Customer Reviews

Celtic Prayers from Iona: The Heart of Celtic Spirituality

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This is a beautiful prayer book of morning and evening personal liturgy based on Monday through Saturday. It includes a lectionary of psalms and readings for each day of the church year. A wonderful prayer book to use in your daily prayers. I'm giving one to each of the kids in my youth group who are going on pilgrimage to Iona. I highly recommend this book for anyone wishing to structure their prayer life.

I've given away about a half dozen of these books. It is a wonderful way to establish and maintain a discipline of daily prayer. Psalm 139 ties the 12 portions (morning and evening of every day but Sunday) together. Each day corresponds to a theme valued by the Iona Community. The structure of each day is the same, but the prayers and focus are different. The prayers themselves are beautiful.

Each day starts with a time of quiet meditation, thanksgiving, the Lord's Prayer, and a reading. I usually choose my own readings, but suggestions are made if you need them. There is also time for prayers of asking, and a closing prayer.

You can spend as much time each day as you like. It is up to you. It is a guide, not a boss. I find that using this book daily has had a significant effect on my work and daily life.

This book spoke to my Irish heart and a view of Christianity gifted to me by three great-aunts. I was surprised to find thst their earthy familiarity with the Divine had a name and a long tradition.

These daily prayers are based on the Celtic poem prayer, which rejoices in the Divine and Christ found reflected in all around us - from the lush countryside to that dandilion struggling to grow in the crack of the city pavement.

The result of scholarship and the collection of oral faith tradition, it's lilting poetry praises God through his creation.
It has become my morning and evening prayer ritual of reflection, scripture reading and prayer.

And you don't have to be Irish to appreciate its richness

Philip Newell has collected (and streamlined) some of the great prayers from the Carmina Gaedelica and intertwined them with bits of Psalm 135, as well as daily gospel and psalm readings to create a really wonderful resource for personal prayer. I have used the book for more than a year in my own devotions, and still find newness and appeal in the selections Newell has made. As is true of the Iona Community, there is no avoidance of social justice, environmental awareness and a deep connection to the Spirit. The book is also beautifully designed in calligraphy.

I've been trying to get into the habit of daily prayer, but find the standard daily offices too long, too oriented toward group use, and too bound by times of day for someone on a modern and/or unstable schedule - I don't know anyone for whom praying concerning the end of the day at early evening is really appropriate. This book was recommended to me by my spiritual advisor, and provides a liturgically grounded daily office that fits far better for me - the prayers are short without being incomplete, and work well even for someone who typically prays alone at 9am and midnight (or even noon and 2am). The language of the prayers is quite beautiful, and partakes in the Celtic tradition of having an emphasis on the goodness and beauty of *this* world; it's very grounded in actual life. I particularly like the use of the beautiful psalm 139 throughout the week, as it happens to be my favorite. I'm a high-church Episcopalian, but I don't see any reason this book would be unsuitable for Roman Catholics or low-church Episcopalians.


My only complaint is that there are no prayers for Sunday - to leave out Sunday morning on the expectation that the reader will attend church instead is reasonable enough, but it would be nice to have something for Sunday evenings.

I have other books by this author but this one is my favorite. I love the Celtic prayers. And this is more than just prayers but can be used for devotions at the beginning and end of the day. There are prayers and opportunities to read scriptures and to insert your own prayers of thanksgiving. There is also an invitation to be silent and listen to God.

I was looking for a book of prayers and this doesn't quite do it. It is more a system of formal prayers and liturgical responses based on daily Bible readings. The prayers there are are fine, it just isn't what I was looking for.

Excellent resource. This is the best book of Celtic prayer that I have ever used.

This little book is a wonderful guide for those who already have a daily prayer resource or, for those who want something new and refreshing. It covers the basics: thanksgiving, intercession, confession, silence and even makes a space for daily scripture readings. In that very special Celtic way "Celtic Prayers from Iona" seeks to bring us into a daily relationship with all created order.

I ordered it because it was to be what it is. Devotional prayers for the week and for daily. Excellent reasource for just that; but if you are thirsty for more of the meat rather than drinking milk, keep looking. More are available and we need to share what we find. If you as I am seeking more indepth before the visit, and you find "share". Good intro for Iona Celtic Prayer.