First stop: Newgrange. After spending some time in the visitors center/museum, we took a shuttle bus to the massive burial mound. It was 5000 years old (older than the pyramids!). We hiked around it. The weather was rainy and quite cold. Then a tour guide took us inside. It was a narrow, cramped tunnel leading to a central chamber. On the winter solstice at 9:02 am, the sun shines a beam of light right into the middle of the chamber. Our guide re-created what that would be like. Incredible! The stone construction, the carvings, and the plan for light made this stop truly amazing.
After a panini lunch, we headed for Monasterboice. This cemetery has the best and oldest Celtic Crosses in Ireland. Some of the crosses and the round tower date back to the 10th century. The Christian community in that area existed since the 6th century.
After a three hour bus ride, we arrived at Corrymeela. It is a fifty year old Christian community right on the Atlantic Ocean coast. When we arrived, they immediately had biscuits, fruit and tea for us. After dinner, we met together. It was a time of laughter as students were randomly paired with each other to find out three facts about the other person. Then everyone shared what they learned about the other. Everyone also had to share their name and a food that alliterated with their name.
We also prayed together and read Psalm 103 together. Kiran, our tour guide, shared about what a pilgrimage is: travel that spiritually transforms. In silence, students thought, prayed and journaled what they hoped to get out of this week. After some shared what they wrote, we had a circle prayer with each of us offering a short prayer. It was a beautiful time of worship and community building. Thanks for your prayers!
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