Mothers Feast Day

Over the last few days we have been celebrating Mother Abbesses feast day – St Gertrude. We began by singing this song to her in the work room ( this is what we call our community room). to the tune of Morning has broken.

On this your feast

Dear Mother we thank you

For all your love, your guidance, your care

Joyful our singing, to you we’re bringing

Words of thanksgiving, we all do share.

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Today our prayers

Surround and uphold you

Morn, noon and night, our office of praise

Offerred up gladly,for you dear Mother

Asking  His peace to fill all your days.

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And so again

Dear Mother we wish you

A feast full of joy, of laughter and mirth

As we continue our lives of worship

Making this place our heaven on earth.

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We then had tea together before going off to see Mothers gifts and cards which we had all made. There were some wonderful things there – hand made decorations, wollies, paintings, toys and cards.

We kept our offices and spiritual duties but spent longer at recreation- for this Sr Teresa-Mary produced some wonderful cakes and Sr Davina made her very popular doughnuts we were also allowed to mix freely with the professed sisters and there was a lot of laughter floating around the Abbey.Yesterday after noon some of us looked at slides of our community over the years which was interesting and fun. We also watched a video of Torvill and Dean ice-skating which was breathtaking.

Finally we ended the celebration yesterday evening by singing this ‘p0p song’ written by Dame Michael for the occasion of Mother Prioresses silver Jubilee.

We are not sure of the tune for this one so make up your own.

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Oh the watchword of Religious life is persevere,

Keep on asking with St Bernard, why did  you come here

and why did you abandon all you held most dear

If you hadn’t the intention that you’d persevere?

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Oh the watchword of Religious life is persevere

For we never know the day when God’s last call we’ll hear

If it comes all of a sudden we need have no fear

For we’re certain to be ready if we persevere.

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Oh the watchword of Religious life is persevere

We must always keep in mind, that we are exiles here

and ever for our homeland a straight course must steer

Though the wind seems all against us, we must persevere.

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Oh the watchword of Religious life is persevere

For so many from afar it seems a grand idea

But the graces of vocation can’t be held too dear

And could easily be lost if we don’t persevere.

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Oh the watchword of Religious life is persevere

Chosen souls may reach perfection in but one short year

While the rest of us will have to spend a lifetime here

Making persevering efforts just to persevere.

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Oh the Postulants and Novices must persevere

And the Juniors and Seniors must persevere

While for Golden Jubilarians it’s made quite clear

In their ceremony prayer that they must persevere.

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Oh the watchword of Religious life is persevere

We may dream we’re with the Angels in the starry sphere

and wake up with a start to find we’re still down here

and there’s really nothing for it but to persevere.

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Oh the watchword of Religious life is persevere

And should anybody at these jog-trot verses  sheer

St Teresa used to make them up her nuns to cheer

For she knew sad-hearted ones would never persevere.

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We hope you enjoy these two songs which it has become our tradition to sing to Mother to thank her. We ended our day by going once again into silence as we began Compline. Pax Adele and Joan.

Now we are three – Joan enters

Here at Colwich we are very happy at the moment. Today we are celebrating Mother Abbesses feast day  – St Gertrude- and we have another member of our community as Joan entered on Monday.The ceremony was simple and beautiful, Mother Abbess opened the enclosure door and invited Joan in( if she wished to come). Joan was then taken by Mother Prioress – who is also Novice Mistress – through the Chapter Room to the chapel where she knelt at the Blessed Sacrament. At this time the rest of the community was in the Chapter Room singing psalm 121. Joan was led back into the Chapter room where she shared the peace with each one beginning with Mother Abbess - and we welcomed our new postulant. I found it very moving and special both on Monday at Joans entry and at my own in July. Please keep Joan and Mother in your prayers. thankyou, Adele.

By the labour of their hands.

                           Sr Sheila weeding the raspberries, Sr Teresa-Mary preparing a meal and Sr Davina hanging out washing.   

These are some of the new ones – I found them!

Another little glimpse.

              

The picture on the left is one of the missing ones under ‘listen and incline the ear of your heart’ – I can’t seem to get it back there without loosing the one of the chapel so here it is.

The picture on the right is another view of the garden. At the moment we are digging over this area in preparation for blackcurrants. They are on order – 40 of them – which will arrive from the end of this month onwards – when they are dormant apparently. The soil is very water-logged and heavy so Joan and I are taking advantage of any dry day to get out there even if it’s only for half an hour – and that’s enough

More pictures will come soon – as soon as I find out where the new ones are hidden on this computer. Adele.

The Aproach of Advent

During the past weeks we have had glorious days of late Autumn sunshine. The leaves reached a crescendo of burnished gold, copper and fiery red. Then came the sharp frosty mornings and days of wind and rain . The leaves were tossed in the wind and the trees became stark against the sky.

This is the time when you sense the approach of Advent.

It is a wonderful time that enables us to reflect and prepare for Christmas. Unfortunately the beauty of Advent is being lost in the secular world where supermarket assistants wish you “Happy Christmas” for weeks before the event whilst deafening you with endless Christmas music.

If you can find the time to be still and listen (with the ‘ear of your heart’ as Benedict says) you can almost sense the world waiting for the great event.

In the monastery it is easier to cultivate that spirit of anticipation. So much of Benedictine life is about waiting. We are always waiting for god as things develop in his good time not ours.

A sister taught me that although Benedictine life has a lenten character it could also be described as being of an Advent nature A life of waiting in anticipation and expectation.

Sister Mary Magdalen