Saint Aidan Press - Prayer Books

We offer a selection of prayer books with a strong connection to Celtic Christian Spirituality in general and to the Community of Aidan and Hilda in particular.

To find out how to order, please return to the shop startpage.

Prayer Rhythms for Busy People (by Ray Simpson)

Most people in our mobile, multi-choice society cannot be in churches or groups at set times. They may be travelling, or in a hundred and one places.

To meet this demand we have produced a pocket edition which includes from volume 1 of The Celtic Prayer Book the Morning, Midday, Evening and Night Prayer for each day of the week, ommitting the seasonal material. It adds Bible readings for each service, which are printed in full. These include a Psalm, Old Testament and New Testament reading for each Morning and Evening Prayer.In addition, the Community of Aidan and Hilda's basic everyday prayers, designed to be memorised, are included. Once memorised, these can be said while driving, jogging or cooking. We hope that this handy book, which can be kept in a pocket, handbag, car or workplace drawer, will become a familiar and much loved companion to many.

This book has been re-released in a 'pocket edition'.

£10.99, Kevin Mayhew, ISBN 1-84417-357-7

The Celtic Prayer Book in four Volumes

A major series for Church and home use. Written or re-worked from many sources by Ray Simpson

Volume One: Prayer Rhythms - fourfold patterns for each day.

These patterns of worship draw deeply from the scriptures, the streets, the saints and the seasons, reflecting the belief that as we reconnect prayer to the rhythms of our daily life we will be drawn more fully into God's purpose.

This first volume of The Celtic Prayer Book embraces but transcends the confines of any one denomination. By drawing on the main Church traditions it provides a natural way to approach the Divine, for God is worthy of the best and most hallowed devotions we can offer.

Prayer Rhythms is suitable for both personal and group use.

£12.99, Kevin Mayhew, ISBN 1-84417-077-2

Volume Two: Saints of the Isles - a year of feasts

Christianity reached the Celtic lands after The Acts of the Apostles had been written. The stories in this book could be entitled The Acts of the Apostles Volume Two. Saints of the Isles chronicles the lives of some of those early Celtic Christians in a calendar of saints, a daily introduction to each saint, a short prayer and appropriate Bible readings.

Each entry, only one page long, glows with a jewel-like intensity. At first it is the sparkling newness of the names - such as Billfrith, Machalus, Aedh MacBric, Ceowulf, Branwalader and Eithne - that catches the eye, but then the specific quality of each saint shines through; finally the prayer and the Bible readings amplify their life and draw the reader into the bright Celtic world of the first millenium.

£12.99, Kevin Mayhew, ISBN 1-84417-078-0

Volume Three: Healing the Land - natural seasons, sacraments and special services

In our wounded world there is a widespread hunger for wholeness. Since the Church exists to be Christ's instrument for healing fragmented people and communities, that healing has to begin with the Church itself. In four sections - Healing a Wounded World, Sacraments and Significant Life Occasions, Blessing the Earth, and Praer Rhythms for the Natural Seasons - Ray Simpson draws on diverse sources within and beyond the main Church traditions to provide profoundly prayerful and healing patterns of worship.

Healing the Land, the third of four volumes of The Celtic Prayer Book, draws on the all-encompassing Celtic Christian tradition with its emphasis on constant renewal and its sense of the unity of all creation. It reconnects prayer to the rhythms of our daily life, and uses memory, confession, blessing and hallowing prayers in order to realise God's healing purpose today.

£12.99, Kevin Mayhew, ISBN 1-84417-109-4

Volume Four: Great Celtic Christians - alternative worship from the Community of Aidan and Hilda

Great Celtic Christians is suitable for use by churches as an alternatice to one of their norml services, individuals who want to follow a daily pattern of prayer, or groups who want to organise an event around a saint or particular theme, for example creation, water or baptism. It includes a calendar of the saints' days and commemorative dates; prayers, intercessions, poems, scripture readings, stories and dialogues; suggestions for focal display features and creative activities; and an index of themes to facilitate themed celebrations. The lives of those who once so effectivel evengelised the isles of Britain, Ireland, and beyond shine through each chapter, and readers will find the wealth of material, arranged so that it can be used as morning, evening and night prayer, a rich resource.

£12.99, Kevin Mayhew, ISBN 1-84417-233-3

Prayer of Calm (by Ray Simpson)

Deep within all of us dwells the God whose presence brings calm. Storms may rage all around, but the eye of the storm is a place of stillness. The psalmists know that, however tempestuous life may be, God is our refuge. These prayers, drawn from Ray Simpson's many popular writings on Celtic spirituality, will help us to rest in the stillness and beauty of God so that our hearts are gently enfolded in his peace.

£5.99, Kevin Mayhew, ISBN 1-84417-396-8

Prayer for the World (by Ray Simpson)

All human life should be encompassed by prayer - there is nothing we can't pray about. Prayer can heal the world; prayer changes the world; prayer changes the person who prays. The prayers in this book, drawn from Ray Simpson's many writings on Celtic spirituality, embrace all aspects of our world, our daily struggles and conflicts, and will help and inspire us to transform our lives and build a community of justice and kingdom of love.

£5.99, Kevin Mayhew, ISBN 1-84417-395-X

Prayer for the Journey (by Ray Simpson)

All of life is a journey, and our journey to the source and giver of life, to the heart of God, is a perpetual pilgrimage. He leads us from fear to trust, despair to hpe, hate to love, bondage to freedom, lies to truth, and woundedness to healing. These beautiful prayers, drawn from Ray Simpson's many popular writings on Celtic spirituality, will resonate with own experiences and inspire each of us in our own journeying.

£5.99, Kevin Mayhew, ISBN 1-84417-394-1

Prayer with the Risen Ones (by Ray Simpson)

God calls us all to be holy, and to eternal life with the risen Christ. We can be encouraged by the risen ones, the 'great cloud of witnesses' (Hebrews 12:1), who are our companions on our journey of faith. The beautiful prayers in this book draw inspiration from the saints, particularly those in the Celtic tradition, who strengthen us by their simplicity of faith, their courage, generosity, holiness and love.

£5.99, Kevin Mayhew, ISBN 1-84417-397-6

Celtic Daily Light. A Spiritual Journey through the Year
(compiled by Ray Simpson)

The great wealth of Celtic literature and the revival in popularity of the Celtic traditions offers a very positive source of inspiring and deeply spiritual yet practical material for daily use. As Ray Simpson records, 'The essence of Celtic spirituality is a heart wide open to God in every person, in all the world. It is to do with crossing frontiers, not erecting barriers. It goes so deep that, without losing what is distinctive, it becomes universal.

For each day of the year, this book contains:

a Bible lectionary consisting of a Psalm, an Old Testament and a New Testament reading
a passage of scripture setting the theme of the day
a piece of literature or material about Celtic saints such as Samson and Brigid
a prayer or prayers to link the day's readings in a powerful, intercessory way.

This revised edition of Celtic Daily Light will continue to inspire and guide countless people who are seeking a deeper spirituality.

£16.99, Kevin Mayhew, ISBN 1-84417-099-3

Celtic Prayers for life Today. A Spiritual Journey through the Year
(compiled by Ray Simpson)

Over 700 prayers and blessings suitable for a wide range of need and circumstance drawing on the enduring and profound spirituality of the Celtic tradition. Fully indexed.

£9.99, Publisher Kevin Mayhew, ISBN 1-84417-662-2

Waymarks for the Journey. (by Ray Simpson)

Jesus said 'I am the way, the truth and the life'. He did not call people to join an organisation, but to follow a way of life. Under the guidance of Ray Simpson, renowned for his expertise in Celtic spirituality, this daily prayer book is structured according to the way of life adopted by the Community of Aidan and Hilda. Along with a short Bible reading and reflection, each day includes a step to enable readers to move away from what is destructive towards what is life-giving. There is also a unique spiritual breathing exercise following the rhythm with which our bodies breathe, allowing us to pray with our very core, wherever we are.

£16.99, Publisher Kevin Mayhew, ISBN: 9781848672222

A Holy Island Prayer Book (by Ray Simpson)

Hallowed by the presence of saints and for centuries a haven for pilgrims, Lindisfarne, or Holy Island, off the Northumberland coast, is one of the world's most sacred places. Each year, hundreds of thousands of visitors still make their way across the causeway at low tide to experience the extraordinary spiritual energy that inspired Aidan, Cuthbert and other Celtic saints.

A Holy Island Prayer Book draws on the island's Celtic heritage to offer new and familiar prayers and readings for morning, midday and evening prayer for a cycle of fourweeks. Following the pattern of daily worship in the island's parishchurch, each day has a special focus, from resurrection and renewal onSunday to rest and recreation on Saturday. Also included in an emphasison the world and its need for peace and healing, making this a versatile resource for worship as well as a personal prayer guide that will help cultivate a simple and natural way of daily prayer.

£6.99, Canterbury Press, ISBN 1-85311-474-X

(Published in North America by Morehouse.)

Date Stamp

Updated 25-01-2011