Meadville Lombard Theological School

Commencement
2026-05-31 14:00 - 17:00 (America/Chicago)

Summer term begins
2026-06-01

Drop/Add deadline (without penalty)
2026-06-12 08:00 - 17:00

Summer billing/financial aid disbursements begin
2026-06-15

Summer Break
2026-06-16 - 2026-06-20

Juneteenth Holiday
2026-06-19

July 4th Holiday
2026-07-03

Pilgrimage in Kildare, Ireland
2026-07-12 00:00 - 2026-07-16 23:59
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Pilgrimage in Kildare, Ireland

July 12
–
July 16

Connecting with the Inspiration and Creativity of Brigid, Goddess and Saint
Facilitated by: Angie Pierce Jennings and Nicole Kirk
Arriving Sunday, July 12, with facilitated programming July 13, 14, 15. Departure July 16.
Registration

Early Bird Registration extended to Friday, April 17: $1,000
Regular pricing for program (register by May 15): $1,200
Deposit of $500 upon registration with the remainder due May 15.
Lodging with hot breakfast starts at $515* for 4 nights at Silken Thomas (see below for details)
Registration cost includes three days of facilitated programming in Ireland (including lunches), as well as pre- and post-retreat online sessions.

register for pilgrimage in kildare, ireland

This 3-day, 4-night spiritual pilgrimage will take place in Kildare, Ireland, centering the country’s beloved Brigid. The Irish government’s recent decision to make Saint Brigid’s Day a National Holiday is sparking renewed interest and creative expression around Brigid. This pilgrimage is a lifelong learning and formation opportunity to connect within the cultural context of Ireland, and specifically the historical and spiritual places and landscapes associated with Brigid of Kildare. Facilitated programming in Ireland begins at 10:30 a.m. at the Solas Bhríde Centre each morning on July 13, 14, 15. Plans include several opportunities for light to moderate pilgrimage walks throughout Kildare Town.
*Registrants are responsible for the cost and arrangements of their flights, transportation to and from Kildare to the airport, lodging, breakfasts and dinners, and travel insurance.

Overnight accommodation, including a hot breakfast, can be made directly at the historic Silken Thomas hotel in Kildare (See Silken Thomas for current pricing and room availability.) Registrants can book a single room (with or without breakfast included). Or if traveling with a partner, family, or friends, registrants might consider booking a double or triple room together at Silken Thomas (or another lodging of your choice). Silken Thomas also provides a resource page with helpful information on booking a taxi or traveling to Kildare by Dublin Coach or Irish Rail.
The Solas Bhríde Centre, where our facilitated programming begins each morning, is a 15-minute walk from Silken Thomas along St. Brigid’s Trail.

Our time in Ireland will include:

Facilitated spiritual practices at the Solas Bhríde Centre (including outdoor labyrinth walks, prayerful meditation time with Brigid’s perpetual flame, creative journaling, pilgrimage photography as spiritual practice).
Contemplative pilgrimage walks to two of Brigid’s Holy Wells in Kildare.
Visit St. Brigid’s Cathedral (the site of Brigid’s double monastery), Round Tower, High Cross, and Ancient Fire Temple.
View art inspired by Brigid at her churches, on street murals and sculptures throughout the town, while practicing guided visio divina (sacred seeing).
Visit St. Brigid’s Parish Church, spend time viewing and reflecting on the specially commissioned icon of St Brigid, and Brigid’s bone fragment relic.
Reflection on Brigid’s association with Fire, Water, Poetry, Healing, Peacemaking, and her connection with land and animals.
Contemplate some of the Carmina Gadelica: Charms of the Gaels, Hymns and Incantations associated with Brigid.
Read and reflect on stories from Cogitosis’s Life of St Brigid, written around 650 CE, including the legend of her cloak (which is the Land of the Curragh Plains).
Walk to all three medieval abbeys in Kildare (the Black Abbey, the Grey Abby, and the White Abbey).
Consideration of our inward and outward spiritual journeys as we get to know Brigid.
Open time for prayer and poetry writing, journaling and reflection, holy wandering, rest, and social dinners. In mid-July, Kildare experiences nearly 16 hours of daylight.

Pre- and post- retreat online gatherings:
Two weeks before traveling, we will gather online for a pre-retreat session. During this session we will have an opportunity to introduce ourselves and share briefly about what draws us to Brigid and to this retreat. We will also discuss some creative journaling ideas and photography as spiritual practice.
Two weeks after our return home we will gather online once more for a reflection and integration session of meaning-making.
We will use the Populi online learning platform, where several video and reading resources about Brigid will be provided to registrants as they get to know Brigid. Course materials available on Populi June 1.
If the minimum number of participants is not met, registrants will be notified by June 1, and all LIGHT fees will be refunded. Participants are encouraged to make refundable hotel reservations and purchase refundable or transferable flights.
Recommended Books:
Hardiman, Josephine, author and illustrator. The Book of Kildare. Kildare, Ireland: Kildare Library Service, Creative Ireland, Kildare County Council, and Brigid 1500, 2023. https://www.josephinehardiman.ie/the-book-of-kildare.
Minehan, Sister Rita, CSB. Rekindling the Flame: A Pilgrimage in the Footsteps of Brigid of Kildare. Kildare, Ireland: Solas Bhríde, 2022. https://solasbhride.ie/shop/.
Facilitator bio:

Angie Pierce Jennings holds a Master of Arts in Religion from Meadville Lombard Theological School and a master’s in psychology from the University of Northern Iowa. She has facilitated numerous spiritual programs over the years, including recent creative offerings on spiritual art journaling and nature photography as spiritual practice for LIGHT. Her connection with Celtic spirituality is ever deepening, and during one of her recent pilgrimages to Ireland, she witnessed and experienced the devotion to Brigid still very much thriving in the land of Kildare, the very place where Saint Brigid founded her double monastery over 1500 years ago. Angie is interested in embodied theology, pilgrimage photography as a way of doing theology, and the ways in which spirituality and creativity interact with place. All of these themes are woven into this upcoming pilgrimage, with Brigid – Goddess and Saint, at the center.

Nicole C. Kirk is the Frank and Alice Schulman Chair of UU History at Meadville Lombard and a UU minister, and she serves part-time as the Program Minister at All Souls Unitarian Church in Tulsa. She is a popular speaker and at Meadville Lombard, she teaches popular electives on nature writing, nature spirituality, sacred places, and pilgrimage. Her course on pilgrimages centers on embodied meaning-making to help students understand how moving through landscape shapes spiritual experience. Her first book, Wanamaker’s Temple, explores religion in an iconic American department store, and she is currently completing a second book on American railroad circuses and religion—work that reflects her abiding fascination with finding the religion in unexpected places. Nicole brings this same spirit of curiosity and wonder to pilgrimage, inviting travelers to slow down, pay attention, and discover how ancient landscapes and holy sites can open us to new ways of knowing and being.

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July 4th Holiday

Summer term ends

Responsible Leadership Summer Series Workshop 2
2026-07-21 10:00 - 11:00
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Responsible Leadership Summer Series Workshop 2
Strategic Governance Through an Equity Lens

July 21
@
10:00 am
–
11:00 am

How can faith communities ensure that their governance practices reflect their deepest commitments to justice, dignity, and shared leadership? “Strategic Governance Through an Equity Lens” invites religious and lay leaders to examine how decision-making structures, policies, and leadership practices can either reinforce or challenge inequity. In this one-hour session, participants will explore practical approaches to governance that promote greater inclusion.

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Pilgrimage in Kildare, Ireland

Summer term ends

Summer term ends
2026-07-31

Summer grades due
2026-08-07 08:00 - 17:00

Responsible Leadership Summer Series Workshop 3
2026-09-26 12:00 - 13:00
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Responsible Leadership Summer Series Workshop 3
Ethical Financial Decision Making

September 26
@
12:00 pm
–
1:00 pm

Financial decisions in faith communities are never only about numbers—how can leaders ensure their financial practices reflect love at the center? “Ethical Financial Decision Making” invites religious and lay leaders to explore how transparency, accountability, and moral discernment shape faithful stewardship of resources. In this one-hour session, participants will consider practical approaches that support trust and integrity within their communities.

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Summer grades due
