We have been inspired by the lives of the Irish saints during the golden age of Celtic Catholic monasticism.  There is much to the Celtic way that touches every day life that we wish to unfold in our lives.  The description of the virtues of the Irish saints by Msgr. Barr in his book "The Shadow of the Cross" was the inspiration for Oigedchaire.  In this book he demonstrates these virtues with stories and descriptions that speaks to us in our daily life.  By way of example, the virtue of hospitality is the centerpiece for Oigedchaire and a simple and concrete way to live the Christian life in one's every day activities.  To our benefit, Msgr. Barr has created a list of the Eight Rules of Celtic Catholic Spirituality.  Here are the titles for each rule:

"Rule One: Life Is A Journey And We Are All Pilgrims On The Way."

"Rule Two: The Physical And Spiritual Make Up the Real World; Therefore, Our Prayer Life is Our whole Life."

"Rule Three: Reverence Creation And Her Creatures, For They Are Windows To God."

"Rule Four: The Door To God Can Only Be Opened by Self-Sacrifice."

"Rule Five: Love The Cross Of Christ By Which We Are Redeemed."

"Rule Six: Have A Deep Knowledge Of And A Reverance For The Embracing Love Of Mary, The Angels, And The Saints."

"Rule Seven: Love The Mass and Eucharist; Pray The Scriptures; Celebrate The Sacrament Of Penance Frequently; Seek Out A Soul Friend."

"Rule Eight: Use The Lorica."

These rules give definition to the world view embraced by the great Irish saints in a way that enables us to follow their example.  For details and explanation of the eight rules quoted above visit http://www.celticprayer.net/rules.html

There is much substance in the lives of the Irish saints and the Celtic people that can be drawn upon.  Many blessings and beautiful poetry have been passed down through the generations.

One could take direction from St. Columbanus' injunctions to his monks: pray daily, fast daily, work daily and study daily. The penitential and ascetic life is important for understanding the monastic ideal of the Celtic Monks.  The Celtic monks were known for their penitential practices.  Stories tell of monks praying the psalms while standing in the frigid waters of the sea, sleeping on a cold slab of stone and of other bodily mortifications.  St. Aidan popularized the Wednesday and Friday fast until 3:00 pm in honor of Our Lord's death on the Cross. Also evident is the commitment to Ora et Labora, the Benedictine expression of monastic life, in the injunction to pray daily and work daily.  And the Celtic monasteries were often among the great centers of learning in the Catholic Church.

The four injunctions of St. Columbanus to his monks can easily be channeled to the lives of lay persons.  Some aspects of these injunctions can be daily and others may need to be performed over the course of a week such as the St. Aidan fast.  These four injunctions are easy to remember and can capture much of Msgr. Barr's eight rules.

1. The injunction to work daily focuses and gives direction to each person's life.  Our first rule as lay persons is to live our responsibilities to work and our companionship with family and friends.  We can not let a rigorous fast interfere with our ability to perform labor on the job or let a rigorous prayer schedule interfere with obligations to family and children.  Parents should pray together with family and tend to family needs.  Rule two speaks of making our work holy but rules one, two, three and six help provide direction to set our whole life apart for God.

2. The injunction to pray daily can be easily put into practice with the Lorica, rosary, liturgy of the hours, meditation on the cross, lectio divina and the sacraments - rules five, six, seven and eight.  It is of no small importance that we pray the liturgy of the hours, most often vespers, when we meet for an event in St. Louis.  There are many small blessings  and prayers of protection that one can pray throughout the day as part of family and work activities.

3. The injunction to fast daily can be lived by a spirit of self-sacrifice especially toward those things in life that distract us from God.  Fasting and asceticism can be one part of this practice during the week - rules four and one.  However, there are many sacrifices that one can make during the day, some of which involve simply avoiding occasions of sin.

4. The injunction to study daily can boost our spiritual life and career.  For many, this may be difficult on a daily basis but when incorporated over the course of a week or month can be a great support to one's spiritual life, career, family life and other activities.  Efforts can be made to read up on things important for one's career, ministry, friendships, health, and spiritual life.

We encourage friends to make a daily prayer commitment.  A prayer commitment is the real fruit of a friendship that draws us closer to the great mystery of the Trinity.  We encourage our friends to choose a soul friend, ideally a confessor, who can hold them accountable and provide support in keeping to their personal prayer commitment.