“We have to get her out of here. A boat has just arrived and two men from Ardslignish are being brought to the infirmary. I don’t want to see her crying again. That’s what happens every time Ardslignish is mentioned.”
“Yes,” agreed Tamara “she doesn’t need to be reminded her of her poor Culann. Come with me. We will take her outside to see the full moon.”
Tamara and Máia spoke to Fea who was listlessly checking the supply of herbs and spices used in treating patients. “There is a wonderful full moon outside Sister dear. Come with us and get some fresh air. You’ve been cooped up in here all day.”
Fea allowed herself to be taken outside. Trees obscured most of the sky so the women walked up the nearby hill which was devoid of trees. The large full moon could be seen quite clearly rising over the nearby hill, casting its bright light over the monastery buildings and farmlands. The sisters continued to climb until they were at the top of the hill. There was no wind and very little cloud cover.
* * * * *
It was dark when Culann and Fergus climbed out of the curach onto the beach at Lios mór. While the sailors made safe their craft and unloaded the supplies, our two heroes quickly made their way to the infirmary which lay in dark shadow in the middle of the monastic compound buildings.
As they opened the door a startled sister put her hand to her mouth. “Are you from Ardslignish?” she asked in a trembling voice.
“Yes,” responded Culann glancing around the dimly lit infirmary. “Where is Sister Fea?”
“She is not here,” responded the sister backing away. “She doesn’t want to see you.”
“What!” exclaimed Culann suddenly grabbing one of the wooden pillars to steady himself. “But I am Culann.”
“We know who you are. When Fea was told you were coming she left so she wouldn’t have to see you.”
Culann’s shoulders sagged. He turned slowly and with Fergus looking on incredulously made his way slowly to the door.
“Fergus, Fergus, is that you?” called Sinead
Just then another slight figure ran into the room. “Fergus, Fergus, is that you?”
Fergus looked around to find a slim blonde girl in a nun’s habit standing in front of him. “Aye lassie, it’s me,” he smiled as he recognised the young girl from Poolewe, Sinead.
“We were told you had been killed. What are you doing here?”
Fergus shrugged his shoulders and pointed to the now empty door. “I came with Culann. He travelled all this way to meet Sister Fea - but apparently she doesn’t want to see him again.”
“Rubbish!” said Sinead with feeling. “She has done nothing but cry since she was told Culann had died. A couple of sisters took her outside when they heard some people were coming from Ardslignish. They didn’t want to have her upset again. I saw them go up on yonder hill,” pointing at a nearby window.
Fergus smiled in gratitude before rushing out the door to find Culann.
* * * * *
Fea watched the moon for a while then shifted her gaze to the mainland, which was just a dark silhouette. Again she looked down toward the monastery building when she suddenly gave a little cry, covered her eyes and turned away.
“Whatever is the matter Fea?” asked Máia in a concerned voice.
“I’ve just had another vision.” Fea cried.
“What sort of vision?” this time from Tamara.
“I saw Culann’s ghost.” said Fea with a sob in her voice, pointing behind her.
Máia and Tamara both looked skyward in the direction of Fea’s outstretched hand. They could see nothing. Both sisters looked at each other greatly concerned. Perhaps Fea was losing her mind, poor thing. It must be terrible to lose ones loved one.
Just then Máia glanced back down toward the infirmary. She gasped and pulling Tamara’s sleeve, pointed downhill. Tamara looked, was speechless for a moment and then burst out laughing. Turning to Fea she cried “That’s not a ghost. That’s Culann and young Fergus climbing the hill towards us.”
Fea cautiously turned and peered wide eyed at the white robed figure which had now just gained the crest of the hill. “Is it really you Culann?” she cried.
Culann paused, held out his arms and replied, “It’s really me.” Fea ran toward him and they embraced on Lios mór’s hill, in front of the now clapping Máia and Tamara, bathed by a beautiful full moon.
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10.1 – When a girl marries
Culann and Fea - united at last
The small wooden meeting hall on Lios mór was packed. Abbot Jowan finally signalled that Culann and Fea, who had been waiting outside with some of her ‘milk maid’ sisters, should enter. As they walked down the centre isle toward the front seats allocated for them, murmuring broke out on both sides. People crowded at the open door and peered through the windows. It seemed the entire population of Lios mór was present.
Abbot Jowan called the congregation to order, “Brothers and Sisters, please be seated. Before we proceed further, I wish to summarise the discussions that have taken place here while Brother Culann and Sister Fea were waiting outside.
“As we all know I have called this special meeting to discuss the fact that Brother Culann and Sister Fea have requested they be married. The Celtic Church does not forbid its brothers and sisters from marrying, if they so choose. However in all cases of which I am aware, that person marries someone who is outside the church, not a member of the clergy. They normally leave our cloisters to so better look after their new family.”
“I am aware that occasionally, if the marriage does not work out, and this applies invariably to our formers sisters, should the wife, or ex-wife, or widow, expresses a desire to rejoin our community, we welcome her back.
“The problem I face here is, while Brother Culann and Sister Fea have indicated they wish to marry, which they may do with our blessing, they have also requested to be allowed to remain in the church. I was not aware of any rules or regulation regarding such procedures. So over the past five days I have researched our church canons (a Church decree or law), the New Testament, plus all the information we have, of any synods of note, that have taken place over the past six hundred years which may relate to this issue.” Here the Abbot paused to gather his thoughts.
“I am aware of the Synod of Whitby which took place late last year, which resulted in the Church of Rome being appointed as the final arbiter on things such as the determining the date we celebrate Easter and the manner of tonsures. However I, and a number of other brethren of the Celtic Church do not intend to blindly follow the dictates of the Church of Rome.
“As Abbot of Lios mór I will determine, in consultation with you, Brothers and Sisters, the manner in which we conduct church affairs and spread the word of our Lord to our parishioners throughout this country.
“Let me share with you some of the important historical items I have discovered, with the help of our learned brothers in our scriptorium.
“Firstly, Jesus’ disciple Saint Peter, ‘the Rock’, to whom the Lord gave the Keys to Heaven and was the first Pope, was in fact a married man. This is stated in the Gospel of Matthew and Mark where Jesus cures the mother -in-law of Peter who was in bed with a fever. (Matthew 8:14, Mark 1:30). We know many of the men and women who first spread the gospel in those early years were married. Saint Paul states in his first letter to the Corinthians ( 1-9:5) “Don’t we have the right to take a believing wife along with us, as do other apostles and the Lord’s brothers and Cephas?” (Peter means "stone" in Greek, while Cephas is "stone" in Aramaic. Paul did not have a good relationship with Peter)
Culann and Fea looked at each other and smiled.
Abbot Jowan continued, “I look at Timothy 1-3:2, and I quote: ‘Now the overseer must be above reproach’. It is acknowledged that the term ‘overseer’ in the New Testament means ‘Bishop’. As you know we in the Celtic Church do not have Bishops, which in the Church of Rome are senior members of the cler
gy in charge of a diocese. (A diocese is the district or see under the supervision of a Bishop. It is divided into Parishes.).
“The Roman Church is big on organisation and models itself along the lines of the later period of the Roman Empire, which the term ‘Dioceses’ was used to group several provinces.
“We in the Celtic Church are small on organisation, but big on spreading the gospel, healing the sick, and copying the Word of God, plus any other historical document we can lay our hands on.” At this point the entire congregation burst into laughter and applause.
“However I digress, “smiled Jowan. “In quoting Timothy, using our current understanding, it would read: ‘Now the Bishop must be above reproach, the husband of but one wife, temperate, self-controlled, respectable, hospitable, able to teach, not given to drunkenness, not violent but gentle, not quarrelsome, not a lover of money. He must manage his own family well and see that his children obey him with proper respect. If anyone does not know how to manage his own family, how can he take care of God’s church?”
Utter silence greeted these pronouncements, which was not common knowledge to the gathered congregation.
“Now let us look at the other side of the argument,” continued Jowan “Brother Hesus has provided me with the Greek copy of the Council of Elvira meeting in Spain in 306 AD. A group of western Church of Rome Bishops met and adopted the first anti-sex church decree or law, although they stopped short of banning marriage. By that I mean priests could remain married but had to practice celibacy. That seems quite pointless to me and totally impractical.”
Abbot Jowan continued, “Our own beloved Saint Patrick, who two hundred years ago in Éire (Ireland) established churches in conjunction with civitates (A collective body of citizens, where belief in God is the contract binding them all together) like his own in Armagh. They were small enclosures in which groups of Christians, often of both sexes and including the married, lived together, served in various roles and ministered to the local population”
“I have concluded then that there is no reason why Brother Culann and Sister Fea cannot marry and remain in their respective positions within the Celtic Church. If they so wish I would be pleased to carry out the wedding ceremony now.”
A chorus of “Amen’s” rang out from the assembled crowd as both Culann and Fea nodded agreement.
(Note: From early periods the kin nature of many monasteries meant that some married men were part of the community, (but obliged to abstain from sex during fasting periods). Some abbacies passed from father to son, and then even to grandson.
~ ~ ~ Celibacy again enters the conflict in 1018 AD, when Pope Benedict VIII issued a series of decrees, all of which were primarily aimed at avoiding the shift of valuable property from church control. In 1039 AD, Pope Leo IX imposed celibacy on all clergy, a decision that contributed to the Great Schism of 1054, when the Catholic Church split. The priests who formed the Eastern Orthodox Church have always maintained that the Catholic celibacy rule is man-made, as opposed to Divine law.
* * * * *
The entire congregation moved out of the meeting hall. As was the custom for weddings, Culann and Fea stood before Abbot just outside the church door. The multitude gathered around, some moving to higher ground to ensure a good view of the proceedings. The weather was kind.
Abbot Jowan first addressed the crowd, “Normally I would ask someone from the audience to deliver a brief overview of the bride-to-be’s life achievements. This is to ensure she is fit and proper person to be joined in holy matrimony. However, as I had selected Sister Fea to organise and supervise the building of the Infirmary on Lios mór, I have personally researched her background and been privileged to work very closely with her over the years, I believe I am possibly best able to list her attributes.
“Some four years ago I learnt about a terrible plague that swept through one our greatest monasteries in Eire, Saint Brigid’s. I was advised by some of the many monks that travelled through this region that a great number of the clergy, male and female, were saved by the skill and dedication of a young nun called Fea, and her so called ‘milk maids’.
“At that time we had no suitable infirmary on Lios mór and I resolved that we should have one. But I had no one who had the necessary skills to build and supervise such a major venture. Less than twelve months later two young nuns arrived on Lios mór to pick herbs and spices for their monastery just down the coast on Jura. Imagine my delight when I discovered that not only had they come originally from Saint Brigid’s, but Sister Fea was the leader of the nuns directly involved in saving so many people from that terrible plague. Naturally I immediately arranged for Fea and the rest of her ‘milk maids’ to move permanently to Lios mór and supervise the building and running of our infirmary. I have to say they have done an excellent job, and the Lios mór infirmary is renowned throughout the entire region.
“I also have to mention Fea brought with her a monk from Jura, Brother Hesus, who despite his physical disabilities has enhanced our scriptorium with his language skills, particularly Greek.
“Sister Fea is a learned, considerate woman with wonderful leadership skills, fearless, as recently seen when she undertook a journey to our outer islands with our Pict visitors, as well as dealing with sometimes stroppy (bad tempered) wounded warriors, and monks. So I can whole heartedly endorse Sister Fea as a person whom I’m sure will make an excellent wife.”
The large group gathered in front of the church loudly cheered and applauded, obviously in agreement with the Abbot’s views.
“Now,” continued Jowan, “I will call on someone who knows our prospective groom much better than I. Please make welcome our beloved colleague from Iona, Brother Bryan.” Bryan rose from the bench on which he’d been sitting and with the aid of a wooden crutch, stood and addressed the crowd.
“Thank you Abbot Jowan and my good wishes to all brothers and sisters. I have been fortunate to have known Brother Culann for many years. He first came to Iona from Eire (Ireland) as a Fianna warrior, with a marvellous endorsement from the Abbess of Saint Brigid’s. I understand he single-handedly rescued Sister Fea from a raiding party while she was still a student at Saint Brigid’s. However according to our esteemed Abbot Cumméne, Culann was a recipient of a divine intervention or vision, which led him to become a monk at Iona.
“I recall Culann expressed a desire to become a monk because he had heard of the exploits of our glorious founder, Saint Columba, may his soul rest in peace, who was known as a ‘warrior monk’. Culann not only wanted to be a warrior monk, but requested to be able to carry his weapon. This caused quite a stir at Iona. Finally Abbot Cumméne agreed he would be allowed to do so, but in the Abbot’s own words ‘as long as I can’t see it’.” A murmur of laughter rang out at this revelation.
“I have had the good fortune to have Culann accompany me on a number of ventures, where his presence not only ensured the safety of our brothers, but by doing so ensured the success of those ventures. I must mention the most notable, when Culann accompanied me and two other Iona monks when we travelled to Lindisfarne and then onto Whitby to attend that Synod last year.
While at Whitby Culann saved a young Pict lad called Fergus from a band of British warriors led by their bloodthirsty Anglo war-lords. I mention this particularly because I notice that youth, Fergus mac Ciniod, is present here today.” Bryan pointed to a group off to his left and the young Pict smiled and raised his hand in acknowledgement.
Brother Bryan continued, “By upsetting the Anglo brother of King Oswy, who commanded this scurvy band of brigands, Culann could have put our entire party, which included monks from Lindisfarne as well, in harm’s way. However he decided to sail back to Lindisfarne together with Fergus, before we all left to return, thus saving us from any danger. I might mention they sailed back in the one man curach that young Fergus used to sail, or rather paddle, alone, all the way from Lindisfarne to Whitby, so he could observe the Synod.” A round of applause broke out as people acknowle
dged the perseverance of the Pict lad. This was proving most entertaining. The Celts loved adventure stories.
“But when the rest of our contingent had safely returned to Lindisfarne some days later, we were shocked to discover Abbot Colmán of Lindisfarne decided he would resign his Abbacy and return to Eire. He could not bear to continue his work under the laws and restrictions of the Church of Rome.
“We were advised that a number of Anglo/British warriors were already opposite Lindisfarne on the mainland. Abbot Colmán requested Culann and Fergus greatly assist the monastery by carrying twelve of our most precious codicils back to Iona. We are aware that people who might be sympathetic to the Church of Rome, may destroy any codicils we have copied which are not endorsed by Rome. Culann and Fergus both immediately volunteered for this very dangerous venture. I remember waving them farewell in the early hours of the following morning, as they set out on their perilous journey by boat. I honestly thought their task was hopeless. As you may recall large number of Angles and Britons had invaded the country north of the river Forth. I never expected to see them or those codicils again.”
Note: The Church of Rome had many scriptoriums in their monasteries in cities throughout Europe. But the scribes working in those scriptoriums were only allowed to reproduce copies of the Old and New Testament. Everything else was considered blasphemous.
~ ~ ~ The monks in the Celtic Church on the other hand, copied not only the Old and New Testament, but any other documents they could lay their hands on; Roman, Greek, Hebrew, Aramaic - everything. It is due to the Celtic monks that we have any knowledge at all of early Roman, Greek or Middle Eastern history.
Murmuring broke out among the crowd at this point. Abbot Jowan rose and waved the assembly to be quiet, then indicated to Brother Bryan he should continue.
“Needless to say,” responded Bryan in a slightly louder voice, “I was wrong in my assumption, as you see both Culann and Fergus are with us today. The codicils are also safely ensconced on Iona. But this is neither the time nor place to relate the adventures our two brave colleagues experienced in achieving their formidable task.