I pray this finds you and everyone you carry in your heart well and healthy, slowly and joyfully moving towards Christmas. I am writing to let you know that we have announced the weeks of pilgrimage to the Scottish Isles for the summer of 2023 are:
June 24 – July 1
July 8 – 15
July 15 – 22
July 22 – 29
For the first time, we shall split our time between the Monastery on Mull and our new Hermitage on the Isle of Iona. Spending a few days in each place will allow you to develop a personal relationship with the islands, without feeling hurried or distracted in any way.
We visit some of the most remote and authentic holy sites connected with spiritual Celtic giants like St Columba, St Ninian, St Oran, St Brendan the Navigator, St Oran, St Kenneth, St Adomnan and many others. Some of these places have been uninhabited for centuries, with no touristic or religious routes linking them to other destinations. The pilgrimages organised by the Monastery are the only way one can visit some of these isles.
Among many other places, we shall get to the Isle of Iona (Iona Abbey, Martyrs’ Bay, the Nunnery, St Oran’s Chapel, the famous Celtic High Crosses, St Columba’s Bay, the Hill of the Turning Back to Ireland and the Machair); the ruins of St Kenneth’s monastery and the ancient hermit cave; St Brendan’s monastery and bee-hive cell on his uninhabited Isle; and some of the great Christian places on the Isle of Mull (such as The Nuns’ Cave and Kilninian).
The price of a week of Pilgrimage is 1600 GBP (or equivalent in US Dollars) per person. To reflect the difficult times we are all experiencing, we have kept the same price as in 2019, despite the huge increase of all operating costs. The price includes accommodation on Mull and Iona, all meals, all island travel (by car, ferry, sailing boat and motorboat), entry to all sites and a permanent guide (a member of the monastic community).
We pray you will be able to come and pray with us in these incredible Isles and the holy sites of their Saints.