About THE Society of St columba
The Society of St Columba is an independent, ecumenical religious society. We offer public evening eucharist services in the Old Catholic and Celtic Christian traditions and members only quarterly seasonal ceremonies in the Celtic Mystery tradition. In our services and ceremonies we attempt to attune to nature in order to celebrate the cycles of life, the seasons of the earth, and integrate our spirituality into our lives.
Our evening eucharist services are held eight times per year and are open to people of all denominations (or none). We aim to provide a place of peace and spiritual comfort for those who attend the chapel. We aim to be welcoming and supportive so that people of any religious background, culture, or sexual orientation may experience a sense of community and support as they travel their spiritual pilgrimage through life.
Ceremonies for the Equinoxes and Solstices are conducted four times per year (Autumn, Winter, Spring, Summer). Attendance is for members of the Order of St Columba only. Membership is by application and invitation after a period of discernment. .Additionally, a quarterly newsletter (The Oak and Cross) and a lending library, as well as an annual weekend retreat are available for members .
About The Guardian of the Society
Father Ciaran, the Priest of the Chapel and Guardian of the Order of St Columba coordinates and leads the evening eucharist services, seasonal ceremonies, and contemplative meditation sessions. He is an ordained priest with apostolic succession in the Old Catholic and Anglo-Celtic traditions. Professionally, he works as a Psychological Therapist in both the public sector and in private practice and has also been a University Lecturer. He has a strong interest in Ancient Mythology, Cultural Anthropology, World Religions, Psychoanalytic Psychotherapy, and Jungian Analytical Psychology.
While a Pakeha New Zealander by birth, Father Ciaran is of English/Welsh, Irish, and Scottish ancestry. He lives in Titirangi with his wife and two children, and has been involved with Celtic Spirituality and Contemplative Christianity for over 30 years. Over the years, Father Ciaran has led personal development and Christian Meditation groups, and conducted Celtic rites of passage (baby blessings, adult baptisms, weddings/hand-fasting ceremonies, and funerals) as a celebrant. He is also a trained and registered counsellor who offers Spiritual Direction and Supervision as an 'Anam Cara'.
Old Catholic/Liberal Catholic Apostolic SucCesSion
(Primary Succession - Click here for full details)
The primary succession traces back through the Liberal Catholic Church to the Dutch/German Old Catholic Church and before that the Roman Catholic Church (back through Cardinal Scipione Rebiba, Roman Catholic Bishop of Troia (Consecrated 1566) down to Antonio Barberini (1668), down to Gerard Gul, Old Catholic Bishop of Utrecht (1908) etc...
Anglo-Celtic Succession
Our succession also traces back via the Protestant Episcopal Church USA, which descended from both the Scottish Episcopal Church, and the (Anglican) Church of England. Please click link here for a detailed ANGLO-CELTIC SUCCESSION .
Holy Celtic Church (FRench) Succession
Monsignor Jean Pierre Danyel (Bishop Tugdual) Primate of the Holy Celtic Church, on 15th August 1966 consecrated: John Nicholas Collins, who in 1968 consecrated Peter Cockburn Distin, Auxillary Bishop of the Holy Celtic Church, who in 1969 consecrated Anthony John Williams, Primate of the Holy Celtic Church, who in 1979 consecrated Thomas Illtyd Thomas, Primate of the Celtic Catholic Church, who is 1985 subconditionally consecrated Bishop Bertil Persson etc...down to the priest of the Chapel of St Columba, Father Ciaran.
Ancient British Church/CELTIC Orhodox CHURCH succession
Our lineage tracing back to Jules Ferrette (1828-1904) can be found HERE. Ferrette (Mar Julius), was a French ex Roman Catholic Dominican priest who founded the Catholic Apostolic Church (later renamed the Ancient British Church and Orthodox Celtic Church) after being consecrated in 1866 in Syria by Ignatius Peter IV, Patriarch of Antioch and head of the Syrian Orthodox Church. The consecration was witnessed by the British Consul at Damascus.
Returning to England, Ferrette received Rev. Richard Williams Morgan, an Anglican priest and Druid, into the tradition. Fr. Morgan, a Welsh nationalist and renowned folklorist, took the name Mar Morien I ( Welsh for Pelagius). Ferrette and Williams (while also continuing his duties as an Anglican Priest) attempted to restore a form of ‘Neo-Celtic Christianity’ in Britain, which they claimed existed in a syncretistic, Druidic form prior to Augustine of Canterbury and the Synod of Whitby. It is in alignment with this vision, and with a similar purpose that the Society of St Columba was established.
