Iona Pilgrimage April 4 - 13, 2022

         Presentations on Jungian Psychology: 

                   a  Modern Mystical Path

                          by Jerry Wright

                  The Sacred Feminine  and 

                           Celtic Christianity 

                         by Linda McFadden

                           Photography 

                 with Martha Hoelzer

                                   Music 

                    with Lisa Whitfield

     Ritual Making and Men's Spirituality 

                         with Philip Wiehe

 Hiking,  Sea Bathing, Men's Spirituality, 

                and  Tales of St. Magnus 

                      with Kinlay Francis

                                           and 

lots of spring lambs, daffodils, and puffins!

Every morning there will be a presentation by one or more of the staff. Afternoons will include opportunities for outdoor activities, dream groups, photography, music, and personal time. Also, the Iona will have two worship services each day. Weather permitting, there will an afternoon trip to the Isle of Staffa where puffins will be nesting and where you can see the Fingal's Cave.

Life in the time of the pandemic has been difficult for everyone in different ways. Yet most of us are eager to get out, to travel,   to see old friends and meet new ones.  The sacred spaces are unaffected by The Virus and wait for us to pay attention. The staff is especially eager to engage with you and learn what you have learned.  Iona, an unparalleled sacred space beckons us all.  

          Jerry R. Wright, Jungian analyst 

                                 and author

Jerry has led pilgrimages across the globe, yet his favorite place is the wee island of Iona where the veil is very thin.  He loves the undeveloped nature of the island that provides a fresh experience of the natural world.  A former Presbyterian minister, his current ‘faith community’ are the scattered friends with whom he has shared pilgrimages over the past twenty years.  This will be his 12 group on Iona. Jerry finds delight in the natural world of western North Carolina, often accompanied by his canine companion and muse, Muffin, as they ponder life’s unanswerable, yet unavoidable, questions.

Author, Reimagining God and Religion: Essays for the Psychologically Minded, (Available @ Chironpublications.com)

       Linda McFadden, PilgrimQuests 

                co- founder  and author 

Linda was born in Tennessee and raised in Florida by parents who were both teachers and Southern Baptists. Leaving Florida and Baptists behind, she eventually became a United Church of Christ Minister. She has now settled into retirement in Western North Carolina with her husband, Philip, whom she met on a group trip to Israel.  Never idle, she has recently completed a book, Brigid and the Divine Feminine, and taken up painting. She delights in sitting quietly in a rocking chair on the deck looking at the long view of the Blue Ridge Mountains with its subtly shaded trees and unlimited sky.  Having been to Iona five times, she holds the Nunnery as an amazing spot for meditation along with Brigid’s Well. For Linda, the ancient rocks of Iona speak volumes in their immense silence.

  Lisa Whitfield , music leader and teacher

Lisa grew up in a musical family in Florida, learned to play guitar at a high level, and found her musical niche in elementary school music. Some of Lisa’s influences are Janis Ian, Kathy Mattea, Ellis Paul, and Tom Paxton; and she is most likely to listen to an eclectic mix of bluegrass, Americana, old country, and jazz. Lisa says, “One of my favorite things about working with adults and music is to take that person who say they can’t sing and help them see that they can! When we’ve worked for a harmony and it clicks – wow! That excites me.” Lisa was an Iona “first-timer” on our 2019 pilgrimage and was inspired to take time to explore her spiritual side, walk, breathe, and worship in the Abbey as well as making beautiful music with all of the pilgrims.

     Kinlay Francis, Scottish Islands native and historian, founder Orkney Uncovered

Kinlay Francis is a Viking giant with an enormous heart and a contagious passion for exploring the world. Following a stint in the Royal Navy that took him far afield from his Orkney roots, he enjoys pursuing his passions for hiking, scuba diving, and geology back in his native islands. Kinlay proudly traces his ancestry back to Swedish Varangian Vikings in the year 920, half a millennium before Orkney became part of Scotland. He and his wife Kirsty operate Orkney Uncovered, a service that provides customized guided tours of Orkney’s many remarkable sites that has been endorsed by travel guru Rick Steves.   

               Martha Hoelzer combines 

             spirituality and photography

As a photography professional and teacher, Martha delights in the beauty of the natural world, and in helping people to see things, both outer and inner, in wider and deeper perspectives.  Her camera remains a magic tool for her art, an art she will share in classes and hikes around beautiful Iona.  

She was reared in Alabama, graduated from the University of North Carolina, and now resides in nearby Durham.  While at the University, she was a photographer for the daily newspaper, and a runner on the collegiate team, a regular discipline she has maintained, along with yoga.  On Iona she may often be seen running ahead of the group helping with the important logistics of transportation, housing, and assembly.

During these difficult times, the natural world remains a place of refuge and respite, just as Iona has been for centuries. This will be Martha’s second pilgrimage to the sacred isle. 

             Philip Wiehe, co-founder of 

                PilgrimQuests and author

Philip loves travel and organizing pilgrimages which he began doing in his time as a university chaplain. He brings people together for the greater good with music, laughter, and an intuitive sense for ritual.  He sees pilgrimage as an opportunity for personal transformation through the Celtic understanding that the Sacred can be experienced in all things, in all places, and in all people, especially the “thin place” that is Iona. He and his wife, Linda, live on a beautiful mountain in Western North Carolina with a view of trees, wildflowers, and mountains – their own “thin place.”  In pilgrimage they facilitate an experience of nature, beauty and wonder that will inspire.  Philip is also a weather geek; so, if you ask a weather-related question, buckle up for a wealth of information.

Is airfare included?

No. Our part of the pilgrimage begins and ends in Glasgow, Scotland.  Your pilgrimage begins and ends when you leave and return home.

Will there be time to just sit and look at the [hills, water, sheep, etc.]?

Yes. There are no rules about attending anything other than two orientation meetings in the first 24 hours.

What about cancellations and refunds?

 The cancellation and refund policy is more flexible as a response to Covid 19. Go to the Rates and Booking section for the details.

April, 2022

4 Monday Holiday Inn Glasgow Airport

     + 17:00 wine and cheese reception, introductions, dinner

5 Tuesday 7:00 – 8:15 breakfast

     + 8:30 travel to Iona

     + 16:00 St. Columba hotel check-in and orientation, happy hour, dinner

     + 21:00 Abbey worship

6 Wednesday - 11 Monday - Daily schedule

     + 7:45 Breakfast (starts in silence)

     + 9:00 Abbey Worship

     + 9:45 Presentations

     + 12:30 lunch on own and open time

     + Special programs

     + 17:30 Happy Hour

     + 18:15 Dinner

     + 21:00 Abbey Worship

12 Tuesday - Quliet Day

       + 16:00  Closing Ritual

13 Wednesday

     + 7:45 Return to Glasgow Airport

     + 17:00 arrive Glasgow Airport 

     + overnight Airport Holiday Inn (included)

14 Thursday

     + breakfast

     + departure

possible afternoon activities 

     + Pilgrim’s Walk to Columba Beach

     + Hike to monk’s cave

     + Hike to Dunn I

     + Walk to North beaches

     + Boat to Staffa

     + Geology on Mull

     + Bike trip

     + Kayak trip

     + Photography walks