Around a Thin Place (Book)

For centuries pilgrims have travelled to the isle of Iona in search of the sacred, inspired by the example of St Columba, a 6th-century Irish monk who founded a monastery there, and whose influence is felt to the present day. Many modern-day pilgrims and seekers are also drawn to the island through the work of the Iona Community, an ecumenical Christian community acting for justice and peace, the rebuilding of the common life and the renewal of worship.

The Iona Community runs a weekly pilgrimage around the island for those who visit, pausing for reflection at places of spiritual and historical significance, and at less obvious landmarks which offer inspiration for our daily lives and our engagement with the wider world.

This book is a rich collection of readings, prayers, poems, photographs, songs, stories and reflections. Island visitors and ‘armchair pilgrims’ alike are invited to take a prayerful, perhaps life-changing, journey around what George MacLeod, the Founder of the Iona Community, described as ‘a thin place – only a tissue paper separating the material from the spiritual’.

Jane Bentley is a former member of the Iona Community’s Resident Group on Iona and is a community musician. Neil Paynter is also a former member of the Resident Group, and is the editor and author of many books, including This Is the Day: Readings and Meditations from the Iona Community, Down to Earth: Stories and Sketches, and Iona: Images and Reflections (Wild Goose Publications).