It Started as an Idea…
It all started one cold winter day at St. Mary of Egypt Serbian Orthodox Church in Kansas City. After the services, Fr. Turbo had come over to our group to speak with us. The conversation turned towards the many Saints depicted in the iconography enveloping the whole wall.
“Is there an icon of St. Drostan somewhere up there?”, my friend asked. Great question! It was that point where Fr. Turbo shared with us his vision of buying some land for a chapel dedicated to the Celtic saints in the Kansas City area.
Why Celtic Saints?
If you were to approach a random person on the street and ask them if they have heard of St. John Chrysostom, St. Gregory Palamas, or any of the early Church Fathers, odds are they will say “no”.
However, they will know who St. Patrick is. He means many different things to many different people, whether that means dressing up in green clothes, decorating your home or workspace with four leaf clovers, going to a parade, or serving corned beef and cabbage. He is by far one of the greatest gifts to America to come from the Irish Diaspora.
The Celtic Saints’ impact on American society and popular culture doesn’t begin and end with St. Patrick, either. For example, a popular show, “Vikings”, featured a semi-historical enactment of the raid on the Lindisfarne monastery in AD 793. Among those who fell to the sword was a “Father Cuthbert”, who no doubt been a historical stand-in for St. Cuthbert of Lindisfarne having been martyred for Christ during the harrowing ordeal in real life.
Heritage Isn’t Everything, But…
The American Midwest is unique in that there is a relatively high proportion of people of Scots-Irish ancestry. In fact, there are more people of Irish heritage here in the United States than ethnically Irish people in Ireland today.
While heritage isn’t everything, it can be a spiritual aid when someone makes a connection to a specific saint or a group of saints from a certain part of the world. That is what immigrants from Greece, Romania, Russia, or Serbia, for example, had done when they came to America and built Orthodox Churches across the land. Yet, we are eternally grateful for their pioneering spirit and contributions to Orthodox Christianity in America, paving the way for later generations and converts alike to have a place to worship and come into communion with the one True God.
Saint Patrick is an Orthodox Saint
Many people are shocked when they find out that St. Patrick, among all of the other pre-Schism Celtic Saints, are Orthodox Saints first and foremost. Although they are most well known for being associated the Irish tradition of Roman Catholicism, the Saints themselves would not recognize any of the innovations of the Roman Catholic church that has developed after AD 1054 and beyond. Their praxis and understanding of dogma and theology is most aligned with how Orthodox Christians practice Christianity today.
Helping Introduce Orthodox Culture to Kansas City
One of the best kept secrets in America for those seeking the truth about life, reality, and the world around us is the Orthodox Christian Church.
In a world of confusion and turmoil, especially after one of the greatest tragedies of a generation, the COVID-19 pandemic, people feel lost in a world of social media, the 24-hour news cycle, and a climate of political tension. These same people are not only looking for the truth, but are seeking peace, prosperity, harmony, and a way to heal from their trauma. They’re looking for a refuge from the world.
Because of this malaise that exists in American society, outreach is more important than ever. Ultimately, building a chapel dedicated to the Celtic Saints is a way to introduce inquirers and the curious to Orthodox Christian culture in a way that provides a degree of familiarity.
It is our prayer that curiosity is cultivated into peace, harmony, healing, and a love for our fellow man and for our Lord, God and Savior, Jesus Christ.