WHAT IS PRAYING THE KEEILLS WEEK ?

PRAYING THE KEEILLS WEEK 2008 is a week - each year - of organised opportunities to PRAY THE KEEILLS of the Isle of Man....to discover these places of great peace and beauty .....to sense their unique spirituality ..... to reflect on their place at the heart of our Christian journey ... and to deepen our own personal prayer life.

See this year's PROGRAMME OF WALKS by clicking on the EVENTS tab - but if you can't walk with us, then visit the NEWS section of this site regularly and read the daily PILGRIM'S BLOG to catch the spirit of each walk from our PILGRIM ADVENTURER !

Interested in the thumbnail pictures with the stories ?
Double left-click on any picture to enlarge it!

Also in the NEWS section you can select tabs for 2006 and 2007 to read about KEEILLS WEEK in past years

WHAT IS A KEEILL ?

WHAT IS A KEEILL ?

Keeills served a variety of purposes – family chapels, wayside shrines, places of retreat and hermitage. There have perhaps been as many as 250, but remains, or known sites, survive for less than half this number.

The keeills were small buildings of earth and stone, very rarely bigger than 3 metres by 5 metres internally, and now survive to a height of less than a metre.

None of the remains can be shown to be older than the eighth century, but the sites and burials can date back to the sixth century, or earlier.

It is almost certain that Christianity arrived in Mann during the life of St Patrick, but who brought it, and from where, is the cause of great debate. The keeills are often on a mound, surrounded by a circular burial ground, and in general are the places where the wonderful series of Cross Slabs – which are one of the Island’s treasures - were found. Not all the crosses, however, are grave markers – some (including the Calf Crucifixion Scene) are the upright front stone of the altar of the keeill.

Many keeills are associated with pre-Christian sites and some were even built over or into Bronze Age Cairns.

They are what our Celtic forebears would have described as being “thin places” where we can draw closer to God.

Prayer and meditation were very important to those who worshipped in or around keeills, as they should be to us.

PRAYING THE KEEILLS, organised by local Churches, gives an opportunity to step aside from the business of life, and rediscover what so many have lost.

MAKING IT HAPPEN ...

The PRAYING THE KEEILLS Taskforce is made up of representatives of Christian Churches of all denominations, who then work in smaller groups, each with a particular area of responsibility. The whole group benefits greatly from the extensive knowledge of local historian Frank Cowin, who provides expert guidance at the planning stages and accompanies several of the walking groups during Keeills Week itself.

Frank is pictured here with another Taskforce member, Reverend Ian Davies, Vicar of Marown. Ian is involved in the Publicity Group. Other small groups plan the actual walks, the times of worship, and the schools' competitions.

The idea for the first PRAYING THE KEEILLS week in 2006 came from the then Lord Bishop of Sodor and Man, the Rt Reverend Graeme Knowles, and he was the first chairman of the Taskforce. Following his move to St Paul's Cathedral in September 2007, the work of the chairman was ably taken over by Reverend Peter Robinson who is the vicar of Arbory, Castletown and Santon parishes in the south of the Island.

Writing in the 2008 PRAYING THE KEEILLS publicity leaflet, Peter says :-

Scattered across the Isle of Man, often in remote, peaceful locations are ancient Keeill sites. These are to be found in woods and glens, by rivers and waterfalls or in high places overlooking the shore. They are invariably located in areas of particular beauty. It is a common experience to sense something of the presence of God in such surroundings.

The keeill sites and remains are also a tangible link with our Christian heritage. They are places where centuries ago worship and prayer were offered, the bible was read and Christ was made known in the breaking of bread.

“Be still and know that I am God”

PRAYER is the channel of communication and relationship with the true and living God. It is one the greatest resources that we have in life. It is God's gift to be enjoyed. In prayer we praise God for who He is and what He does; we bring to Him our concerns for ourselves and others and we confess our failure to live as He would have us live. In prayer we also give space to listen to God. We must therefore be willing to still ourselves and hear what God is trying to do in our lives.

In recent years there has been a renewal of interest in the prayers of the ancient Celtic church. Many of these prayers have a profound simplicity in which much is expressed in few words, but perhaps their overriding appeal is that they reveal an understanding of God - Father, Son and Holy Spirit - whose presence is to be known, enjoyed and depended upon in all experiences and circumstances of life.


Rev’d Peter Robinson
Chairman -Praying the Keeills