The Island of St Brendan the Navigator

Join Fr Seraphim and the Monasteries of Mull and Iona on a pilgrimage to St Brendan's Island: Eileach an Naoimh-'The Rock of the Saint'.
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The video 'The Island of St Brendan the Navigator' was recorded by Fr Seraphim (Aldea) at Iona Monastery (The Orthodox Monastery of the Mother of God and All Saints of Iona), on the Isle of Iona.

[@mullmonastery]

To support our Monasteries on Mull and Iona, you may make a donation here mullmonastery.com/donation/ or join our Online Community here mullmonastery.com/our-online-community/ or join us on one of our 2024 Scottish Isles Pilgrimages here shop.mullmonastery.com/product/scottish-isles-pilgrimage-2024/ May God bless us all!

[@alexlight4178]

Glory to God

[@seanmcgabriel207]

Greetings to all the Mull Community from an Orthodox Christian friend of your monastery in County Kerry, the home county of St Brendan.. 🙏☦️

[@thundergrace]

Amen Amen Amen!

[@roundtowerproductions]

I Pray to come here One day. My heart absolutely calls for it. My Christian name is Oran and monastic settlements just speak to my soul. I love your reference of visiting a spiritual museum. That's exactly how I feel when I visited Holy Island in Ireland known as Inis Celtra. So many connections with the Saints. Thanks for the beautiful video.

[@aileenbenson2605]

I visited this island today in spirit with this video...... May all the prayers of our ancestors plead today on behalf of our very broken world and bring to fruition the glorious reign of Our Majestic Sovereign Lord and Savior and King........... 🙏🙏🙏🙏

[@MrZadokthePriest]

Came across this video by chance on May 16th, the date set aside to commemorate St. Brendan. Bless you for honouring such a sacred and holy place.

[@etudigger3340]

Thank you for your history lessons and spiritual teachings, Father Seraphim. I always look forward to your words of hope in Christ our Lord. Blessings to you always.

[@jeffreyhoward6319]

It was studying Celtic Christianity that led me to Orthodoxy. This is such a blessing to witness a ministry that venerates the ecclesiastical heritage of so many converts in the west and around the world. It gives us a sense of truly being a part of the the greater body of Orthodox Christians world wide. We have historical roots in true Orthodoxy. It challenges us to be humble in the call to repent and grow in the life that is Orthodoxy. From realizing this heritage comes a great responsibility instead of pride. The Celts have taught me the compunction that I must be honest about how sinful I truly am.

[@jeffreyhoward6319]

FR Seraphim I want to express just how thankful I am for your ministry. Your homilies have so often been good medicine for the good fight each day.: PRAYER OF ST. BRENDAN "Help me to journey beyond the familiar and into the unknown. Give me the faith to leave old ways and break fresh ground with You. Christ of the mysteries, I trust You to be stronger than each storm within me. I will trust in the darkness and know that my times, even now, are in Your hand. Tune my spirit to the music of heaven, and somehow, make my obedience count for You." AMEN.

[@CJ17776]

Praying for the reunification of the Catholic and Orthodox church.

[@kiriaioulia]

Thank you for sharing these beautiful places. It brings the past to life, and shows us what we sometimes forget - that these Saints were REAL people. What a blessed example for us to have!!!!

[@ruthshivani]

BeautyFULL 🙏🏽🙏🏽

[@sosinaayalew6219]

The place is spectacular. May the prayer and intercession of St Brenden be with us 🙏 🙏 🙏 ❤

[@mullmonastery]

It is one of the most spiritually striking places, dear one. It is a harsh island, remote and abandoned, and it feels as if the spiritual battle between the holy monastics who lived here and the evil one is still going on. There is a sense of spiritual danger, but also SO much power everywhere around. I need to be here to be reminded of the reality of the unseen spiritual battle for my salvation. I also need to be here to be reminded what silence actually sounds like.

[@susannemyall7699]

❤❤❤🙏🙏🙏🕊🕊🕊

[@gretagarbo1119]

I so love ,Fr.,You feel the Saints are alive!They trully are!Thank You for the blessings!Much needed all the time!And for Your beautiful,kind,warm spirit!🥰🤗🙏

[@bethanscotford6755]

In reviewing this podcast today, I came across a delightful detail. I ntriced that an Ion of St Brendan was placed on a stony ledge protruding from the dry stone wall of the saint's chapel. Its composition included beneath the figure of of the saint a depiction of a boat which naturally stood for the movement and journeys of St Brendan; a true life of pilgrimage, reminding us that we have no abiding abode on this material globe, but rather our home is already prepared for us in God. I noticed that the boat depicted on the icon was a red boat, .and delightfully, drawn up on the shore of Ions, amongst the sand and marran grass was A RED BOAT! His presence is near

[@dschmid8845]

Greetings from Canada 🇨🇦. Thank you for sharing the Christian history of these islands. I was first aware of the monastic importance of the islands after watching Kenneth Clark’s “Civilization” series many years ago. Most people don’t know how Christianity spread throughout Europe and how it survived during the darkest period of the early middle ages, and of the contributions of the monasteries to civilization.

[@outoforbit-]

St Brenden's intersession is still asked for in Ireland to this day. Where I grew up many of the men are named after St Brenden.

[@PalaceMidasTV]

It's such an awe inspiring landscape, Brendan the navigator, such a heroic story.

[@remahunt4277]

Thank you Dear Father for this. Every little piece of St Brendan's island is so lovely. Your message was so filled with love and respect for all those who have come before. What a blessing they were and are; still holding the little flowers out to you and your companions. I am glad that I could see the beauty of it all. God Bless you and keep you every minute of every day for all of your life.

[@mullmonastery]

I am SO grateful to our pilgrims, dear one, because they are the ones who make it possible for us to get to these places, to pray there, to grow in our relationship with the Saints and to share all this love and knowledge with the world. By joining us and making all of this work possible, they become little missionaries for these holy sites and the wonderful Saints who lived here.

[@remahunt4277]

@@mullmonastery What a lovely thought...

[@ioanagrancea6091]

I discovered Saint Brendan thanks to the video you did about him two years ago. He means so much to me now. Thank you and may God support and protect your monasteries!

[@mullmonastery]

That is precisely why we do all this work, dear one. We need to paint their icons, reintroduce people to their lives (that's why we started a series of 'Lives of the Celtic Saints' on the Iona Monastery YT Channel) and - most importantly - we need to bring people to these sites so we may be physically present here and pray in the places where they prayed

[@mariantobin9884]

Thank you father for such a beautiful video. One can actually feel the peace and tranquility that exudes from this holy island.

[@rowenaparnham1720]

Peace be with you and your family in Christ x such a beautiful and thoughtful video thankyou x

[@hattie-thebatty-2486]

Just beautiful thank you so very much for sharing these sacred sites with us

[@mullmonastery]

It is our duty of love for these Saints, dear one. They have opened their spiritual home for us, they have blessed us so much, they have allowed us - despite our unworthiness - to live where they have lived: sharing our love and gratitude for them with you all is the least we can do.

[@lindaphillips4646]

A lovely video. Lovely words from you.. and i just noticed how those who have left comments seem to have absorbed that spirit and have spoken in the same love and softness..

[@colmwhateveryoulike3240]

Wow thank you. I did not know my patron Saint Colmcille met the other saint who's icon I have in my corner!

[@crystalbarnard3905]

Such a beautiful island, with such a beautiful, enduring history, and you have presented it to us, Father, as a gift to strengthen our spiritual lives. The island, with all its blessings, is alive for us. Thank you, Father, and God bless you! I have been dreaming of just such an island.

[@user-vb3fk9ii7j]

Thank you for this! God willing my wife and I will make it there one day. St Brendan, guide us. 🙏

[@kevinmckay6815]

Such a beautiful place. I was moved by it's history and your dedication to preserving these Celtic monastics lives and works. Peace be with you.

[@mullmonastery]

May Christ's peace be with us all, dear Kevin. The only way I can describe my feelings to these holy Sites and the Saints who lived here is that I wish I had several lives so I may live my monastic life on each of these islands. They are so different from each other, it's as if they are transformed by the spirit of the Saints who lived on them.

[@jmverville]

Absolutely inspirational. I desire one day to be able to feel such a strong presence of the centuries of prayer at the source. May the perfume of the saints prayers fill our lives, from St. Brendan's Isle and all the places they have struggled for our collective salvation.

[@stephaniebailey864]

Thank you Fr Seraphim, this is my favourite video of yours, such a beautiful place

[@michaelwiddis5997]

Fascinating Father! Thank you very much!

[@davidkehrer7342]

Thank you for your videos father, they are a blessing for everyone.

[@elizabethmaria821]

Just beautiful.❤

[@PodvigAmerica]

A true blessing to see and hear this spiritual journey & nourishment.

[@mritchie85]

I haven't gotten over to Mull before Fr, I hope to soon and see these places in first person with my own eyes.

[@mullmonastery]

May you have a blessed pilgrimage, dear one, when the time comes

[@mritchie85]

@@mullmonastery Hopefully soon, I will reach out nearer the time.

[@Babbajune]

Thank you! ❤

[@genewood9062]

Thank you, that was very encouraging. God said His name would be on the temple in Jerusalem. In such places as you mention, but also in some more recent sites, His name is still there! :--}>

[@richardgreiner9264]

Saint Brendan pray for us !

[@jsmcguireIII]

This would seem to coincide with the height of the Dal Riata.

[@charlestonscnative9083]

Thank you for sharing this with us!

[@mullmonastery]

If I could, I would take you all there, dear one. It makes such a difference experience to one's spiritual life to be physically present and to pray in such a holy site

[@vincenthogan]

Thank you Father Seraphim. Such history, quite fascinating. Great drone work and editing, well done!

[@mullmonastery]

A few weeks ago we were visited by a filming crew from the Romanian Patriarchate and they have very kindly allowed us to use their footage. Fr Fillan is also slowly learning how to better edit, for the videos we are doing for the Iona Monastery YT Channel, where we post a life of a Celtic Saints every other week. Slowly, we need to pay this debt of love to the Celtic Saints; we need to share with you all the love and blessings they have poured over us.

[@vincenthogan]

@@mullmonastery Thats wonderful, I will subscribe to the Iona YT channel. I am a documentary filmmaker, so I appreciate the work.

[@paulgentile1024]

☦️☦️☦️

[@phyllisbryant4382]

I would love to visit the island and learn more of the history of the Celtic saints! I will look into the pilgrimage for summer 2024. Please have a chart to invert British pounds to US dollars! I also want to purchase an icon, but do not know the amount of 23pounds!

[@user-ho2pf5mj5g]

☘️

[@subdeaconk]

I so badly want to live that way

[@mkeenan1955]

Thank you Father for that informative and beautiful talk and video of St Brendan’s Island. I hope I may come there. I am glad that you are rekindling the interest in these wonderful, blessed saints. (Many years ago I visited the beehive huts of the Gallarus Oratory in Ireland. I had not realized they were in Scotland, too.)

[@irinizanze2263]

so many unforgettable memories!!! thank you for this video ! and please pass our many years wishes to sister M :) it was like yesterday we were there. I can't wait to come back.

[@patriciaschneider-zioga2500]

Thank you, holy Father Seraphim

[@katia_x_katia]

Saint Brendan❤🙏

[@Subeffulgent]

✝️✝️✝️

[@thomashoermann]

Where is this?????

[@ciaran86]

Hello. Does this island have another name? How would one find it on a map? Thanks

[@knockoutfever4]

Is the Neave Island?

[@viravirakti]

12:50 Father Seraphim, can you talk about how the prayers or the intercession of the saints, including of the Mother of the Lord, work? It is an issue I struggle with lately, especially since it is central in th Orthodox Church and faith. It is difficult for me to understand why whould God need their prayers in order to be moved or convinced to "move the mountains", to do what is best for all of us? Is God unmovable by our own prayers, unless the saints or Virgin Mary are praying for us? This gives me the strange and unacceptable image of an intransigent God, like a human king, who doesn't listen or help His people unless his Mother or his friends ask Him to do it.

[@user-qy5vh3cf8b]

Who is st colman

[@C0PED0GG]

Is there cell phone reception on the island?