Religion Corner
Piedmont Post
March 4, 2009

by Rev. Lois Mueller

Iona definitely is an out-of-the-way place.  The small island of Iona is off the coast of the Island of Mull off the western coast of Scotland.  To get there, one must take the ferry to Mull; then drive 1½ hours on a one-lane road across Mull; then take another ferry to Iona; and finally walk to a final destination. 

Last September when I traveled to Iona on my sabbatical, I wondered how an ecumenical community in such a remote, idyllic place kept alive a relevant passion for world justice.  Why didn’t they simply turn inward and escape from problems not on their doorstep? 

I discovered that the modern Iona community is rooted in the industrial city of Glasgow.  During the Great Depression, George MacLeod, a Church of Scotland pastor, ministered in the slums of Glasgow.  He decided that he was being called by God to rebuild the abandoned and ruined abbey on Iona with the help of some of the impoverished men of the slums.  MacLeod enlisted unemployed craftsmen and ordained clergy to spend weeks at a time on Iona.  All of the participants were stretched beyond their comfort zones while living together and restoring the abbey: the craftsmen prayed each morning and evening with the clergy, and the ministers worked with their hands all day along side of the craftsmen.  Eventually, the Abbey and other historic buildings were restored and an intentional Christian community grew and flourished. 

Each year thousands of people from all over the world now visit the Iona Community, participating in creative worship, peace-making and justice-building efforts and contemplative practices rooted in Celtic spirituality.  What began as an effort to provide meaningful work and dignity to impoverished people grew and flourished into a community that offers sacred resources around the globe.