Celtic Spirituality and the Christian Tradition 

A Weekend Workshop led by Marcus Losack

The St. James Center for Spiritual Formation is pleased to announce a weekend workship on Celtic Spirituality and the Christian Tradition, led by acclaimed theologian and pilgrimage leader, Marcus Losack on Friday, April 12 and Saturday, April 13. The program is held in the Ministries Center of St. James Episcopal Church, 208 N. Fourth Street at Florida Street.

Friday evening’s program opens at 6:30 for registration, with the program running from 7:00 until 8:30 p.m., the topic being The Bible, the Desert, and Celtic Spirituality.

Saturday registration begins at 8:30 a.m. The first session, 9:00 - 10:30 a.m., is St. Patrick and the Celtic Tradition, followed from 10:45 a.m. - 12:15 p.m. by Pilgrimage and the Christian Tradition.

Advance registration is encouraged and available online, here. The Friday evening program is $20; the Saturday program, $30; or, register for the entire series for $45.

Marcus Losack is a graduate of Christ’s College, Cambridge and the Irish School of Ecumenics, Trinity College, Dublin. He studied at Salisbury and Wells Theological College (Sarum College) and worked for some time as an ordained Anglican priest, serving in parishes in Ireland, the U.K. and North Africa.

Marcus was appointed as Senior Lecturer and Course Director at St George’s College, Jerusalem, responsible for leading visits to the ancient desert monasteries of Egypt and Sinai and other sacred and historic places in the Lands of the Bible. Returning to Ireland, he was a founder and the Executive Director of Céile Dé, an ecumenical organization that specializes in the development of study programs and pilgrimages in Celtic Spirituality.

Céile Dé, Gaelic for “together with God,” is the name of an eighth-century spiritual reform movement in Ireland which sought a return to the teachings of Christianity as exemplified by the Desert Mothers and Fathers in Egypt. The movement flowered in Western Europe through the conduit of St Martin of Tours, the writings of John Cassian, and the lives of the Celtic Saints.

Losack has recently published two significant new books on Saint Patrick, following four years extensive reading and research which combine a scholarly, historical enquiry with story-telling genius. His St. Patrick: A New Theory of Origins, also captures a sense of St. Patrick’s deep, personal spirituality and the true inspiration behind his great legacy. The reader is invited to embark on a sacred quest, entering a labyrinth of legend and tradition and share in the adventure of an exciting historical discovery:

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Recommended Readings:

Rescheduling, check back soon!   PRACTICING CONTEMPLATION AND FACING PARADOX

The third in the series by Fr. Richard Rohr, who will ask and examine such questions as, “Could contemplation be described as an ability to hold and absorb seeming contradiction? Is paradoxical thinking at the heart of faith?” Fr. Richard thinks so, and will illustrate why and how.
Fr. Richard Rohr, presenter via web cast