Thin Places Part 3
July 29, 2025
Thin Places Part 3
In slashing rain, we ICB pilgrims followed the ancient path that pilgrims had been traveling for centuries. We trekked to the ruins of a nunnery, which for centuries was a priory and worship center. Clonmacnoise was out of the way, but our experienced pilgrimage guide, Phil Cousineau, knew that sacred ground by heart.
The nunnery’s crumbling stone walls outlined its original footprint. We could also see the remaining stones that formed the altar. In torrential rain, twenty-five of us ICB pilgrims entered and stood together within the ruins of the small chapel. The gravity of that space moved us— our reality dropped into another greater reality. The veils lifted, and we were no longer in the ruins, but amid worship held in that space for centuries. We had stepped into what seemed to be a continuous prayer that had been going on for centuries. If I listened intently enough, I heard the sisters’ chanting.
At this point, our souls were stirred to pray. So, we prayed the Lord’s Prayer together. As we did, we joined the prayer already being said by those who had devoted their lives to the Divine since 600 AD.
The veils not only dropped away in that geographical location but were also lifted from the sacred activity we were doing at the time. Everything was transparent to the sacred past. The rain became holy water.
Spiritual practice: When it is the right time, go to a hallowed place. Be sure to have no distractions. Can you feel the veils lift or not? How do you experience this time you set aside? Chronicle this experience in your journal.
Self-inquiry: What would be some reasons why you would question the concept of a thin place?
Dear God,
I can still hear the chants if I listen with my third ear. For that ear, I am genuinely grateful. Amen
