HAPPY ST. PATRICKS DAY!

Here is a little pastel I did at the Hill of Slane Ireland were St. Patrick challenged the High King and Druids with building a fire. I like it as it is a sweet reminder of that sunny day. John Doan my husband tells the story on the movie we made about the Irish Saints and Music John wrote on the Ancient Pilgrimage sites. Click Here to see. It is interesting how most of the Druid Priest loved the message of Christ coming and fulfilling the need for a sacrifice. They had been sacrificing humans for years and this was great news that the final sacrifice was made once and for all. Christ fulfilled what they were looking for. So these mighty men of scholarship and spirit became the famous Celtic monks of Ireland. There was peace in Ireland for 500 years and many of the them left Ireland and went to places like Iona in Scotland that became University's. They took the gospel throughout France, England, Switzerland, and Italy. St. France's of Assi learned his sweet love of God, animals, women and the earth from these great Irish monks. They had a different take on the Gospel from the Roman Catholic Priests. It was sad that they finally succumbed to a more dominating kind of legalistic type of faith. Christianity would be inriched if their influence was still able to reach out the way these Men and Women of faith did. They were humble and pointed people to Christ rather than to the Church and themselves. They taught intimacy with God as they them self practiced. They rolled up their selves and work along side the people. They married and had women in leadership of Christian community's as well.
My Favorite Celtic Christianity book is called

"The Soul of Celtic Spirituality" by Michael Mitton