Lesson video

Hi, my name's Miss Minton, and welcome to this Christianity: Practises lesson on Pilgrimage to Iona.

And by the end of this lesson, you will be able to explain the role and importance of Iona as a Christian place of pilgrimage.

And today we'll be drawing upon knowledge of pilgrimage to support our learning in this lesson, but there'll also be lots of new learning today.

Don't worry though, because I'm here to guide you through each step of the lesson, and I'm confident that by the end, you'll achieve this outcome.

So let's get started and take a look at our keywords for today.

We have Celtic, Iona, monastery, and pilgrimage.

Now, the word Celtic refers to the ancient peoples of Europe and their culture who lived in regions like England, Scotland, Wales, and Ireland.

Iona is a place of pilgrimage where St.

Columba founded a monastery in the sixth century, and a monastery is a building that's lived in by a community of monks who follow religious vows.

And finally, a pilgrimage is a religious journey to a holy site or a sacred place, and it's an act of worship and devotion.

Now our lesson today will have two parts.

We'll start by looking at Iona as a place of pilgrimage, and we'll then move on to look at the significance of Iona for Christians today.

So let's make a start and take a look at Iona as a place of pilgrimage.

Now, to get started, I've got some questions that I'd like you to consider.

First of all, what is a pilgrimage? Who might go on a pilgrimage and why might they go? And finally, do you know any pilgrimage destinations? So pause the video and either talk to a partner, talk to me, or have a think to yourself.

Off you go.

So a pilgrimage is a religious journey to a holy site or a place of religious significance.

And people who go on pilgrimage are known as pilgrims, and usually pilgrims are religious believers, but they can also be people who are non-religious.

Pilgrimage destinations vary across different religions because there are different places that are important to different religions for different reasons.

So for example, Lourdes is a very popular pilgrimage destination for Christians, and Mecca is a popular pilgrimage destination for Muslims. So in our lesson today, we are looking at Iona as a place of Christian pilgrimage.

And Iona is a small island that's located off the west coast of Scotland, and it's become a popular pilgrimage destination for Christians.

Now, before we go any further, let us check your understanding so far.

This sentence is missing a word: Blank is a popular pilgrimage destination off the coast of Scotland.

Is the missing word, A: Lourdes, B, Taize, C: Iona, or D: Walsingham? Fantastic.

The missing word is C, Iona.

So it's Iona that is a popular pilgrimage destination off the coast of Scotland.

Well done.

Now Iona became a popular pilgrimage site for Christians because of its history as a major centre of early Christianity in Scotland.

And this was started by St.

Columba.

Now St.

Columba was a Celtic Christian monk.

So this means that he was a member of a religious order and had taken vows to dedicate his life to God.

St.

Columba was from Ireland and he lived between the years 521 and 597 AD.

And in 563 AD, St.

Columba travelled with 12 other Celtic Christian monks by boat from Ireland to Iona.

Now, when St.

Columba reached Iona, he founded a monastery and this monastery became a key centre of Christian learning, worship, and missionary activity.

The monastery became known for its scholarship, manuscript copying, and spiritual influence throughout Scotland, Ireland and even northern England.

And the monastery on Iona was one of the most important early Christian sites in Western Europe, and it played a major role in the spread of Christianity and in preserving Celtic Christian tradition.

So let's check your understanding again.

Which Celtic Christian monk built a monastery on Iona? A: St.

Christopher, B: St.

Columba, C: St.

Cornelius, or D: St.

Charles? Fantastic.

The correct answer is B.

It was St.

Columba who built a monastery on Iona.

Well done.

Now people started visiting Iona soon after St.

Columba had founded the monastery, and this started happening particularly from the seventh century onwards.

Now, I'd like you to have a think about why people wanted to visit this place that St.

Columba had founded a monastery on.

So I'd like you to pause the video and either talk to a partner, talk to me, or have a think to yourself.

Based on what you already know about St.

Columba and Iona, why do you think people wanted to visit Iona? Off you go.

So as part of your thinking time or your discussion, you may have said that people might want to visit Iona to honour St.

Columba and the work that he carried out there.

You may have also said to learn and study about Christianity or to grow in faith and spirituality.

Or perhaps you said that people might visit Iona to visit the monastery.

Now today, many Christians still visit Iona, but there are some differences to the pilgrimage site since St.

Columba established the monastery.

So the original monastery that was founded by St.

Columba was attacked and destroyed by Vikings in the late eighth to early ninth century.

And in the 12th century, the monastery was rebuilt and expanded as Iona Abbey.

And an Abbey is a building that is occupied by monks or nuns.

Now, although the original monastery was destroyed, Iona Abbey has become a famous site for Christian pilgrimage, prayer, and learning.

And today the Iona Community, which are a Christian ecumenical group that promote peace, justice, and spiritual renewal are resident in Iona Abbey.

And it continues to be a place of worship, pilgrimage, and retreat, and it welcomes people from all religions or no religion at all.

Now as well as Iona Abbey, Iona is also home to other historical Christian features.

For example, Celtic crosses.

A Celtic cross is a traditional Christian cross that has a ring around the arms, like you can see in the picture here.

Celtic crosses are often decorated with patterns that can include depictions of biblical stories.

Celtic crosses were used to teach biblical stories to people who were unable to read, and they were also used to mark places for pilgrims to pause and pray.

The Celtic crosses on Iona were built mostly between the eighth and 10th century.

Let's now check your understanding.

True or false? Christians only go to Iona to see Iona Abbey.

Fantastic.

That statement is false.

But why is that statement false? How do we know that this statement is false? Well, it's because Iona Abbey is just one reason that Christians might visit Iona.

Other reasons include to see the Celtic crosses, to grow and learn about their faith, and to honour St.

Columba and see where he visited and where he worshipped.

So well done for recognising that that statement is false, and for recognising the reason why.

It's now time for you to have a go at a task.

I would like you to explain two different reasons why Christians might go on pilgrimage to Iona.

Here's some guidance that you might find helpful when responding to this task.

Offer a point in relation to the question, so give one reason why Christians might visit Iona.

Then develop that point by explaining this reason and using examples where relevant.

Then offer a second point giving a different reason why Christians might visit Iona and then develop that point by explaining this reason and again, using examples where relevant.

So pause the video and have a go.

Well done for your work during that task.

So you were asked to explain two different reasons why Christians might go on pilgrimage to Iona, and your response might look similar to this.

One reason why Christians might go on pilgrimage to Iona is to visit Iona Abbey.

Iona Abbey was rebuilt in the 12th century after the original monastery built by St.

Columba was destroyed.

Today, Iona Abbey is a key feature of Iona where Christians can go to worship, pray, and learn more about their religion.

A different reason why Christians might go on pilgrimage to Iona is to see the historical Celtic crosses.

There are several Celtic crosses on the island of Iona dating back to around the eighth century.

The crosses tell Bible stories and mark places for pilgrims to pause and pray.

So well done again for explaining two different reasons why Christians go on pilgrimage to Iona.

We're now moving on to the second part of our lesson, which is to look at the significance of Iona for Christians today.

Like you, Jun and Lucas have been learning about Iona as a place of Christian pilgrimage and they're discussing why Iona might be significant for Christians today.

Jun says, "I think Iona is significant for Christians today because when Christians see Iona Abbey and the Celtic crosses, they can connect with the history of their religion." And Lucas says, "I agree, but I also think that Iona is significant because it was a major centre of early Christianity.

It's important because of its role in spreading Christianity, not just because of the buildings and features that can be seen." Now, Jun and Lucas are both correct and Iona remains an important place of Christian pilgrimage today because of its history and role in spreading early Christianity and because of its features like Iona Abbey and the Celtic crosses.

But there is another reason why Iona is significant for Christians today, and that's because it's considered to be a "thin place." Now, a "thin place" is a special and sacred location where the boundary between heaven and earth is very thin and it's a place where the spiritual feels particularly close.

Now the concept of a "thin place" comes from early Celtic Christian tradition.

So let's find out more about what it means to say that Iona is a "thin place".

Fergus is a Liberal Anglican Christian.

He's visited Iona as a child and has volunteered with the Iona Community at Iona Abbey as an adult.

And he explains why Iona is considered to be a "thin place".

Fergus says, "Iona is considered to be a 'thin place,' and part of this is because of its beauty and tranquillity.

During my time as a volunteer, I've spoken to lots of Christian pilgrims and many express a shared feeling of peace, stillness, and closeness with God during their time on Iona." So what we can see from Fergus' explanation is that Iona as a "thin place" means that it's a place where people can feel particularly close to God and spirituality.

So let's now check your understanding.

True or false? Iona is considered to be a "thin place" because it's a place where the boundary between heaven and earth is very thin.

Fantastic.

That statement is true.

But how do we know that this statement is true? Well, it's because the concept of a "thin place" comes from early Celtic Christian tradition, and Iona is considered to be a "thin place," because it's a special and sacred place.

And part of this is because of its beauty and tranquillity.

And this means it's a place where the boundary between heaven and earth is very thin.

So well done for identifying that the statement is true and for identifying the reason why.

Now because Iona is spiritually significant, the experience of visiting Iona can impact each person in a unique way.

Noah visited Iona to work and live with the Iona Community and he explains his experience.

Noah says, "I grew up in London in a Christian family, but I never really understood what being Christian meant for me as an individual until I visited Iona.

I heard about Iona from a friend and I like the idea of getting out of busy London and going somewhere quiet and peaceful to learn more about Christianity and hopefully find my faith.

After researching Iona, I decided that instead of just visiting alone, I would go and join the community at the Iona Abbey to live, work and worship with others.

The journey from London was long and tiring, but I reminded myself that the journey was part of the pilgrimage and part of my experience of Iona.

I arrived during 'Work Week' and I met people from all over the world.

I'll never forget the feeling of peace that came over me as I stepped into the Abbey for the first time and the first evening's worship brought a calm that I had been longing for.

When I returned to London, I had a deeper understanding of my faith and how it fits in with my life." So what we can see from Noah's experience is that he was somebody who was unsure of his faith before he visited Iona, and Iona gave him a sense of peace and calmness and allowed him to figure out how faith played a role in his life.

Now we're going to hear from Lorraine who visited Iona many times and explains the impact that Iona has had on her.

Lorraine says, "I visited Iona six times with my family before I turned 14, but recently I returned on my own, nearly 10 years later.

Iona has always felt like a spiritual home to me, and coming here alone has given me a new perspective and shaped my faith journey.

During my solo visit, I embraced the daily life by sharing meals, worship, working with others, and exploring the island.

I don't usually attend church with my family when I'm at home, but when I was on Iona, that Abbey became my place of worship.

Now I've returned from my visit.

I'm thinking about joining the young adult group of the Iona Community who meet online and in person to explore faith, take part in justice work, and go on pilgrimages together." So what we can see from Lorraine's experience is that she was Christian when she visited Iona and that she's visited Iona multiple times, but it still had a profound impact on her life and it's had a different impact on her when she visited Iona as an adult.

So now we've looked at some different experiences of people who've been to Iona.

Let's imagine that I've been asked to give one example of an activity that a Christian might take part in when visiting Iona.

My example is they might worship with others at the Abbey.

I'm now going to ask you the same question.

So I'd also like you to give one example of an activity that a Christian might take part in when visiting Iona.

So pause the video and have a go.

So you may have said that they might volunteer with the Iona Community, that they might take part in "Work Week" or that they might explore and go on pilgrimage around the island of Iona.

So well done if got one of those answers or something similar.

It's now time for you to have a go at a task.

Here is an evaluation statement that says "The best way for Christians to reach an understanding of God is to go on pilgrimage to Iona." Now if you were completing a full response to this statement, you would be expected to refer to Christian teaching, give reasoned arguments to support the statement and reasoned arguments to support a different point of view, and you'd also need to reach a justified conclusion.

Now, for the purpose of today's task, I would like you to complete the table that's on the next slide by adding further arguments to support the statement and further arguments to support a different point of view.

So here is the partially completed table.

Arguments to support the view that the best way for Christians to reach an understanding of God is to go on pilgrimage to Iona is that Iona is considered to be a "thin place" where people can become closer to God.

And arguments to support a different point of view include that there are other places Christians can go on pilgrimage and gain an understanding of God, for example, Lourdes.

So pause the video and complete the table by adding further arguments to support the statement and further arguments to support a different point of view.

Off you go.

Well done for your work on that task.

So you were asked to respond to the statement that the best way for Christians to reach an understanding of God is to go on pilgrimage to Iona by adding to the table with further arguments to support the statement and further arguments to support a different point of view.

Now for arguments supporting the statement, you may have said things like: When on pilgrimage in Iona, Christians can worship with others who share their beliefs at Iona Abbey, and that Christians may gain a better understanding of God when they see things like the Celtic crosses on Iona that tell Bible stories and mark places to pray.

And then for arguments supporting a different point of view, you may have said that Christians can reach an understanding of God through liturgical and non liturgical worship, and that there's actually no need to travel to Iona or another pilgrimage site and that Christians can reach an understanding of God through private worship, which can involve studying the Bible.

So well done again for working on that task and completing the table.

We've now reached the end of our lesson on Pilgrimage to Iona.

But before we finish, let's take a look at some of the key things that we've learned today.

So we've learned that pilgrimage is a religious journey to a place of religious significance, and it's considered an act of worship and devotion.

We've seen that Iona is a small island located off the coast of Scotland and it's a popular pilgrimage site because of its history as a major centre of early Christianity in Scotland, which was started by St.

Columba, who founded a monastery on the island.

We've seen that the original monastery was destroyed and rebuilt as Iona Abbey in the 12th century.

And that Iona is the home to several Celtic crosses, which have become significant for religious and historical reasons, and that there are many reasons why Christian pilgrims visit Iona today, including to work with the Iona Community, worship, find peace and tranquillity, and explore the history of St.

Columba.

So a huge well done for all of your work this lesson.

It's been wonderful learning with you today.