Iona: a contemporary Christian pilgrimage | Religious education

Starter quiz

A pilgrim is someone who goes on a ...
- 'pilgrimage' ✓
Iona is an ______ off the coast of Scotland.
- 'island' ✓
The monastery at Iona was founded by ...
- Saint Columba ✓
- Saint Aidan
- Saint Patrick
- Saint Joseph
For Celtic monks, a thin place was ...
- a place that has thin vegetation
- a place that is very remote
- a place where the boundary between heaven and earth is thin ✓
- a place with an abbey
The abbey at Iona was destroyed by ...
- Celts
- Romans
- Vikings ✓
- Normans

Choose three reasons why pilgrims might visit Iona today.
- to see the historical sites of St Columba and the abbey ✓
- to connect with God in a thin place ✓
- to enjoy a holiday with friends
- to spend time as part of a community ✓
The Reverend George MacLeod wanted Iona to be a ______ community working for peace and social justice.
- 'global' ✓
A method to better understand the impact of Iona on pilgrims today is to ...
- interview pilgrims ✓
- look at the historical sites
- read accounts of St Columba
On Iona, pilgrims are part of task teams which encourage ...
- rivalry
- prayer
- service ✓
- making food
Community is formed in which three ways on Iona?
- sharing meals together ✓
- having worship and prayer in the morning and evening ✓
- being part of a task team ✓
- looking at historical sites

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The Iona community was reestablished in 1938 by the Rev George MacLeod.
The Iona community is a global community working for peace and justice.
Many people of different Christian worldviews visit Iona today as a modern pilgrimage site.
We can find out about how different Christians experience pilgrimage differently by interviewing them.

Iona is only visited by pilgrims to see its historical sites.

People make a pilgrimage to Iona for many reasons, but many come to see the modern community that has been reestablished.