St. Luke's Episcopal Church, Kalamazoo Michigan

06/10/2026

As we continue in our search for a bishop....

Dennis explains in church school what a bishop does. (Cartoon credit: "Dennis the Menace" by Ron Ferdinand)

06/10/2026

Tomorrow, June 10, Holy Eucharist in the chapel at noon. All are welcome to remember and commemorate Ephrem of Edessa.

06/10/2026

Upcoming event for Juneteenth. All are welcome!

06/10/2026

Our neighbors to the north. An invitation to celebration!

06/09/2026

One last Lego scripture interpretation (Psalm 23) from our older elementary class.

06/09/2026

Thanks to all who attended, and to the children, youth, teachers and volunteers who hosted our end-of-program-year spiritual formation open house on Sunday.

📸 Anna Swank Bothwell

06/09/2026

Grateful for this day.

Colmcille (St. Columba)
Feast Day: June 9

Be ready in mind for red martyrdom. Be persevering and steadfast for white martyrdom.
–The Rule of Colmcille

Columcille (Columba) was a poet and an artist who some claim illuminated parts of the Book of Kells. The Psalter was his favorite, and a story is told of him copying one of the manuscripts at a monastery in Ireland. He was charged with plagiarism, and a fight ensued amongst Irish clans. With great remorse, Columba left his native Ireland.

In 563, he sailed the Irish Sea and landed on an isle, now known as Iona. He began his work on this desolate rock off the southwest corner of the Isle of Mull in Scotland. The monastery became a center of Christian enterprise: a training ground for monks and influential leaders who excelled in education and the arts.

Peregrinatio Pro Christo is Latin which means wandering for the love of Christ. Climbing into a coracle (boat frame covered with animal hides) with limited supplies and allowing the breath of God to direct him to where he should go required utmost trust. This emboldened spirit was rewarded numerous times—Columba is just one example.

There are many people who choose to go on pilgrimage, and for various reasons. Iona is a favorite destination, and remains a sacred thin place of prayer and worship. The following poem, St. Columba’s Bay by Bonnie Bowman Thurston captures her pilgrimage there.

We did not come
in little leather boats
but from a heather crowned hill,
through a marsh of yellow flag.
St. Columba’s Bay at high noon
is leaden with the grief
of leaving behind,
alive with the energy
of an uncertain future.
Here begins the journey
to an unknown home.

Landward arrival presents the choice
that makes all the difference:
go to the wide, grassy left
or the narrow, rocky right
where sea and stone
sing a sotto voce duet,
a rhythmic reminder that
life is a call to renounce and embrace,
the reason for pilgrimage,
like that for creation,
is to rise from the dead.

——————

The following prayer is attributed to Saint Columba:

Let me bless Almighty God
Whose power extends over sea and land,
Whose angels watch over all.

Let me study sacred books to calm my soul:
I pray for peace,
Kneeling at heaven’s gates.

Let me do my daily work
Gathering seaweed, catching fish,
Giving food to the poor.

Let me say my daily prayers,
Sometimes chanting, sometimes quiet,
Always thanking God.

Delightful it is to live
On a peaceful isle, in a quiet cell,
Serving the King of kings.

In Iona of my heart,
Iona of my love,
Instead of monks’ voices
Shall be the lowing of cows;
But ere the world shall
Come to an end,
Iona shall be as it was.

06/09/2026

Celebrating a full sanctuary as Bach Around the Block begins. Music Minister Marilyn Ossentjuk played an early, lively piece: Chaconne in G Minor BWV 1179. Just a bar or two: