In work and worship – God is with us
Gathered and scattered – God is with us
Now and always – God is with us
Closing responses of the daily morning prayer at Iona Abbey
Summer 2022
Desirée van der Hijden and I stopped working. We decided to take a kind of 'gap
year'. In the fall we travelled through Europe for three months with an
Interrail card and this spring we stayed on Iona for four months. On this
island off the northwest coast of Scotland, the Iona Community runs a centre in
an old abbey. We have been Members of this international ecumenical community
for many years, which is committed to justice, peace and wholeness of creation and
to liturgical renewal. The Members are connected by a common rule of life, but
do not live together. They do meet regularly, including an annual week on Iona.
So we know
the place well, have often stayed there for a week as a guest, but now we
wanted to contribute as a volunteer to offering hospitality to others.
In work…
Between
March and October, the Iona Community welcomes up to 44 guests every week to
live in community for a week at Iona Abbey and follow a program. It is often an
international group. Half of the guests come from the United Kingdom, a quarter
from the United States, the remainder from countries such as Germany, the
Netherlands, Denmark, Sweden, Switzerland, Canada, Australia and New Zealand.
To make
this possible, the Iona Community employs 12 paid staff and approximately 20
volunteers for shorter (minimum 6 weeks) or longer periods (up to eight
months). They work in various departments, from housekeeping and kitchen to
sacristy, music, program, maintenance and shop. Desirée worked in the shop for
four months, I in the kitchen. We worked five days a week, about eight hours a
day. We usually had one day off together, sometimes both days, but
schedule-wise that was not always possible. Our working hours also differed.
The shop was always open from ten to five, in the kitchen we worked in two
shifts: a day shift from seven to three o'clock and a split shift from 7.30 am
to 1 pm and from 5 to 7.30 pm. So most of the work took place in the morning,
in the evening the food only had to be heated up in the oven and sometimes the
finishing touches had to be put on the salad and dessert. The tasks were
divided each day: one was responsible for the main course, usually a one-pot
meal, another for the salad, a third for the dessert, usually something baked,
a fourth for the soup at lunch. And then there were always some smaller tasks,
such as baking bread and cookies for the guests, flapjacks for the pilgrimage,
egg mayo and hummus for lunch, not to mention the special diets. At a full
Abbey, this meant cooking for more than seventy people, because living in
community also meant that staff and volunteers eat together with the guests in
the afternoon and evening. Most meals were vegetarian, only on Sundays there
was meat on the menu. And if you had nothing to do, you could always do the
dishes. Plates and cutlery were for housekeeping, but we had to wash all other
items used for cooking ourselves.
I had a good time in the kitchen. I sometimes found cooking in large quantities a challenge, but the recipes were clear. Working in a team is fun, especially during the coffee break when housekeeping and sacristans join us. At the same time, I was struck by how physically demanding the work was. I stood or walked all day and two people had to lift the large pots of soup or vegetables off the stove. And Friday was a special day, because the guests left by ferry at ten to nine. That gave us the opportunity to deep cleaning the kitchen, during which I took care of the stove and ovens. They were left a lot cleaner than when I found them in early April. And every Friday there were also three large deliveries of food in bulk packaging.
…and
worship
Community
life at the Abbey is centered around meals (eight o'clock, one o'clock and six
o'clock) and the two worship services. Every day there is a morning worship at
9 am, following a fixed order of service and an evening worship at 9 pm,
following a fixed schedule:
Saturday
welcome
Sunday
silence
Monday
justice, peace and integrity of creation
Tuesday
prayers for healing
Wednesday
agape celebration
Thursday
commitment service
On Sunday
morning there is no morning service at 9 am, but an ecumenical communion
service at 10.30 am. This last worship service has three leaders: one leads the
word service, another holds the reflection and a third leads the table service.
The latter is always a minister who is entitled to preside over the Lord's
Supper in his or her own denomination. There is always such a person among the
Abbey's staff, volunteers and guests. All other liturgical functions are
divided among themselves. Volunteers are invited to lead a morning service and,
if you wish, also an evening service. We were happy to take advantage of that
opportunity. In addition to some morning services, I also led two prayer
services for healing and two services for justice and peace.
I have found it very beneficial to attend a service at the Abbey twice a day for four months. The morning worship became so familiar that after two months I no longer needed a book: I knew all the English responses by heart. The evening services were much more varied and sometimes very creative and challenging. And it was always a pleasure to sing together. The Iona Community attaches great importance to music. She always employs a paid church musician and a volunteer. One or more songs are practiced for each celebration. The songs are accompanied on piano, but guests and volunteers are also invited to participate if they can play an instrument. Guitar, flute, violin, drums, triangle, harp... over time I have heard the most diverse instruments.
Gathered…
A week on
Iona runs from Saturday afternoon to Friday morning with the main goal: living
in community. Sometimes the week has a specific theme (Celtic spirituality, new
forms of liturgy, youth week), more often it is an open week. For many guests,
such a week is a very inspiring and sometimes life-changing event.
It took
some time to get used to these weeks in the new role of volunteer. Contact with
the guests varied, some weeks more intense than others. Four times I have
participated in the pilgrimage across the island, which is held every Tuesday
(Tuesday was my regular day off) and a few times I have given a session on the
Iona Community, when the warden was unable to attend. In other weeks, contact
was limited to a few conversations at the table.
It was
special to volunteer as a Member of the Iona Community. Almost every week we
met other Members on the island, staying as guests at the Abbey or elsewhere.
But there were other communities more important now. Desirée and I lived with four other volunteers in Cul Shuna, a house in the village. In addition, there was the kitchen team, the larger group of volunteers and finally also the staff. On Friday evening and Sunday evening there were many opportunities for social contacts. There was a coming and going of volunteers, with some regularity we had a farewell drink or meal.
…and
scattered
The four
months are over, we are back home. On Iona a lot of communication took place in
various WhatsApp groups; I have never used my cell phone so much. We have been
removed from most groups, but two new groups are still open: those of former
volunteers and former residents of Cul Shuna. This way the contact continues.
And we have received several invitations to visit people in the United Kingdom,
Denmark and Switzerland, while a guest bed is also available here.
In addition
to the wonderful experiences of working in the kitchen, the inspiring
celebrations and the nature of Iona, this period has also provided the insight
that I am not looking for new volunteer work. I prefer to spend more time on my
existing 'obligations' in various organizations. The Iona Community Netherlands
is one of them.
Finally
Around
Pentecost, the television program 'Petrus in de land' dedicated two broadcasts
to Iona and the Iona Community, on May 20 with singer Lakshmi and on May 27
with singer-songwriter Stef Bos. The recordings were made in March, just before
we arrived. Both broadcasts also include short interviews with staff members
and volunteers with whom we have worked.
https://www.npostart.nl/petrus-in-het-land/27-05-2023/KN_1731642
(first published in Dutch on the website of the
roman-catholic parish federation St Mary Magdalene (Rotterdam-Zuid, Barendrecht
and Ridderkerk))
