In the Lindisfarne Community we are taking a fresh look at priesthood. We have moved away from the idea of the priesthood as a "profession" in the sense of a job with a career structure. We are practicing priesthood in a more "primitive" way.
Most of our priests are bi-vocational. They earn there living as nurses, teachers, engineers, computer techies, office and shop workers. They exercise priesthood often in hidden ways, being "as Christ to those they meet" in secular contexts.
Priesthood has also been associated almost exclusively with being a pastor of a parish. In the Lindisfarne Community we do have priests who exercise such ministries. However, in Lindisfarne priests exercise many different kinds of ministry: as pastor of a parish, as leader of a small house church, as a chaplain in education, healthcare, eldercare, as a spiritual director to a few or to many, as a leader in a social justice or welfare organization. Some of our priests are "solitaries" who do not have a public ministry at all. These priests exercise their priesthood in the most hidden way of all in the great tradition of the contemplatives.
Our keywords are flexibility and service.
If you have sensed the call of God to priesthood and yet have felt that you "don't fit" with the existing structures, contact us. We may be able to help:
Community Prioress Renee Hillrigel
