An introduction by Stephen Lawhead –

The great saints of the early Celtic church – Patrick, Columba, Samson, Aidan, And Brendan – were great travelers as well. In an age when most men rarely journeyed more than a few miles from hearth and home, they roamed the world – often with little more than the cloaks on their backs, and the sandals on their feet.

For the Celtic saints, each outward journey was also a journey inward. They wandered as pilgrims for the good of their souls, and each new discovery was seen as a discovery of the hidden territory of their own inner hearts. But, as much as they liked to travel, they loved returning even more. It was been said the Celts often left home just so they could enjoy the home-coming. Indeed, a man like St. Brendan would have relished one of the Celtic world's rare and special pleasures; to see one's homeland again, and know if for the first time.

This CD has haunted me relentlessly from the first moments I heard the pennywhistle bleats and atmospheric keyboard swells of the aptly titled album opener, Oceanus. Indeed Prayers of St. Brendan (The Journey Home) - veteran musician Jeff Johnson’s first full-length release on Hearts of Space - is mighty wide and deep stuff .

– CCM Magazine (November 1998)