23 November, 2012

From Hendred to Hereford
At the end of May we left East Hendred, which had been our home for nine years, and moved to Howton Grove, Hereford, where we have been busy ever since making a monastery out of a barn. On 6 September 2012 our Honorary Chaplain, Fr Anthony de Vere, came over from Oxford to bless the house and celebrate the first Mass. The community is still under the patronage of the Holy Trinity (i.e. Holy Trinity Monastery) but we are following Benedictine custom in using the local place name as our address (hence Howton Grove Priory).

Beauty of Place
The new monastery is a beautiful place, clearly cherished by its former owners, and situated on the edge of the Golden Valley which is rich in monastic history. Just over the road is Kilpeck, home in the Middle Ages to a small Benedictine priory; three miles away at Ewyas Harold is the site of another Benedictine cell; while at Dore, which was a Cistercian foundation, the remains of the abbey church are still in use and provide a magnificent setting for Choral Evensong which we have been able to attend from time to time. It is much drier and warmer than Hendred, and though we miss our friends greatly, we are very grateful to have this opportunity of acquiring a 'local habitation and a name' and making it a truly monastic house.

Local Produce
The cider mill shown above stands in the monastery garden. Fruit from the trees behind has been taken to a local cider-maker, so we hope next year to be tasting some of our very own cider!

Photos
If you wish to see more photos of the monastery, we have uploaded a few to our Facebook page, http://www.facebook.com/benedictinenuns

Online Hospitality
One of the reasons for our choice of place is that we have good Broadband access — so necessary for our online outreach. We have plans to expand our online ministry but for the moment we have had to place them on hold. Moving, unpacking, dealing with Veilaudio at a distance, to say nothing of keeping Veilpress and Veilnet going and the usual household tasks, has filled every minute — and then some!

Guests
We decided that we would give priority to old friends of the monastery and have been pleased to welcome a stream of visitors who have been loyal and generous supporters over many years. After Easter, we hope to open our doors to a few retreatants, as and when we can. However, it makes sense for a small community, such as we are, to go on doing what we do best: hospitality online. That said, we shall be welcoming our first group for a Day of Recollection on 13 December. Pray we have the books unpacked by then!

Admin, Admin, Admin
The incorporation of the Charity is now complete, and we are in the process of transferring all the assets of the old Charitable Trust. If you are a regular donor to the Charitable Trust and have not yet had details of the changes you need to make, please alert us and we will resend the information.

For those who are perhaps thinking of sending a Christmas present to the community, Bro Duncan and the nuns have posted a few ideas on Facebook.

Last but not Least
We had hoped that Denise would have begun her postulancy long since, but thanks to the backlog at UKBA she is still in New York. Please keep her (and us) in your prayers as the situation is very trying.

This newsletter comes with the community's prayers and good wishes. It will not be long till Advent and the joy of Christmas. No matter how dark things may seem, and the world today is indeed full of shadows, we know that darkness is not the whole story. Christ, the Light of the World, can never be extinguished. May he illumine your steps and keep you safe.

The Benedictines of Holy Trinity Monastery
Howton Grove Priory