“Always be ready to give the reason for your hope” says Saint Peter. What is the reason? It is the cross of Our Lord Jesus Christ. It is there that we see the triumph of his lowliness, the victory he won for us as one of us, stripped powerless, abused, derided, to teach us that […]
In the early hours of 3 September 2025, our dear sister, Dame Hilda Wood, died peacefully at Apley Grange Nursing Home, Harrogate. She was in her 92nd year and the 69th of her monastic life. May she rest in peace. Details of the funeral to follow. A full obituary will appear in a future edition […]
All year we have been reflecting on the theme ‘Pilgrims of Hope’ which Pope Francis proposed for this Jubilee Year, 2025. The feast of the Transfiguration of the Lord lends itself most gloriously to this theme as the Lord shows us his radiant face and form, even his clothes dazzling bright, as the hope of […]
ST BENEDICT: PATRON OF ALL EUROPE Context and history On 24 October 1964 Pope Paul VI declared St Benedict, ‘Patron of All Europe’ via the Apostolic Letter, Pacis Nuntius (‘Herald of Peace’). On that same day the Pope had re-consecrated St Benedict’s monastery of Monte Cassino which had been destroyed by Allied bombing in 1944 […]
We both reflected upon our day at Mount Grace Priory on our way home and without a doubt we both focussed in on how special it was to share midday prayer together in such a beautiful, peaceful and prayerful place. However, a ‘place’ is just that – it is a point of meeting; a location […]
July 2025: St Benedict and the Jubilee Year of Hope When we first moved to Yorkshire the forest behind the monastery was very dense. It was easy to get lost when you walked in the woodland rides unless you left yourself guides for the return journey, or, safest of all, that you made sure when […]
10 MAY 2025, 12th Annual STUDY DAY for community, oblates and friends: Fr AUGUSTINE BAKER, an ENDURING LEGACY? DR ROWAN WILLIAMS On a glorious May Day about 40 participants gathered in the Conference Room for the second Jubilee Study Day on our Cambrai heritage (the first was on Dame Gertrude More with Dr Jacob Riyeff […]
The Eighth Day God speaks again and not in repetition – the first, a sending, now, a calling back. He says: ‘Let there be Light,’ and the Son, obedient, rises, glorious as seven noons in one. This day will have no night. It bids us follow Christ above to enter and to rest in bright […]
What is happening? Today there is a great silence over the earth, a great silence and stillness, a great silence because the King sleeps; the earth was in terror and was still, because God slept in the flesh and raised up those who were sleeping from the ages. God has died in the flesh, and […]
Our journey thus far through Lent has led us to this ‘Thursday of Mysteries’, the term used in the Maronite and Syriac Orthodox churches, officially beginning the Paschal Triduum at the Mass of the Last Supper and the end of Lent. Also known in English as ‘Shere Lent’ meaning clean or bright, when it was […]
TIMES OF OFFICE & MASS HOLY WEEK & THE PASCHAL TRIDUUM HOLY WEEK & EASTER TIMETABLE 2025 PASSION (PALM) SUNDAY (13 APRIL) 6.00am VIGILS 7.30am LAUDS 10.00am OFFICE 12.00pm MASS 6.00pm VESPERS 7.30pm COMPLINE MAUNDY THURSDAY (17 APRIL) 6.45am VIGILS 8.30am LAUDS 12.30pm MIDDAY OFFICE 6.00pm MASS OF THE LORD’S SUPPER 8.15pm READING & COMPLINE […]
Ash Wednesday 5 March 2025 Ash Wednesday is the beginning of the season of Lent. We start a journey and like all journeys it has a destination and ours is Easter. St Benedict encourages us in the chapter on Lent, to look forward with the joy of spiritual longing to the holy feast of […]