Those who are called to serve as deacons or priests are trained and tested within our formation program.  Before beginning the formation program, each candidate must complete the written application, participate in a psychological and vocational assessment, submit several letters of recommendation, have a civil child-abuse clearance and criminal history check, so that both the candidate and the bishops are satisfied that ordained service is where she or he might best serve God and neighbor.  Additionally, each candidate must sign our Statement of Belief, have a spiritual director, and must have a local community, a ministry, or be in the process of growing one. We also require that each candidate be involved with the CCC for at least three years before ordination.

Those seeking incardination are required to fulfill all the above, and have it submitted and accepted before incardination proceeds.  Some of this, such as seminary training, may have been completed in other programs or seminaries and will need to be documented, but what has not been completed must be done within our program.  

The following outlines our complete formation program.  For more information please contact Bishop Cait Finnegan, OMC at BishopCaitFinnegan@gmail.com

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PROGRAM OF FORMATION

FOR

HOLY ORDERS

INTRODUCTION

The ministry of a priest--to serve people in their relationship to God--is a very sensitive and important one, and it must be exercised with all kinds of people, from the uneducated to the highly educated, and in a world that presents all kinds of problems.  Because of that, formation in view of the priesthood is an extremely important activity, and one that demands serious and dedicated work.  The following program of formation is comprehensive enough and serious enough to give candidates a solid preparation for their ministry.

There are three essential aspects to the preparation of a candidate for ordained ministry.  These are spiritual formation, pastoral formation, and academic formation.  Each one, along with its specific requirements, will be described below.

Acceptance into this program as a candidate for Holy Orders is not a promise of ordination, and it does not guarantee that a candidate will be ordained.  Rather it is an admission to a period of discernment and training for this specific Celtic Christian Church.  Selection of a candidate for ordination is solely at the discretion of the candidate’s Bishop, is not subject to appeal, and may include criteria not expressly stated or implied here.

A person must be a committed member of the Celtic Christian Church for at least six months, and get to know and be known by its members and clergy, before applying for admission into the formation program to become a priest with them.

In this program the word “candidate,” unless otherwise specified, applies both to persons seeking ordination and to already ordained persons seeking incardination.  In the case of the latter the requirements will be adapted as needed, but our specific Celtic Studies Track is mandatory regardless of prior theological training.

I.  GENERAL REQUIREMENTS

1.  Clergy Application.    As the first step, a candidate must answer a basic questionnaire and submit the documents requested in the application.  Of particular importance here are the transcripts of any academic work done, since this will be necessary to determine the specific course of study to be followed by any individual candidate.

2.  Criminal-History and Child-Abuse Clearances.    Small independent churches, of which the Celtic Christian Church is one, can be havens for persons with criminal or child-abuse histories.  In order to exercise due diligence in the admission of candidates to Holy Orders and in the incardination of ordained clergy persons, the Celtic Christian Church requires these two clearances (unless they are illegal in the candidate’s home state).  The specifics are given in the Clergy Application.

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3.  Those seeking incardination must provide a thorough history of prior affiliation with any and all bishops and jurisdictions, letters of excardination and contact information for prior bishops.

4.  Psychological Screening.    Each candidate will take a battery of psychological tests to provide his or her Bishop with information on, first, the candidate’s personality, abilities, weak points, and so on, and, second, on real or potential pathology.  The specifics are given in the Clergy Application.  

5.  Yearly Evaluation.    The candidate’s Bishop, with the input of other persons working in the Celtic Christian Church with the candidate, will evaluate him or her at the end of each year in the formation program.  The decision on the advancement or the dismissal of the candidate is the responsibility of his or her Bishop.  If the candidate is dismissed from the program, he or she will be informed of the reasons for this action and will be given full opportunity to discuss it with his or her Bishop.  If the candidate is advanced in the program, the results of the evaluation, including areas in which it is judged that greater effort is needed, will be communicated to the candidate.  If dismissal is due simply to a mis-match with the Celtic Christian Church, this does not imply there a lack of a vocation, but that it would be better lived within another jurisdiction or religious order.

5.  Mass and Sacraments.    Toward the end of the course of formation, the candidate will receive practical training in celebrating Mass and administering the Sacraments.  This training will be the responsibility of the candidate’s Bishop.

II.  SPIRITUAL FORMATION

The priests of the Celtic Christian Church are to be available to people to serve them in their relationship to God, in all the varied and unpredictable circumstances of that relationship.  To be competent to serve in that way, they must themselves be persons of spiritual depth and maturity and growing in their own relationship with God, persons marked by solid emotional maturity and by personal integrity.

In order to foster as much as it can this eminently personal spiritual formation, the Celtic Christian Church has established the following requirements.

1.  Spiritual Director.    Guidance in the spiritual life is essential, if we are to progress in our relationship with God and if we are both to discern his will in our regard and to avoid pitfalls in our spiritual journey.  Hence all of our candidates for ordination are required to have a spiritual director.  This is particularly important for a person actually preparing for ordination.

It will be the responsibility of the candidate to find a spiritual director.  The candidate will then make that director known to his or her Bishop.  The Bishop will contact the director to establish a personal relationship with him or her.  While the matter of spiritual direction itself is confidential, the director will be responsible to the candidate's Bishop for advising the Bishop on the advisability of continuing that candidate in the formation program for Holy Orders or of dismissing him or her from the program.  Spiritual direction continues as a requirement for those who are ordained in the Celtic Christian Church.

2.  Yearly Retreat.   Each candidate for ordination will make a yearly directed retreat of some five days duration.  It is the responsibility of the candidate’s spiritual director to assist the candidate in organizing (although not necessarily directing) this retreat and in integrating its benefits into his or her spiritual life.  

3.  Daily Prayer.  Each candidate will make time each day for personal prayer and for “lectio divina,” the prayerful reading of Sacred Scripture.

4.  Celtic Spirituality.  This is a beautiful and holistic view of our world and all of God’s creation.  It is joyful and inspiring in its approach to the world, while not at all denying the evil to be found in it.  It is a distinctive mark of the spirituality of the Celtic Christian Church and the only reason to choose this particular Church rather than any of the many other options within the Independent and Old Catholic Church bodies.  Learning about this spirituality and integrating it into one’s spiritual life is a very important part of the spiritual formation of our candidates for ordination.  Further on in this text, the section on academic formation will list a large number of books and other studies that will enable the candidate to learn about Celtic spirituality.

III.  PASTORAL FORMATION

As mentioned previously, the priests of the Celtic Christian Church are called to minister in very varied situations and to persons who vary greatly in personality, education and individual circumstances.  As much as it can, the Church’s formation program seeks to prepare its candidates for ministry in this very concrete world.  In view of this objective the following requirements have been established.

1.  Clinical Pastoral Education.   CPE provides hands-on pastoral work and discussion/criticism, and importantly, supervision of that actual ministry.  It has proven to be an effective means of helping its students to understand better themselves and their particular difficulties in ministering effectively, and in providing help in resolving such personal issues.  All of our candidates for ordination are required to take one unit of CPE, and they are encouraged to take further units if they are inclined and able to do so.

2.  Ministry.    During the entire course of formation the candidate will be involved in an appropriate pastoral ministry.  The choice of the ministry will the candidate’s, with the approval of his or her Bishop.  The supervision of the candidate’s work in this ministry will be the responsibility of the candidate’s Bishop.

IV.  ACADEMIC FORMATION

It is essential for the priests of the Celtic Christian Church to have a solid academic formation in the various disciplines proper to their ministry. This is necessary if they are to serve and guide others correctly in their relationship to God, and if they are to be able to work with persons of all levels of education.

In order to provide that solid academic formation for its candidates for ordination, the Celtic Christian Church has determined the following thorough, and at the same time flexible, program of study.  All of its candidates are required to pursue this program.  The candidate’s Bishop is responsible for overseeing his or her compliance with the program and determining at what point the candidate can be accepted for ordination, first to the diaconate and later to the priesthood.

A.  STRUCTURE OF THE PROGRAM OF STUDY

1.  Individual Program.   In very large part the Church’s candidates will be adults with family and work responsibilities and very often with limited financial means.  The Church, which does not have a seminary of its own, does not oblige its candidates to enroll in a seminary program of another church or in a university or divinity-school program.  In addition, a certain number of candidates will have already done some of the required studies.  Consequently the program of study will be tailored to each individual candidate as long as what we require is covered.  The candidate’s Bishop will determine what needs to be done, using the documents, particularly the transcripts, sent to him or her with the Clergy Application.  The following paragraphs will indicate the numerous and varied means at the disposal of the Bishop and the candidate to assure a solid academic formation.

2.  Mentor.   To implement such an individual program of study, the Celtic Christian Church employs the mentor system.  The mentor, a person with the necessary training and experience, advises and guides the candidate in his or her study in view of ordination.  If advisable, other persons may serve as mentors in the specific areas of their expertise.  The mentor is appointed by the candidate’s Bishop.  The mentor’s input is requested by the Bishop in view of the candidate’s advancement in the program, or dismissal from it, and in view of the candidate’s ordination.

3.  College or Equivalent.   Ideally, a candidate beginning the program of formation will possess a college degree.  Barring that, an associate’s degree will be considered sufficient to begin.  If going back to college to finish such a degree would be a real hardship, the candidate will work with his or her Bishop to determine what must still be done.  In many cases this remaining work can be completed by means of correspondence or online courses offered by reputable institutions.  A candidate finishing college in this way will be considered enrolled in the formation program.

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4.  Seminary or University Courses.   When possible, candidates are very strongly encouraged to enroll in a seminary program or in a university theology program, or to take at least some of their courses in such a setting.  This will provide them with structured study, with professional teachers, and also with peer interaction.  The comprehensive nature and the difficulty of theological studies militate very much in favor of such study.  Because of the importance of the orientation of the seminary or university (the Celtic Christian Church is a sacramental church, close in doctrine to the Roman, Anglican and Orthodox Churches, but different from the Protestant Churches), the choice of a seminary or university must be approved by the Candidate’s Bishop.

5.  Internet Based Courses.   Internet access is required for candidates to participate in the Celtic Studies Track within the Church.  Candidates will also have the possibility of taking courses via that medium.  A very large number of such courses are available, many from excellent universities, and many of them are free of charge.  Care must be taken to choose courses that are of excellent quality and that are offered by reputable institutions.  All Internet-based courses or degree programs chosen by a candidate must be approved by the candidate’s Bishop.

B.   SCHOOLS AND PROGRAMS OF OTHER CHURCHES OR INSTITUTIONS

Many programs in theology, most of them leading to graduate degrees, are available.  As noted above, any candidate who is able to pursue such a program is strongly encouraged to do so.  Within the Roman Catholic Church, Fordham University, Boston College, Notre Dame University, the University of San Francisco, among others, offer excellent programs in theology.  In association with other churches, Harvard Divinity School, Yale Divinity School, Washington Theological Union also offer excellent programs.

Other seminaries and theology schools are also available.  Following are short notes on of them.

GLOBAL MINISTRIES UNIVERSITY (located in California).  Within the Roman Catholic tradition.  Offers several degree programs (bachelor, master, doctor).  As in the case of Agape Seminary, these are not academic degrees.  All courses are distance learning.

LINDISFARNE SCHOOL OF THEOLOGY AND CHRISTIAN LEADERSHIP (located in Ithaca, NY).  Broadly within the Protestant tradition, with Roman Catholic elements.  Lindisfarne is a modern, non-live-in monastic community under the direction of +Andrew Fitz-Gibbon and +Jane Hall Fitz-Gibbon.  It offers a thorough program of preparation for ordination that is quite similar to the program of the Celtic Christian Church.  This is also distance learning.

C.  OPEN ONLINE COURSES

A large and growing number of online courses exist, many of them free of charge, and very many of them offered by excellent schools and professors.  Working with a mentor in the Celtic Christian Church would be required as well if using online courses that are not graded by an instructor or professor.  Following are notes on a few of them.

University of Notre Dame Open Courses.    Through its STEP (Satellite Theological Education Program) offering, part of its Institute for Church Life, Notre Dame offers a good number of online courses in theology. A Certificate of Catholic Theology can be obtained through this program.

Yale University Open Courses.    A good number of courses are offered online at no charge.  These are lectures that were recorded in the classroom, and they are available in video, audio and text transcript format.  Registration is not required, and no course credit is given.

HARVARD UNIVERSITY OPEN COURSES.    Through its Extension School, Harvard offers over 200 online classes.  These are either videos of taped classroom lectures, or scheduled live web-conference courses.  Credit can be earned under certain conditions.

OPEN COURSEWARE CONSORTIUM.    This is a grouping of over 250 universities and associated organizations worldwide offering thousands of courses form leading universities.  These courses are free of charge.   

edX.    This is an online initiative created by Harvard University and Massachusetts Institute of Technology.  It offers numerous courses from excellent universities, among them MIT, Harvard University and the University of California at Berkeley.  Some edX courses now offer ID verified Certificates of Achievement.

THE GREAT COURSES.    This is a series of hundreds of audio and video courses produced by top professors and experts in various fields.  They are relatively inexpensive, and are often on sale.

D.   PROGRAM OF STUDY

1.  Outline.     Following are the areas in which study is required:

Part I.   The Celtic Church     

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Part II.   The Western Church

A.  Pre-Theology

     1.  Philosophy (a basic introduction)

     2.  Psychology (a basic introduction)

     3.  Comparative Religions

B.  Christian Theology

     1.  Introductory and General

     2.  Doctrinal Theology

          a.  God, the Trinity

          b.  Creation

          c.  Redemption

               1)  Christology

               2)  Redemption/Salvation

               3)  Mariology

          d.  Sanctification

               1)  Grace

               2)  Theological Virtues (Faith, Hope, Charity)

               3)  Ecclesiology

               4)  Sacraments

          e.  Consummation (Eschatology)

     3.  Moral Theology

          a.  Sin, Original Sin

          b.  Christian Moral Doctrine

C.  Sacred Scripture

D.  History of the Christian Church

E.  Liturgy

F.  Spiritual Life, Prayer, Spiritual Direction

G.  Pastoral Care, Counseling, Religious Education

H.  Homiletics

Part III.   The Eastern Church

2.   List of Required and Recommended Books

The list of required books given below may well seem overwhelming at first sight.  It is therefore very important to keep two points in mind.

First, a seminary program for the priesthood in a sacramental church would take some three years and include over a thousand hours of classroom lectures.  The program below, while not pretending in any way to duplicate seminary training, must provide the substance of such training, often without the lectures and the interaction between students and professors.

Second, the intent of any candidate's Bishop is to be as flexible as possible in the application of the program.  Schoolwork already done will count in the program if at all possible.  What is to be required of each individual candidate will depend on what has already been done and what still needs to be done.  As already noted, the transcripts requested in the Clergy Application will be particularly important in making this determination.

It should also be noted here that the division of the following material into "The Celtic Church," "The Western Church," and "The Eastern Church" is somewhat artificial.  In fact all of the material could easily have been included in a single series of sub-topics, with each Eastern or Celtic book placed within its proper topic.  However, the present division, in addition to bringing a greater degree of clarity to the organization of the material, accentuates the intent of the formation program.  Since we live in the Western world and the very large majority, if not the totality, of our priests will work within that world, the basic theological formation provided by this program is in the Western ambit.  Then, since we live our faith in the spirit of the ancient Celtic church and since this spirit is closer to the more mystical spirit of the Orthodox church than to the more rational outlook of the Western church, that basic formation is completed by a study of the theological outlook and especially the spirituality of the Orthodox church and by a serious and extensive study of the history and spirituality of the Celtic church.  The initial studies will be focused primarily on the Celtic Church since that is the spirituality of this Church, and a candidate for priesthood needs to be certain she or he is called to that before continuing with the extensive study of the Western Church.

All of the books indicated below are required unless otherwise noted (any changes in this list will be made known to the candidate).  In some cases a reference to a possible online course is given; many others are available. 

Some links for purchasing books may not work as pages change. Many books are linked to AMAZON where they can be purchased.  If not on Amazon, you may find some on ABE.com.  

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Celtic Studies Track and Written Assignments

Follow the readings in order as much as possible because each builds on the previous in terms of development of philosophy, Christian theology, spirituality and piety.  It is easier to see the reason for each book/topic if read in sequence listed below. Papers for this track can combine various books as indicated below.

CELTIC OLD TESTAMENT

CELTIC GODS AND HEROES (Celtic, Irish) by Marie-Louise Sjoestedt

Far different from the Greek and Roman mythology that influenced the Western world and religions, Celtic gods and culture had its own unique approach to gods, women, and society.  This serves as comparative religious study and a basis of understanding the development of Celtic Consciousness.

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“Druid thought is perhaps the lone known example of an attempted philosophical  system to which monism was integral.” Jean Markale

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 THE DRUIDS: CELTIC PRIESTS OF NATURE        Feb 1, 1999by Jean Markale    

ONLY Chapter 20: DRUIDIC THOUGHT p. 204 to the end p. 243.  Markale outlines what surviving fragments from historians who wrote on druids and their philosophical thought, and retraces the root of Celtic mythology and the lessons it teaches.

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Peter Beresford Ellis, CELTIC INHERITANCE, London, UK: Constable, 1992.  (A scholarly study of Celtic Christianity and of its history in each of the Celtic lands of northwestern Europe.)

Ellis has another 2 books of interest historically (not required) :  DRUIDS, and  CELTIC MYTHOLOGY

Monastic Experience   Theory, theology, spirituality in action…

EARLY IRISH MONASTICISM Feb 20, 2008 by  Catherine Thom

Thom illustrates how Celtic consciousness resulted in a specific life choice for the Irish based on pre-Christian and Christian synthesis of values and beliefs.  Excellent.

This book serves as a general synopsis of material more fully elaborated in several other books on the individual topics.  A general understanding of the Brehon Laws and their effect on the Penitentials would be helpful for this study.  

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Those books:

THE LOST LAWS OF IRELAND: HOW THE BREHON LAWS SHAPED EARLY IRISH SOCIETY by  Catherine Duggan  (Currently this book is difficult to purchase and may be replaced by another book on Brehon Laws.)

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 THE IRISH PENITENTIALS  edited by Ludwig Bieler, with an Appendix by D. A. Binchy, Dublin: The Dublin Institute for Advanced Studies, 1963/1975.   (The Irish Penitentials go beyond the conception of the Sacrament of Penance as inflicting punishment on a sinner for a crime committed, to seeing the Sacrament as medicinal and the penance as a means of helping the sinner heal from what led him or her to sin.  To grasp this meaning in the text itself, this book is to be read in conjunction with Chapter 3, "The Penitentials: The Human Dilemma," pages 48-67, in Thomas O'Loughlin, CELTIC THEOLOGY (see below, 2. Studies.)

THE CELTIC PENITENTIALS AND THEIR INFLUENCE ON CONTINENTAL CHRISTIANITY by John Thomas McNeill  are each available in the CCC library.

1 ST WRITTEN ASSIGNMENT: FIRST PAPER COMBINES THE ABOVE BOOKS AND TOPICS. How did the Celtic OT influence the New and form a unique Celtic approach to accepting and living the Gospel life?  Much of this material will be new to you. How does it all affect your approach to Celtic spirituality, so far?

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Respectfully listening for the voice of God in DREAMS and the synchronous events in life, and working with one’s dreams is a tradition within Celtic spirituality which is ancient.  In these books on shadow work and dream work, Robert Johnson presents this work seriously, and uses Jungian insights to help the reader understand and actively engage in shadow and dream work for personal transformation and integration.   These books flow naturally with Celtic Christian spirituality precisely because of the tradition of honoring dreams.   The intention for these books is for both personal challenge and growth, and to assist in pastoral work which is personal as well as communal.

OWNING YOUR OWN SHADOW: UNDERSTANDING THE DARK SIDE OF THE PSYCHE,  June 9, 2009    by Robert A. Johnson 

The following goes hand in hand with the previous book and is excellent for assisting anyone who seriously wishes to integrate the spiritual life into daily life, i.e. to be an integrated mature adult.

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INNER WORK: USING DREAMS AND ACTIVE IMAGINATION FOR PERSONAL GROWTH,  March, 1986     by Robert A. Johnson  

Many good books by Johnson add to this Jungian self-understanding and can be of help, although NOT required for this course of study.

2ND WRITTEN ASSIGNMENT: This topic is academic but only makes sense if used personally to understand HOW to apply the ideas to understand one’s own dream life, and help others pastorally with this ancient insight into the interior life, made clearer by Jung.

Rather than a paper on the TOPIC, seminarians  will benefit most by beginning a dream journal, and work on a personal dream or several dreams. 

This can be discussed in the formation classes with others, or with one’s spiritual director or bishop.  The point is this is both personal and pastoral.

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CELTIC THEOLOGY & PHILOSOPHY

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INTRODUCTION TO CELTIC CHRISTIANITY  – August, 1993 by James P. Mackey (Ed) ONLY the INTRODUCTION, THEN CHAPTERS, 1, 2, 4, 5, 13, & 14

CELTIC THEOLOGY: HUMANITY, WORLD, AND GOD IN EARLY IRISH WRITINGS by Thomas O'Loughlin  O'Loughlin examines the theological framework within which St. Patrick presented his experiences and considers how the Celtic lands of Ireland and Wales developed a distinctive view of sin, reconciliation, and Christian law that they later exported to the rest of western Christianity.

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PELAGIUS: LIFE AND LETTERS – by Pelagius (Author), B.R. Rees  (Author) ONLY VOLUME 1  PELAGIUS: A RELUCTANT HERETIC THEN,   LETTER TO DEMETRIAS  (each of these is also published separately).

Collected together for the first time in one volume are the most important critical study of Pelagius to date, together with a selection of his letters. Arriving in Rome in the late 4th century, Pelagius soon acquired a considerable reputation as a reformer and spiritual adviser. In Palestine he became embroiled with Jerome and later with Augustine who had been alerted to the Pelagian threat to orthodox doctrine. Professor Rees here re-examines the evidence for the Pelagian controversy: `A judicious survey of the literature surrounding Pelagius and the movement associated with his name' CHURCH HISTORY (US). The second part of the book consists of Pelagius' letters, which provide the clearest and most succinct statements of Pelagian theology, but few of which have ever been translated into English before. (Reissue; first published in two volumes as Pelagius: A Reluctant Heretic and The Letters of Pelagius and his Followers(The Boydell Press, 1991).

ADAM, EVE, AND THE SERPENT: SEX AND POLITICS IN EARLY CHRISTIANITY by Elaine Pagels   Chapters 5 p. 89 “The Politics of Paradise”   Chapter 6 p. 127 “The Nature of Nature.”

Pagels addresses the topic of Augustine, Jerome, and Pelagius, and finally the 12 years of debates that followed between the aging Augustine and Julian of Eclanum.

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One of the most recent studies on Pelagius and Augustine is:  

GRACE FOR GRACE: THE DEBATES AFTER AUGUSTINE AND PELAGIUS

Jun 30, 2014 by Alexander Y. Hwang and Brian Matz  (NOT REQUIRED BUT SUGGESTED FOR FURTHER STUDY BY THOSE INTERESTED IN PELAGIUS)

This is worth study by Celtic Christian priests who can count on be suspect or questioned about Pelagian thought, theology, and the historic condemnation  of Pelagius himself as well as his defender, Julian or Eclanum starting with Augustine and continuing through the Western Church for centuries until recent years when more study has been done.

The thought of St. Augustine had incalculable influence on the theology of the Christian Church, and for the Celtic Christian Church his thought is also important in understanding Pelagius (see below, Part III, The Celtic Church).  For a basic understanding of Augustine's thinking, read:

T. Kermit Scott, AUGUSTINE: HIS THOUGHT IN CONTEXT, New York, NY: Paulist Press, 1995. This book is also covered in Western Theology below.

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JOHN SCOTTUS ERIUGENA (Great Medieval Thinkers) (Paperback)  by Deirdre Carabine  Good introduction and overview of the work of Eriugena.

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THE VOICE OF THE EAGLE: THE HEART OF CELTIC CHRISTIANITY by John Scotus Eriugena and Christopher Bamford  Nov 1, 2000

CELTIC SPIRITUALITY (Classics Of Western Spirituality)  January, 2000  by Oliver Davies (Author), Thomas O'Loughlin (Author)

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Classics of Western Spirituality series. Celtic Spirituality offers translations of numerous texts from the Celtic tradition from the 6th through the 13th centuries, in a cross-section of genres and forms, including saints' lives, monastic texts, poetry, devotional texts, liturgical texts, apocrypha, exegetical texts, and theological treatises, a helpful introduction, which covers the origins and characteristics of Celtic Christianity and the different genres included in body of the work. .. insight into the style, form, and character of the texts, including explanation of the Celtic emphasis on orality, the importance of place, emphasis on the environment and animals, and the role of the imagination.

DISCOVERING SAINT PATRICK by Thomas O'Loughlin Mar 1, 2005  

Thomas O’Loughlin, as the historical theologian, puts Patrick the man in context, rather than depending upon hagiography alone to makes sense of Celtic consciousness.  Celtic priests need to recognize Patrick as the icon of Celtic Christianity in today’s world and need to understood and present him in a realistic way as both the icon AND one to imitate as we spread the good news of God’s love TODAY

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One can see the development of doctrine inspired by and flowing from the converted bishops whose own education, training, and heritage was the pagan druidic faith and doctrines.  Historians such as Peter Berresford Ellis trace some of these bishops to druidic families (Gaul) indicating the culture they brought to the Faith. The following book addresses how the MAN influenced the development of Christian theology by understanding through his cultural lens.

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OF GOD AND MAN: THEOLOGY AS ANTHROPOLOGY FROM IRENAEUS TO ATHANASIUS     Mar 1, 2009     by M. C. Steenberg   

ONLY-- Introduction, and Chapter 1  “Irenaeus: Linking Beginnings and Ends”   pp 1-54

Deep Incarnational Theology/Trinitarian Theology a bedrock of Celtic Christianity.  Denis Edwards’ book speaks to how Celtic Christianity and all Catholics can understand Trinitarian and Deep Incarnational theology as Divine Love today in light of our most recent scientific discoveries about our emergent creation. Celtic Christian priests who minister to contemporary people, some very highly educated, need to be keenly aware of the questions, the practical questions, believers as well as non-believers have in view of recent scientific discoveries.

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PARTAKING OF GOD: TRINITY, EVOLUTION, AND ECOLOGY by Denis Edwards Apr 7, 2014

The natural world around us is in crisis. We know it has a dynamic, evolutionary character. How might we understand this world in relationship to God?

Partaking of God builds on the foundations of the dynamic Trinitarian theology of Athanasius. It develops into a theology of the Word as the divine Attractor and the Spirit as the Energy of Love in evolutionary emergence. Then it explores God’s suffering with creatures, the humility of God in creation, church teaching on the human soul in relation to neuroscience, and grace and original sin in relationship to evolution. It culminates in a Christian theology of ecological conversion.

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3RD WRITTEN ASSIGNMENT: A PAPER PULLING THE DEVELOPMENT OF CELTIC INCARNATIONAL THEOLOGY TOGETHER (RIGHT UP TO TODAY WITH PARTAKING OF GOD AND ALL THAT CURRENT THEOLOGY IMPLIES REGARDING ETHICAL TREATMENT OF LIVING BEINGS AND THE EARTH AND COSMOS), AS OPPOSED TO WESTERN/LATIN RITE APPROACH TO LEGALISTIC THEOLOGY AS A FOCUS OF FEAR OF PUNISHMENT.

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CELTIC LITURGY

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THE EGYPTIAN DESERT IN THE IRISH BOGS: THE BYZANTINE CHARACTER OF EARLY CELTIC MONASTICISM by Gregory Telepneff    

 THE LITURGY AND RITUAL: OF THE CELTIC CHURCH July 20, 2015  by F. E. Warren (Author)

Excerpt from The Liturgy and Ritual: Of the Celtic Church

The following pages contain an account of the Liturgy and Ritual of the Celtic Church in these islands, so far as their character can be ascertained from the limited sources of information open to us. They relate to a subject about which, until recently, very little was known. The great continental Liturgiologists of the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries were either silent about it, or dismissed it as offering no data for information and no materials for investigation.
In more recent times Dr. Lingard has disclaimed all possibility of any knowledge of the subject: 'Whether the sacrificial service of the Scottish missionaries varied from that of the Romans we have no means of judging.' - Anglo-Saxon Church, edit. 1858, vol. i. p. 271.

This book is a reproduction of an important historical work.

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4TH WRITTEN ASSIGNMENT: CREATE A CELTIC CHRISTIAN LITURGY TO CELEBRATE A RITE OF PASSAGE  (any one of these: Birth, Puberty, Marriage, Healing Prayer for the Sick, Rite of Passage for the Dying,  Grief, Celebration of the Incarnation/Christmas, Protection of the Earth and the Cosmos, etc.)  This can be done individually or with others in the Formation Program. 

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TODAY’S  Celtic Spirituality  & Pastoral Care

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This topic is beyond the introductory spirituality books by very good authors.  Given the theology and its understanding and application today in the modern world, how do we realistically live this spirituality today and help others live it and apply it to their personal growth as humans loved by God?  This combination of specific Celtic Spirituality, Celtic approach to evangelism, and personal growth brings it home…and to others.

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JOURNEYS ON THE EDGES: THE CELTIC TRADITION (TRADITIONS OF CHRISTIAN SPIRITUALITY.)   Oct 10, 2000   by Thomas O'Loughlin and Philip Sheldrake

 Thomas O'Loughlin's fresh and original introduction to Celtic spirituality begins by questioning the very notion of a distinctively "Celtic" spirituality. Brilliantly re-examining the original sources, he argues that there is one over-arching theme giving them a unity--the idea of being "on the edge", both culturally and geographically.

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THE CELTIC WAY OF EVANGELISM, TENTH ANNIVERSARY EDITION: HOW CHRISTIANITY CAN REACH THE WEST . . .AGAIN by Hunter,George G. III    

5th Written Assignment:   After completing the Pastoral Care topic a personal paper presenting how you feel Celtic evangelism and pastoral care may differ from other traditional Christian approaches to care of souls.  Consider ALL the above studies and how they now inform your pastoral approach to all you meet in ministry or in the “secular world.”

The following are additional for spirituality and prayer which can be included in liturgies:

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BE FAMILIAR WITH the following:

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Alexander Carmichael, CARMINA GADELICA: HYMNS AND INCANTATIONS COLLECTED IN THE HIGHLANDS AND ISLANDS OF SCOTLAND IN THE LAST CENTURY, Hudson, NY: Lindisfarne Press, 1992.  (Important collection. Contains numerous prayers in the Celtic spirit, asking God's blessing on all aspects of life including the most mundane activities

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Timothy J. Joyce, OSB, CELTIC CHRISTIANITY: A SACRED TRADITION, A VISION OF HOPE, Maryknoll, NY: Orbis Books, 1998.  (An excellent short presentation of the basic history of Celtic Christianity.)

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Philip Sheldrake, LIVING BETWEEN WORLDS: PLACE AND JOURNEY IN CELTIC SPIRITUALITY, Boston, MA: Cowley Publications, c. 1995.  (A discussion of place and journey, both important concepts to the Celtic mind, as keys to understanding Celtic spirituality.)

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Esther de Waal, EVERY EARTHLY BLESSING: REDISCOVERING THE CELTIC TRADITION, Harrisburg, PA: Morehouse Publications, 1999  [Originally: A WORLD MADE WHOLE, 1991].   (A beautiful and sensitive presentation of the key aspects of Celtic spirituality.)

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Esther de Waal, THE CELTIC WAY OF PRAYER, New York, NY: Doubleday, 1997.  (A simple presentation, based on wide scholarship, of the Celtic Christian approach to prayer.)

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J. Philip Newell, ONE FOOT IN EDEN: A CELTIC VIEW OF THE STAGES OF LIFE, New York, NY: Paulist Press, 1999.  (A prayerful reflection on the stages of human life, from birth to death, seen through the prism of Celtic spirituality.)

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J. Philip Newell, CHRIST OF THE CELTS: THE HEALING OF CREATION, San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass, 2008.   (How Christ was envisioned in the ancient Celtic tradition, and what this can mean for us today.)

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THE CELTIC VISION, Selected and Edited by Esther de Wall from the Carmina Gadelica, Petersham, MA: St. Bede's Publications, 1988.  (Selections presented by themes, with an introduction to each theme.)

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