Cristnogaeth A Website on Christianity Featuring the Anglican Communion and Celtic Christianity Celtic Christianity On this page: Introduction // Organizations // Independent Churches Also see Celtic Liturgies (at Bibles & Liturgy page)

Celtic Christianity has always been close to my heart given my love of early British history.  The Celtic church has many lessons to teach the contemporary Church.  The early Celtic Christian church was catholic and apostolic in nature, fiercely independent, in tune with creation, yet remaining committed to Scripture and tradition. It drew on the positive aspects of the earlier druidic religion yet remained true to the Faith and thereby was able to transform Celtic society without destroying it.  

I would like the Anglican Communion to model the ancient Celtic church: catholic and apostolic in nature, resisting of overburdening and corrupting hierarchy and structure, in tune with the created world, remaining committed to Scripture and tradition, and finally acting as a powerful transforming agent to Western society.

Some general introductions to Celtic Christianity follow.  Stuart's Celtic Christianity Page includes links to Celtic Christianity sites including entry to the Celtic Christianity ring.  A short page on Celtic Spirituality provides a short summary of Celtic faith.

B) Celtic Christian Organizations

Celtic Orthodox Church and Orthodox Ireland (and its sub-page Orthodox Christianity in the British Isles) discuss early Celtic Christianity from an Orthodox perspective and include discussion of the Orthodox church in Britain.  Another very interesting site on Britain's Celtic Christian heritage from a Coptic Orthodox background is Celtic Orthodoxy.  This contains links to scholarly essays on various topics.

The Anglican/Episcopal Franciscan Order of the Celi De is a religious monastic community seeking reconciliation in the Anglican Communion and a reconnection to the ancient Celtic Christian faith.  This group has a very good statement of belief.

The Iona Community is an ecumenical and generally liberal Christian group that lives in the Abbey on the Isle of Iona.  Despite their generally liberal theology, there are some useful resources available at their site.

The Community of Aidan and Hilda is a Christian organization that is seeking to create a contemporary expression of Celtic Christianity by serving as a resource to Christians and churches.  The American branch of this community is called St. Aidan Trust - USA.

C) Independent Celtic Churches

There are several independent Celtic denominations governed by bishops and claiming to be in the line of apostolic succession but not connected with the current Roman Catholic, Orthodox or Anglican bodies.  Following is a listing of some such churches.  The Church of the Culdees and the Celtic Orthodox Christian Church are both independent American churches in the Orthodox tradition.  The Celtic Christian Church, the Anglican Rite Archdiocese of the Americas - Celtic Rite, and the Celtic Catholic Church are all independent American church.

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