Homecoming and Returning When a student in London in 1970’s I lived at Mill Hill, where the Mill Hill Missionaries had their HQ. On my wall I had a poster which said ‘Life’s a voyage that’s homeward bound’ (A quote by Herman Melville). This seems relevant to the theme of this year’s Annual Ecumenical celebration for the feast of St Mungo. St Mungo was driven out of Glasgow by the anti-Christian king Morken of Strathclyde around 565AD and made his way through Cumbria to Wales where he worked as a missionary for many years … but eventually came home to Glasgow and is credited with the founding of that city. Hence the four symbols of the fish, bird, tree and bell – all stories linked to the saint. We are familiar with homecoming and returning …people coming back to Scotland for Christmas, soldiers returning from war, our children returning from college or university. But there is another type of homecoming that involves returning that is much more difficult; and that is returning to our true selves after being “away.”
Saint Mungo, also known as Saint Kentigern.
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