The Iona Retreats


	Hello to all! Welcome to the Iona Retreats web site. We hope you enjoy your stay. We have packed as much information in here as possible, everything from packing tips and travel instructions, to photos, a book list, and loads of accommodations. We hope that you will find this information helpful! And we'll see you on Iona! The Iona Women's Retreat in May, 2009 is full. Please keep in touch on this site or by email if you would like to join us on Iona next year. Plans for spring, 2010 are underway. We look forward to next year's retreats through the Spirit of Legacy program of the Whidbey Institute, the fourth Healing and the Soul Retreat for health care professionals, and pilgrimages for clergy and church congregations. For more information or to talk personally about the Iona retreats, please email Vivienne Hull here. About the Isle of Iona Iona, a small island in the inner Hebrides off the west coast of Scotland is only three miles long and a mile and a half wide. It is one of the oldest places on our planet with rocks that date to 2,700 million years old. Rich in spiritual legacy and Christian history, the influence of Iona over the centuries has far exceeded its size. Iona was a light of hope and spiritual renewal through the dark ages and continues to be so today. It is a rugged and beautiful island and since ancient times has been known as a place of unique spiritual presence and power. As the home of one of the early Irish monastic schools Iona became known as the center of Celtic Christianity, a place of enlightenment, where a new vision of the future was born. People seeking understanding and spiritual renewal came from throughout Europe to this small island where something good and transforming was happening. From Iona the life-affirming and creation-honoring vision of Celtic Christianity spread throughout Europe. The Irish Abbots and Abbesses carried the Iona message of hope, healing and a new spiritual understanding all over Britain and Europe. They also brought very practical skills in agriculture, the healing arts, and established schools, hospices, and places of refuge for the many dislocated people of their time. Other monastic schools followed in their path, including Lindisfarne on the Holy Isle in northern England. The mission of Iona also influenced the work of St. Francis in Assisi. Many contemporary scholars, poets and theologians have also been inspired by the light of the Celtic way. As we know, we need the light of hope, faith, and new vision in these days. We are called to be people of hope who do what we can to help build the foundation for a good future for our children and theirs. Iona's gift is certainly its rich legacy. But our focus while on Iona is always oriented to the work of the sacred spirit in our time and the call to bring forth inspiration and wisdom on behalf of our common future as we renew and reshape spiritual life today. The Iona retreats are always forward-looking and concerned with the empowerment of ourselves and our communities. We don't go to Iona as tourists. We go as pilgrims, bringing our gifts and bringing home the gifts of Iona for others. This is what the Iona retreats are all about. And we also have great fun rambling the heatherd hills and beaches and filling our pockets with Iona's green stones---the stones of healing and blessing. ~~~~~~~~~~~ A call for photographs! Have you been to Iona on one of the Iona Retreat programs? If so, did you take any digital pictures? This is a call for photos that we might use on this web site as we continue to help people get a feel for what the Iona experience is like. Plus it will be a great way to bring back fond memories! Feel free to EMAIL photos as attachments ~ and Thank You! Here is a small gallery of photos from past Women's Retreats sent in by Christie Hammond. Thank you! There are several new updates on our web site! There now are print friendly PDF's for all the program discriptions, as well as the travel information and lists of accommodations in both Glasgow and Oban. The links to these PDF's can be found on the corresponding page. Also, there is a beautiful new photo album of past Women's Retreats. And notice also a new "book of the month" on this main page. We hope you enjoy this site and find it helpful. Feel free to let us know how we may continue to improve it! See you on Iona! We have a wonderful 30-minute video on Iona and Celtic spirituality called A Thin Place, Iona and the Celtic Way click here for more information. LEADERSHIP FOR THE IONA RETREATS FRITZ HULL & VIVIENNE HULL have been leading retreats and conferences on Iona for over twenty years. Fritz is the founder and former executive director of the Chinook Learning Center and the Whidbey Institute. He is a well-known speaker and consultant on ecology and spirituality and is an ordained Presbyterian minister. Vivienne is a former co-director of the Chinook Learning Center and Associate Director of the Whidbey Institute. Irish-born she is a scholar and teacher of Celtic culture and spirituality and of the history of Iona. Fritz and Vivienne are available to plan and lead Iona retreats for church, university, and environmental groups. Fritz and Vivienne are curently developing and directing the Integral Spirit and Spirit of Legacy programs. The Iona Programs are a part of the Spirit of Legacy Project, directed by Fritz and Vivienne Hull, a project of the Whidbey Institute.