Dia dhuit (God to you - a Gaelic greeting)

As the very small has become very large
As doors have shut to familiarities
As fear mounts and answers allude us
And as the limits of our resolve are tested

May you know that your soul is well
And ready to hold you once again
As it always has
In the embrace of God's presence and divine attention.

May you find strength in just Being
Quiet. Slow. Stopped.
Disconnected but seeking new connections
May waiting and wondering become friends to you.

And as you you feel the frightening grip of concern
May the Unknown grow to comfort you
As you are left facing that which is far greater
And know, at the root, that Life and Love have you.

A Blessing for Our Days of Isolation
(Kirk Webb)

Hello Friends.

As our days of sheltering and isolating draw onward, I hope that you are finding many ways to practice quiet slowness, breathing the Spring-fresh air, sitting and standing outside, caring for one another the best that you can, and finding imaginative expressions that are wanting to be born.

Like so many projects, plans, and schedules, we have had to rearrange our expectations and offerings at The Celtic Center this year. It was sad but necessary to have to cancel our March retreat. As a result, we are now looking toward a restructuring of the retreat offerings overall. The re-imagined structure will provide a broader and online-based possibility. We are in the midst of retooling the three retreats to offer the content and experiences online. The content will soon be offered in online classes, discussion groups, experiential learning options, and spiritual direction group meetings. These offerings will, as always, be available in any amount or pace that you would like, and if you are interested in our Soul Friends training program which leads to a Certificate in Spiritual Direction then that program will be a combination of online learning experiences, spiritual growth instruction and experience, and group discussions and spiritual direction training. We will roll out the new plan quite soon and I hope that you will continue to visit the website for updates and announcements.

Given that we are not gathering in live groups these days, the Celtic Service will not be held at the church this coming Sunday (April 5, 2020). In its place, I will create a video with similar experiences for us to use as a way of gathering for a Celtic-themed time of prayer, thought, music, and quiet. The video will be uploaded to our Facebook page as well as the website. Perhaps you would want to choose to watch it at 5:00 p.m. (Pacific time) on April 5th so that you can know that you are gathering with others. However, you are welcome to watch it whenever it works well for you. The video will be available by 3:00 p.m. on the 5th.

At this time, we are still planning for the Ireland Pilgrimage in August. We will make an informed decision about that offering as that event approaches, but I'm still hopeful that it will be a safe and enjoyable experience. There are a couple of spaces remaining if you would like to join us. You can fill out an application today here. If we have to postpone that trip then whatever fees that you have paid will be moved to the rescheduled pilgrimage or refunded.

I look forward to introducing you to the new structure of our work. In the meantime, you are welcome to enjoy the service online as well as the weekly blog.

May God's Comforting Spirit be apparent to you this day,

Kirk Webb
Director, The Celtic Center