Between 430 and 900 AD a revival of far-reaching proportions broke out in the Western Church. Beginning in Ireland, with the ministry of Patrick, and spreading to Scotland and Wales, then to the European continent, devoted missionary/scholars evangelized lost peoples, revived moribund churches, and renewed morality and culture wherever they went. This great movement developed into a significant tradition, parallel to and separate from Roman Catholicism, characterized by five distinguishing features: disciplined spirituality, intimate and intense community, careful scholarship, fervent mission, and cultural renewal. At The Fellowship of Ailbe we celebrate the achievement of our Celtic Christian forebears and, drawing on resources from the period, seek to recover and extend the distinguishing features of this tradition for and throughout the contemporary Church.