St Theona, Tean, Scilly

Saint Theona chapel on Tean

We started out by boat from Bryher, stopping briefly on Tresco and then St Martin’s for a coffee before heading to Tean. It is a very short channel between the two islands and easy to see it was once one landmass before sea levels rose.

 An angel accompanied us on the boat, standing on the bow with arms outstretched enjoying the freedom and the wind. I was glad God let me glimpse this and was joyfully praising in tongues as we bounced through the open water towards Tresco. As I sang in tongues, I then found myself in English declaring Jesus is in the boat with us. That’s when we hit turbulent water, and I was so reassured to know Jesus was with us and an angel was there to protect us. The waters around Scilly are notorious for shipwrecks because there are so many rocky outcrops. We navigated through and were thankful to arrive safely.

I had wanted to visit the uninhabited Tean having seen an ancient chapel marked on maps. The island is named after a Celtic Christian, St Theona. Very little is known about her, but the remains of a medieval chapel probably built over an initial wooden structure clearly indicate a Christian community lived here.  Sixteen Christian graves were found in the graveyard adjoining the chapel.

We had to scramble over fallen rocks of the former farmhouse and push back undergrowth to find the ruins of the tiny chapel. There’s nothing of note left of the structure but one rock did look like the remains of a piscina. On entering the small rectangular ruins, I settled to pray.

There is an immediate sense of peace on entering which I find at many of these Celtic Christian sites. It often indicates the presence of an angel but also of course God’s presence. A wheatear is singing perched on the wall. Wrens and skylarks too. As I still myself I go into a vision I am taken outside of time, or perhaps back in time. I see a woman in robes like a monk, homespun with a rope belt and long hair in a plait down her back. She is praying. I sense this is Theona.

In the vision I look up and see what looks like the white patterns of the aurora borealis, like the hem of a robe coming down covering the whole chapel site.

The colours of royal blue and white fill my prophetic. They carry with it a sense of virginal purity not just of body but also of heart. I watch the figure light a candle on the altar when it is dark outside and she prays kneeling at the altar. There is a reverent, unhurried, holy hush to her reverence.

I ponder whether there are any angels still here and immediately see two very tall, slender white angels either side of where the altar would have been.

 They each carry a lit candle. Smiling, they seem pleased we are here. I hear in my spirit, ‘Welcome holy ones of God Most High. You are so welcome here.’ The two angels look at each other seemingly communicating without words and then walk towards me. I hear in my spirit, ‘Receive fresh holy fire’. They lean towards me extending their candles. I can feel heat in the middle of both my palms and then between the angels I unexpectedly see the Lion of the tribe of Judah! The angels each have a hand on the lion’s back and the candle in the other hand. I hear ‘the Lion of Judah has overcome’. The lion’s presence feels like Aslan to me, safe yet awesome.

‘The Lion shall roar once again.’   

I watch as the Lion now has a garland of flowers around his neck and is walking the sands followed by a troop of dancing chattering children.

‘Call in the harvest. Call in the harvester angels. Call in the multitude of salvations, for this is the prayer of Theona, that the harvest would come in and that Jesus would return soon. You’ve seen the hem of his garment. He is getting himself ready. Pray for the harvest. Pray for the labourers to go out into the harvest.’

The encounter ended here but my husband and I spent time praying just as instructed for the great harvest of souls to come in.

The fullness of this experience may take a while to unpack and understand but, like so often before, the Lord seemed to be highlighting that the prayers of these Celtic Christians are still resounding in heaven and some of the answers are for this present age and mingle with our own prayers.

What I experience in these places is personal to me, but I am certain anyone visiting with an open heart will meet with God in places such as this.

St Theona, Tean, Isles of Scilly

She tarried in this place

 Alone on the edge of the world

Isolated with rock and sandbar

Wind and waves

The bird call and lap of water for company

What fire was in her heart

That led her to set apart

To wait and serve the One Most High?

What purity of love led to radical obedience

Sacrifice and willingness, to lay down everything

For the love of God?

I envy you Theona!

In your devotion to pull completely aside

In dedication and love

For One Who called you higher

To leave behind all that was secure and comfort

To land on a bare, windswept, rocky outcrop

Away from everything and everyone.

What fire in your heart led to this laid down life of prayer?

I wonder………