Winter is here. Last summer, while the trees were green, the flowers in our meadow were fragrant and the grass was long, a wise man visited us. He spoke of the changing seasons, each season having its own comforts, its own challenges. “In winter”, he said, “the trees are bare and clouds cover the sky”. […]
The Feast of Christ the King was instituted in 1925 by Pope Pius XI, with the intention of promoting peace, and as an antidote for the rebellion of both individual people and whole states against the authority of Christ. In the aftermath of the suffering of the First World War, Pius XI saw this as […]
On 24 October Pope Francis published his latest encyclical letter, “Dilexit nos”, which is widely subtitled “On the human and divine love of the heart of Jesus Christ”. Devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus is a central theme and it is opened up in an expansive and inclusive manner. The opening words of the […]
This year, for the first time, we will celebrate Our Lady of Walsingham as a liturgical feast; previously it has been a memoria, but Rome has granted permission for the elevation of the celebration, partly because of the importance of this national shrine to the English people. The shrine was established in 1061, following the […]
I entered our abbey church for Compline, a little early, and found several sisters already sitting in the dimly-lit space. It was the evening before the Solemnity of the Dedication of the Church. As part of the celebrations a candle is lit at each of the twelve dedication crosses on the wall, giving a unique […]