimage led by Kathy Galloway and a crafting session led by Anna Fisk. Lively, intergenerational panel discussions about mission were thought-provoking and inspirational. We are so grateful to our contributors: Zee Anderson, Bryan Evans, William Gibson, Ruth Harvey, John Harvey, Sarah Hobbs, Christian MacLean, and Rachel Weiss. If you missed it this year, we look forward to welcoming you in 2023!
