The island itself has an immense wild, natural beauty, with picturesque coves and bays and beaches, steep rocky hills and cliffs, heath and marshland. The only farming there now is for sheep and cattle, which seem to roam all over the place. It also has a very special spiritual beauty. It is said that there heaven and earth come very close together, and that many people who go there have life-changing and spiritual experiences. Over the years it has become a centre for pilgrimages; a place of retreat for people seeking peace and healing; as well as a place of historical and archaeological interest.

In 563 AD St Columba arrived from Ireland in a coracle with 12 companions, seeking to convert Scotland to Christianity. He founded a monastery on the site of the present abbey, which became the centre of Christianity for Scotland. In the 13th century a Benedictine abbey replaced the Columban monastery and an Augustinian nunnery was built nearby. After the reformation these all fell into disuse and gradual ruin. In the 19th century the 8th Duke of Argyll formed a trust for the restoration of the abbey and other sacred buildings, on condition that the abbey church should be a place of worship for Christians of all denominations. The restoration of the abbey was completed in 1910.

In 1938 the Iona Community was founded and completed the restoration of the cloistered monastery buildings in the mid-1960s. These now form a retreat centre and the community organise regular daily services in the abbey. They also provide guided tours of the abbey and other archaeological sites nearby, as well as walking trips around the island including visiting St Columba’s bay.

We stayed in the Bishop’s House, which is the retreat centre for the Scottish Episcopal Church. It houses St Columba’s Chapel, where there are daily celebrations of the Eucharist and evening prayer or compline. Staying in this holy place was wonderful, but also to be led on our retreat and in our worship by Bishop David was the experience of a lifetime, never to be forgotten. He is a very holy man and a gifted speaker, but one who feels also that his feet are firmly on the ground. He gave us daily talks, told us about St Columba and about the early Celtic Christians. He also gave us four talks about living with Jesus in various situations, bringing him into our own lives.

During our time there, we had two days when we kept silent within our retreat house. I took the opportunity to go for long rambles (perhaps I should say scrambles) all over the island with just God, the sky, sea, rocks, hills, bogs and the sheep for company. I didn’t meet a soul for ages, and just felt really aware of the glory and beauty of God in that wonderful, wild place. I feel very blessed to have been there.

At the end of our last Eucharist, Bishop David said: ‘Go in peace to love and serve and enjoy the Lord.’ And I am sure he does.

Source: Greta Rosten, The Spire Magazines - 2006 December

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