A Brief History

One of the primary distinctive things about Celtic spirituality is that it grew and flourished outside the influence and authoritiy of the instituional church which was then the Roman Catholic Church.  Until the Synod of Whitby in 664 AD, it was a spiritual communitiy which listened to its own drummer.  The drummer's name was John the Apostle.  Unlike the Roman tradition which was built upon Peter as the head of the church, Celtic spirituality was based more on the teaching of John who as it is often expressed in Celtic literature, leaned on the breast of Jesus at the last meal and heard the heartbeat of God.    

Most likely the first converts to the Christian way in the regions around Ireland and Scotland came as a result of converted Roman soldiers.  But, the Roman influence was limited as Roman influence withdrew in defense of the homeland.  This movement created a vaccum several centuries long where the new church could grow apart from the influence of the institutional church, something which did not change until the Synod at Whitby in 664 AD.  

This Synod brought an end to the visible growth of the Celtic community.  It became an underground spiritual movement which survived on the fringes of the spiritual community, one whose influence continued to be known through the passage of its oral tradition.  In more recent years it has experienced something of a revival in the interest of those who are looking for a vein of spirituality which has both stood the test of time and adversity and also was birthed and grew without the burden of adhering to the rigid standards of the institutional church.