Brief information about the Anam Cara or soul friend, for use in discussion.

The Anam Cara or soul friend was an important part of the nurturing and on-going maturing process within the Celtic Church. In On Eagles' Wings we read how Chad, on arriving at the monastery of Lindisfarne as a young teenager, was greeted by a brother who introduced himself as his Anam Cara, who would help him to grow in faith and with whom he could discuss questions, sort out failures and find God's way forward. No one grew too mature in faith to dispense with a soul friend. Aidan was soul-friend to King Oswald of Bamburgh, helping him to see how to deal generously with the poor folk in the area.

Read more about the role of Anam Cara in On Eagles' Wings and The Celtic Resource Book. Can we learn something from this ancient practice? Where do we find this kind of support? How would soul friends fit into or alongside our church organisations?