Welcome to the
Community of Aidan and Hilda

A Brief Introduction

The Community of Aidan and Hilda is a dispersed, ecumenical body drawing inspiration from the lives of the Celtic saints. The Open Gate, on Lindisfarne is our main house and offers accommodation for members and visitors. We provide a programme of retreats and events on Holy Island, around the UK, and internationally.

Download details of all retreats for 2008:    Word    PDF

While, Holy Island provides our main base there are regional groups around the UK, which have their own programme of events.

The Community works together to nurture a holistic Christian spirituality for today that can benefit both traditional and ermerging churches. We provide a wide range of resources such as books, cards, CDs, crafts, and even an extensive e-learning package. The Community is organised by the Caim Council and headed by a Guardian, currently Ray Simpson, whose web log you can access from the link near the top right of this page. Membership has a variety of forms:

• Friends
• Explorers
• Voyagers

You do not, however, need to be a member to enjoy the facilities and resources we offer. Most retreats and meetings are open to all christians and those wanting to find out about the Christian faith. Through this website you can find out more about the community and explore the possibility of joining with us.

If you are new to the story of the Celtic church that survived in Britain following the collapse of the Roman Empire, downloading the Celtic Timeline (PowerPoint file) should provide you with a brief chronology of events. There are also a number of introductory books available on the subject, which explore the relevance of the Celtic church to our lives today.

In his book "Celtic Daily Light" Ray Simpson provides us with daily meditations for each day of the year. You can read them online.