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An Interview with Ray Simpson
A Modern Christian Pilgrim – Ray Simpson.
Profile: Ray Simpson was born in the early years of the Second World War. He was ordained a priest in the Church of England in 1964. After a curacy in London and a period working for the Bible Society, in 1978 he became the first Anglican and Free Church minister of a new united Christian church in Bowthorpe, near Norwich.
In 1985 he visited Holy Island for the first time – the beginning of an annual pilgrimage to the place where St Aidan established one of the first Christian communities in Anglo-Saxon England. For a while he wondered whether he was called to a monastic life. On New Year’s Eve in 1987, while visiting Holy Island (also called Lindifarne), he experienced a call by God to explore “a New Way in the church” – a reinvigoration of a spirituality that was vital in the monastic communities of the Celtic church.
Soon afterwards he and a group of like-minded Christians established the Community of Aidan and Hilda – a new form of Christian community, for married and unmarried Christians from across the denominational spectrum, with a way of life that enables members to practice the sacramental, biblical and charismatic balance found in the early Celtic church.The Community is named after two saints of the Celtic church, who were active in creating Christian communities in the north-east of England in the seventh century.
In 1996 he moved to Lindisfarne. The Community now also owns a large house on the island called The Open Gate, where visitors seeking a place peace and prayer (or even just a nice break!) can stay. Ray – and the Revd. Clare Short (the warden of the house) – are active in the year-long ‘Living Spirituality’ programme for modern pilgrims to the island.
Many thousands of visitors come to Holy Island each year – is there a difference between “tourists” and “pilgrims”?
People come to the island for a spectrum of reasons. Some because they are looking for peace and quietness, some because they are attracted by the beauty of the place and are interested in its natural history, and others because they are there to explore the past and present spiritual heritage of the island and possibilities for spiritual exploration. But there are no clear boundaries between different kinds of people. People who come here to bird-watch, or to paint, are often sensitive to the spiritual aspect of life, even if they don’t acknowledge it.
Recently the local tourist authorities have created the Cuthbert Way – a walk from Melrose to Holy Island. Many people finish the walk here and then find they want to find out more about the person whom the walk is named after and what he believed in. The spiritual can often catch people unawares on Holy Island.
Can you describe some pilgrimage activity that takes place on the island today?
Many pilgrims come. There are two basic kinds. There are those who make the journey on their own – perhaps people who are more inclined to focus on God within. In many ways, when the tide surrounds it, Holy Island is more a place of solitude than, say, Iona. People come for a personal retreat or to be alone on St Cuthbert’s Island nearby. There are also those who make the journey in a group.
Many church groups come throughout the year, but perhaps the most famous annual group pilgrimage is the Northern Cross Pilgrimage. Groups set off from four locations in the north of England. They arrive on Good Friday, carry their crosses barefoot across the sands by the pilgrim posts and lay them to rest. On Easter Eve there is a Paschal Fire service around a bonfire on the beach. On Easter Sunday the four crosses are decorated with flowers and taken to the church to celebrate the resurrection of Jesus, after which they process around the village singing.
How has pilgrimage to the island changed over the centuries?
In Aidan’s time (635-51) people came to the island to participate in the prayer life of the monastic community. They also sought out teachers who could give spiritual advice. After the shrine that housed Cuthbert’s uncorrupted body became famous, multitudes came for healing at his shrine and perhaps to make penance. The increasing institutionalization of the church during the Middle Ages led to a diluting of the spiritual clarity of the place.
Of course, the Reformation killed off formal pilgrimage, but in recent years many evangelicals have become interested in ‘Prayer Walks’ – which are really a kind of pilgrimage! I know one person who did a solitary prayer walk from Iona to Canterbury, via Holy Island, who found that it offered him the most incredible opportunities for evangelism. Travelling on foot meant that he encountered people on the same level and had time to share experiences.
Holy Island is place of great natural beauty – how much does that contribute to making it a ‘spiritual’ place?
A lot! God can be encountered anywhere, but if they built an industrial estate on the island so much would be lost – ‘shalom’ -harmony. A blighted land is an unhappy land. People who are sensitive to the things of the soul are more likely to be sensitive to the violation of the earth. The different aspects of our being, our physical body and our spirit are linked – and the Celtic saints preached the Gospel with the Bible in one hand and the book of nature in the other.
How important is the idea of pilgrimage to the Community of Aidan and Hilda?
It’s central – we view life as a spiritual journey and encourage members to share their journey with a Soul Friend. Also to go on pilgrimage and to make regular retreats. The purpose of pilgrimage is to tread in the shoes of Christ or his saints in order to make contact with the many rich experiences that are inevitable when we travel with him. Pilgrimages also move us out of our comfort zones, help us to depend upon God and others, and inspire us to mission.
More Information
Ray Simpson has written many books. The latest is a revised version of Exploring Celtic Spirituality; Historic Roots for our Future, Kingsgate, 2004.
People who would like to know more about the Community of Aidan and Hilda can visit their website at www.aidan.org.uk/ The Northern Cross pilgrimage site has lots of useful information and pictures and can be found at www.northerncross.co.uk/