News Blog page 1
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29.8.24.
At this time of year there's always something to be done in the
garden, grass cutting, bonfires or just enjoying being outside
in the fresh air! |
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6.8.24.
On the 26th July, we had the joy of celebrating the
Golden Jubilees of Srs Mary Joseph & Sr Mary de Sales. 50 years
of an adventure which was & still is full of blessings. It was a
simple day with a beautiful Mass celebrated by Fr Paul Jennings
& then a buffet lunch with the community & our Affiliated
Sisters. We thank God for our vocations, for allowing us all to
journey together in love.
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'I choose Jesus my Lord & my
God
as my only love...'
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18.7.24.
At the beginning of June the roses bloomed; it was a
beautiful display, perfect petals in pink, red & golden hues.
Then came the heavy rains & strong winds & over many weeks
although the flowers hung on, the petals became mishapen, brown
edged & bedraggled. But they are still beautiful in their being,
in their essence; they are still perfectly imperfect & a joy to
see. How much in our lives is there that is perfectly imperfect
& yet still gives us joy?
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7.7.24.
Over the past few days we we've been glad to welcome Sr Clare
Chantal's sister Stephanie and brother-in-law Mark for a short
visit, they hail from County Cork; also visiting were our dear
Angela and Sadie from Dublin. It was great to catch up
with them all. |
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2.6.24.
During these weeks there are many days that we have
adoration before the Blessed Sacrament. Normally each day for
Vespers and prayer we have exposition but during the months of
May & June there are many Solemnities & so we enjoy 'extra time'
with the Lord, with adoration all day. What a privilege it is to
have these special moments, so much & so many to pray for in our
world & how powerful are these silent moments ascending to
heaven.
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2.5.24.
Last Sunday we celebrated Good Shepherd Sunday & as is our
custom we flower-decked our shepherd's crook & thanked Mother
Jane Margaret, our 'Good Shepherd', for her guidance & loving
care.
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24.4.24.
We've all been having a bit of 'Duck Mania' these past few days
culminating in the joys of yesterday when 13 fluffy ducklings
hatched! Mrs Duck had begun laying her eggs on the feast of St
Patrick so it was fitting that they hatched on the feast of St
George! We hadn't realised that there were so many eggs but out
the babies popped & they were very active right from the start.
Some were reluctant to leave the nest but eventually Mrs Duck
led them down to the pond to meet 'Daddy' & they swam
happily together.
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20.4.24.
Spring has arrived at last; we've had some very warm, sunny days
interspersed with heavy April showers but the bluebells are
showing off their beauty in the ancient woodls, the lambs are
frisking and jumpng, there's an occasional bonfire and Mrs Duck,
after surveying several properties has laid her eggs in one of
the herb boxes in the monastery courtyard garden. She laid a top
bed of soft downey feathers & has sat there patiently through
wind & rain protecting her eggs & we eagerly await the brood
hatching. Happy Spring to you all.
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13.4.24.
Another little video when our dear Sr Paul Miryam was on South
East News together with Sr Jane Margaret in 2010. |
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11.4.24.
On Sunday April 7th our dear Sr Paul Miryam went to God. At 97
years old she had enjoyed a long, interesting & varied life.
Mother, Widow, Nurse & Nurse Tutor all her life, she was a
Korean war veteran, stationed in Japan, a country she lost her
heart to & she would love
to regale us with her stories & anecdotes. Very loving, very
caring & generous she was happiest when doing some act of
charity for others. She was a true daughter of St Francis de
Sales, filling her life with little acts of service done with
very much love; we will miss her 'lived-in face' & gracious
smile.
We praise & thank God for all she was to our community & to so
many others to whom she imparted her wisdom. Much loved, we pray
she is now in the loving arms of Jesus, her Lord & her God. May
she rest in peace.
Click on the picture to see a short video of just after she went
to see Pope Benedict XV1, to whom she had a great devotion, on
his visit to Great Britain in 2010.
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EASTER SUNDAY
Easter Blessings to our sisters throughout the
world and to our families and friends. May these days of joyous
Alleluia's fill your hearts with joy and gladness.
We keep you and all your intentions
in our prayers. |
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19.3.24.
It's the Solemnity of St Joseph. Our good friends and
neighbours, Paul & Martin have taken a video of the daffodils in
our park. Despite great quantities of rain these golden trumpets
have persevered and produced their annual display of beauty,
raising our hearts in joy and thanksgiving. Click on the
picture.
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10.3.24.
This week our good friends Graham & Issy brought over the fish
from their pond for our pond. As well as the gold fish there was
a 10 year old black one and a 20 year old white one! I'm sure
they'll settle well and enjoy being 'Monastery fish'! |
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3.3.24.
Time is for loving, sharing, praying and atoning. Time is
short! The future is not ours, now, the present moment is. We
are called NOW to BE, to DO, & to SERVE. St Francis de Sales
tells us 'to 'live in the present moment, accepting all that
comes to us as being permitted by God.'
'Lord for tomorrow & its deeds
I do not pray,
Keep me my God from stain of sin,
just for today.' |
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24.2.24.
This past week we were able to share in the funeral mass, by
live stream, of our Vicar for Religious, Father Stephen Ortiger
OSB, a monk of Worth Abbey. We will miss him, his sense of
humour & fun, his care of the religious of our diocese. May he
rest in peace in the glory of God's eternal love. |
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12.2.24.
Yesterday, on the feast of Our Lady of Lourdes, we
celebrated the Diamond Jubilee of our dear Sr. Josephine
Margaret. We had mass at Holy Cross Priory, where she and Sr
Paul Miryam are cared for, during which Sister renewed her vows.
60 years of religious profession is a great gift & we thank God
for her commitment over so many years; we rejoice in God's grace
that enabled her to answer His call with love and deep joy. One
of the nurses told us that she looks forward to coming into work
each day just to see Sister Josephine Margaret's smile light up
the room. God be praised! Click on the picture opposite.
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1.2.24.
We all need to have a vision for the future, especially given
present day circumstances. We must plan & be aware of and
responsible for the future, but our hope and vision must not be
just planted in the present. Life is not just memories & longing
for the past, nor is it dreams and fantasies about the future.
It is here & now, flowing with & from reality, in common with
the earth, the universe, other people & ourselves. The snowdrops
have popped up and each day we thank God for his blessings.
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23.1.24.
Having completed the Novena to our Holy Founder, St Francis de
Sales, we will celebrate, this evening, 1st Vespers for his feastday
tomorrow. In our world where there is so much violence,
oppression & pain let's remember his words - 'Every morning
before anything else ask God for gentleness of spirit.' Feastday
Blessings to our sisters & friends throughouit the world. |
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The measure of
love
is to love withpout measure |
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4.1.24.
Happy New Year! We come to share a few of our Christmas days
with you. The sun is shining in a blue sky and we have a nasty
virus in the monastery, a replica of this time last year! We
flow through these 'beginning of the year feastdays' & look
forward to the visit of the Magi at the weekend. May we humbly
have our small gifts ready to offer Him at the start of this New
Year. Please click on the picture opposite. |
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25.12.23.
On this holiest of days we wish you
JOY, BLESSINGS, PEACE & HOPE.
We remember you & all your intentions
as we adore around the crib.
May our gentle God bring you love & walk with you this Christmas
& into the New Year. |
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16.12.23.
Do you know this beautiful poem by St John of the Cross, whose
feast we celebrated this past week?
It seems so relevant for today's world. REJOICE - it's Gaudate
Sunday tomorrow! Click on picture. |
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2.12.23.
Here in Waldron it's raining leaves! I look out of the
window to see golden, yellow and bronze leaves gently fluttering
down, forming a wonderful carpet on the earth. At last the trees
have had to let go, to accept that this is the cycle of their
lives. This earth covering is a great treasure, keeping the soil
warm, providing shelter for bees, moths, hedgehogs and so much
else, as well as mulching the soil too. Nature abhors a vacuum;
nothing is ever wasted, it is its own recycling plant over and
over again!
Tonight at Vespers we begin the beautiful Liturgy of Advent, we
let go of the 'ordinariness' of the Church's year and take up
these short weeks of 'specialness'.
St Francis de Sales tells us to 'Pursue your aim gently and
quietly, and by what you say and do, you must gently sow seeds
and gradually plant holy inspirations and reflections.'
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17.11.23.
Tonight we go into our Tridium retreat before the renewal of our
holy vows on Nov. 21st, feast of the Presentation. These days of
prayer and preparation allow us to unite ourselelves with our
sisters throughout the world as we all give thanks for our
vocations and pray for the grace of perseverence. May we say our
'Fiat' as Mary did, that Jesus may be born again in our world of
today. |
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1.11.23.
And so on this feast of All Saints we find ourselves
flowing into Autumn, November, a dark, crisp, winter month. The trees are
holding onto their leaves this year and relishing the many heavy
showers of rain. It's the month of the Holy Souls, when we
specially pray for all those who have journeyed to God but still
need our prayers to be completely united to Him. Our prayers can do so
much; I read the other day "If you are too busy to pray, then
you are busier than God wants you to be". Let's keep that in
mind this month. |
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15.10.23.
Our dear Sr Josephine Margaret celebrated her 92nd birthday
yesterday and we enjoyed a lovely birthday tea with her. Click
on the picture opposite. |
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28.9.23.
Candles have always symbolised remembrance, goodwill & welcome.
They show us the way. Not a dazzling bright light but a gentle,
warm glow. They are alight because there is oxygen in the place
where they're lit so they also denote life. Sr M Blogerina is
going into her annual 12 day retreat so please pray for
a candle to light her way, that the gentle days ahead may bring
light & life to her heart & please pray for her conversion.
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10.8.23.
The sisters of Grace & Compassion, at Holy Cross Priory, are just
10 minutes drive away from us & this is where our dear sisters
Paul Miryam & Josephine Margaret are now being cared for.
Recently we had the joy of sharing the Silver Jubilee
celebrations of 5 of their sisters; Srs Romilda, Julie, Rosily,
Rani & Beatrice. It was a wonderful day, full of joy & gratitude
& we are grateful to the sisters for the wonderful love & care
they give our two sisters.
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29.8.23.
Last week Sr M. Teresa celebrated her 70th birthday; instead of
our usual afternoon celebration we had a 'coffee party', any
excuse to eat chocolate cake in the middle of the morning! |
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20.8.23.
Here in the monastery we are fortunate enough to sing God's
praises at least 5 times each day in the Divine Office & Mass,
accompanied by the zither.
We begin & end our day in praise & thanksgiving; we sing in our
hearts as we work. That doesn't mean we are all wonderful
singers, that we always hit the right notes, that we always
manage to begin together. But as Walter Landor once said ' Music
is God's gift to us, the only art of Heaven given to earth & the
only art of earth we take to Heaven.' If we could but hear
it, all of creation sings, music is the echo of our invisible
world. How many ways do you praise God each day? |
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11.8.23.
At Vespers this evening we begin the Solemnity of Our Holy
Mother, St Jane de Chantal; later this evening we'll have a
vigil service & hold you & all your intentions in our prayers
before the Lord & our Holy Founders. We unite with our sisters
throughout the world, may Holy Mother's feast be a time of
blessings, graces & peace. |
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23.7.23.
Friendship is a true gift & we've been friends for 67 years,
since the day we all met at Our Lady's Convent school way back
in 1956! We may be in different parts of the world, our lives
may have taken very different paths but when we meet we pick up
as though it was yesterday.
'True friendship is when friends
can walk in opposite directions
yet remain side by side.' |
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11.7.23.
Laughter is a smile that has burst! |
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24.6.23.
It's 'Rose time'. June is the month when roses are at their
best; after months of careful pruning, of wondering 'did I cut
too much away', of feeding the barren soil, now we have our
reward.They don't have to be perfect, they each have their
individual beauty & perfume. Seeing them in the cloister garden
on our way to the Choir lifts our hearts & brings joy to our
eyes. |
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7.6.23.
Now all the Alleluias are over & we're back to being just
ordinary folk in Ordinary time within the Church's year.
Although it sounds like a contradiction 'ordinary' is in fact
very special! The hum-drum routines of daily life which the
majority of people on our planet are called to live each day;
the little things that go unnoticed. It's the same for us in the
monastery, although the month of June is star-studded with major
feasts! So let's enjoy whatever each day brings us, seeing God
in the washing up, in the baking & cleaning, welcoming Him in
all who ring our door bell. |
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23.5.23.
When you have been a consecrated Daughter of St Francis de Sales
for 25 years then it calls for a celebration. We all send loving
Congratulations to our dear Sheila & Geraldine for the
faithfulness, prayerfulness & joy that they bring to our Waldron
group of Daughters. God be praised! |
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15.5.23.
What a wonderful Coronation weekend we enjoyed. It was all
so beautifully presented on the television & our dear Sue, one
of our affiliated sisters, joined us for the day. The sun
didn't shine much but there was such a air of celebration, joy
and 'togetherness' felt across the nation. It made us
proud to be British. God save our King. |
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3.5.23.
Good Shepherd Sunday was the day we thanked our dear Mother Jane
Margaret for her care of our community. As is our custom
we presented her with a flower-laden Shepherd's crook, decked
with spring flowers. |
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20.4.23.
Our hands are eloquent; they can reflect so much of what we are
trying to express; some nationalities express themselves with
their hands more than others. Do you remember the song 'You need
hands', - 'You need hands to hold someone you care for', sung by
Max Bygraves in 1958?
I think when Mary was told by the Angel Gabriel that she was to
become the Mother of God she would have held out her trembling,
empty hands in acceptance & in expectation of what would would
fill them.
Today let us hold out our hands, empty & in expectation, saying
our 'Fiat', & be amazed at God's response.
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9.4.23.
EASTER
SUNDAY
Alleluia! Alleluia! Alleluia!
Wishing you Easter Blessings on this beautiful feast; may our
Risen Lord fill your hearts with His Joy & Peace. May you know
His gentle presence in your lives & may He fill your hearts with
His love.
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26.3.23.
Last week we enjoyed a wonderful day of prayer given by Fr
Paul Jennings. Our good friends the Sisters, Canonesses Regular
of Windesheim, joined us in Patmos for prayer, Mass & a very
calm & enriching few hours. The theme of the day was 'Women in
the Bible', great characters with special vocations. |
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21.3.23.
Can you hear our regal hosts of daffodils raising up their
trumpets to praise the Lord? |
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15.3.23.
The dark winter days are almost over and already we are filled with
a promise of something that is beautiful, something full of wonder
yet to come. Spring - on the horizon, never disappoints us.
Our daffodils are out in full splendour in the park & closer to home
are pockets of delightful mini spring flowers lifting our hearts as
we pass through the cloister. God be praised for His gifts to us.
And of course there's always a bit of tidying up to be done! |
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25.2.23.
We've enjoyed the week before Ash Wednesday, Shrove-tide, with days of
recreation, pancake making, coconut bombs & home-made pizza
creating. We've watched 'The Reluctant Convert' & 'Operation
Mincemeat'. Now Ash Wednesday has come & gone & we have entered into
these special days of Lent. A space in which we'll wait, we'll
suffer along with so many others, we'll watch & pray, pause & ponder. No more
Alleluias for a while, a changed Liturgy, changed hearts. A time to
walk with God wherever he leads us, remembering that 'I am always in
your presence, you are holding me by the hand'.
Psalm 73.
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4.2.23.
Not many flowers bloom in February, however the tiny woodland plants
that do appear brighten the landscape & our hearts. Wild Violets
show off their purple blue petals & heart-shaped leaves in the
coldest months. The Violet has been thought to symbolize modesty,
faithfulness, everlasting love, innocence and remembrance.
In Christianity violet flowers have symbolizd Our Lady's
virginity & in the middle ages Monks called them the 'Herb of
the Trinity' because of their three primary colours - purple, yellow
& green.
We are always thrilled to discover the first Violets popping their
heads above the cold, barren soil. St Francs de Sales likened our
Order of the Visitation to Violets at the foot of the cross, lowly,
hidden and yet exuding a wonderful perfume, especially when crushed. |
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24.1.23.
At First Vespers this evening we begin to celebrate the Solemnity of our Holy Founder, St Francis de
Sales, we unite in love & prayer with our sisters throughout the
world & with our many Salesian friends. May our Holy Founder walk
with you in this coming year and may you respond daily to his
invitation to 'Live Jesus'. |
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4.1.23.
Christmas is over and for us it was a time of virus's, cough, cough,
cough, in company with so many others; the whole community succumbed
to the bug! But now 2023 has dawned, we have recovered and are ready
to journey forward into this New Year to wherever and whatever the
Lord has in store for us. God be praised! |
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24.12.22.
Wishing you all many blessings for a Happy Christmas. May the New
Year be kind to you & bring you good health. We keep you & all your
loved ones in our prayers around the crib. |
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17.12.22
'In the bleak midwinter, frosty wind made moan';
the words of that well known Christmas carol have resonated with so
many during these past few days of severe weather, frost, ice &
snow. The extreme cold has meant that the snow, which fell over a
week ago, is still on the ground, very beautiful & now solid ice!
Take care when you venture out. |
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8.12.22.
Last weekend we welcomed our group of Daughters of St Francis de
Sales & we enjoyed an afternoon with carols & tea. Sarah played her
guitar to accompany us as we laughed, sang and shared friendship. |
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21.11.22.
Each year, on this beautiful feast of the Presentation, we unite
with our sisters all over the world in the public renewal of our
holy vows at mass. We give thanks to God for our vocation to serve
Him as Daughters of Prayer in the church. We remember you in our
prayers as we adore before the Blessed Sacrament all day. God be
praised!
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17.11.22.
The autumn leaves are changing colour & falling, reminding us how
good & necessary it is to just let go from time to time. Usually
there's no big tumbling of leaves just a steady surrender, a gentle
fluttering of autumn beauty leaving a canopy of bronze colours on
the ground. It's not always easy to let go but change occurs whether
we like it or not. This evening we go into our 3 day Tridium retreat
for the renewal of our holy vows on Monday 21st November, feast of
the Presentation. May we have the grace, during these days of
retreat, to gently let fall all that may hinder us on our heavenward
journey.
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11.11.22.
Eternal rest grant unto them O Lord & may perpetual light shine upon
them.
May they rest in peace. |
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31.10.22.
As we thank God for her Visitandine vocation & her presence in
our community, we celebrated a special birthday during the month of
October when Sr Clare Chantal kept her 50th birthday! Of course it
was a good reason for a tea-party. Please click on the picture
opposite. |
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21.10.22.
When Sr Paul Myriam gets to heaven the first
thing she'll ask is 'Can I do anything for you?' This is her daily
mantra in the monastery! Sister will be 96
on Christmas day & is a real example to all of us of a truly
generous spirit. She likes nothing better than helping one of the
sisters in the refectory or with ironing & sewing, her speciality is darning! We thank
God for the privilege of caring for our elderly sisters in
community.
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3.10.22.
Tonight Sr M. Blogerina goes into retreat for 12 days. Please pray
for me, I will be thinking of you all. Watch this space! |
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24.9.22.
There's definitely an Autumn nip in the air but we are still bathed
in sunshine most days & have had, thankfully, some good downpours of
heavy rain. The result is that everywhere is still looking green &
lush, the leaves aren't falling early as we thought they might
because of draught. Autumn is a good time for us too to shed our
leaves, to prune & cut back our desires & our busyness. It's a great
year for apples, the trees are laden & heavy with fruit, so let us
prepare our lives in readiness for the new fruit that God can
produce in us, if we allow Him. |
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8.9.22.
Eternal rest grant unto our dear Queen Elizabeth O Lord, and let perpetual light shine
upon her. May she rest in peace. Amen.
We loved her in life and now she is in the eternal arms of our God
of love. |
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'The road is long
with many a winding turn,
that leads us who knows where,
but I'm strong,
strong enough to carry him.
He ain't heavy
he's my brother.'
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5.9.22.
Some of you may remember the song 'He ain't heavy, he's my brother',
which among others was a hit for Neil Diamond in 1970, it is still
often played on the radio. Sometimes it is easier & less of a load
to come to the aid of those we know & love but perhaps we are also
called to help the stranger, anyone in need, whoever knocks on the
door of our heart today.
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30.8.22.
How we need to hear these beautiful words of Pope Francis today,
taken from his 'Fratelli Tutti' encyclical.
'How important it is to dream together; by ourselves we risk seeing
mirages, things that are not there. Dreams, on the other hand, are
built together. Let us dream then, as a single human family, as
fellow travellers sharing the same flesh, as children of the same
earth which is our common home, each of us bringing the richness of
his or her beliefs & convictions, each of us with his or her own
voice, brothers & sisters all.' |
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25.8.22.
Letting go is not necessarily getting rid of, it's letting be. We
all have 'stuff' we need to get rid of, some of it in the real sense
of getting rid of, throwing out, but mostly it's just the acceptance
of - it is what it is. As our years progress this 'letting be'
becomes a large part of our daily lives, situations change, we have
limitations both in mind and body & we can't always do all we'd like
to, we have to let go. Our Holy Founder, St Francis de Sales tells
us to 'Bloom where we are planted' & in our twilight years, wherever
we find ourselves, we can still become something beautiful for God.
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23.8.22.
The website has been sick for a couple of weeks but thanks to our
wonderful 'Computer-man' Steve Greenbank, we are now up & running
once again! Praise the lord! |
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6.8.22.
We meet with our Julian group in Patmos every first Wednesday of the
month & this past week as well as uniting with Julian of Norwich,
celebrating with prayer, quiet time & sharing, we were also able to
celebrate Mary's birthday with cake & festive fare! Praise the Lord
for friendship & faith,
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26.7.22.
Our wonderful neighbours Paul & Martin, who now live in our former
monastery, have been busy transforming it. The latest project has
been the 'Italian Garden'. For those who remember our grounds this
is on the way to where the cemetery was, by the Rhododendrons, in front of Our Lady Help of
Christians. It is very beautiful & a delight for us to see our
grounds so loved & cared for. |
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9.7.22.
A bit of summer joy on our pond yesterday! |
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5.7.22.
Each Saturday we honour Our Blessed Lady at Mass and in the Divine
Office. As we crown her,
sing to her, pray through her intercession & face the difficulties
of each day, let us put into practise the words of our Holy Founder,
St Francis de Sales, "Let us run to Mary, and as her little
children, cast ourselves into her arms with a perfect confidence." |
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24.6.22.
Feast of the Sacred Heart of Jesus
We wish you many blessings on this beautiful feast of the Sacred
Heart of Jesus. May He enfold you in His love, Mercy and Compassion.
We have Exposition & Adoration all day so will take you to Jesus in
our prayers.
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