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The Priory, Begbroke
(2001-2002)
Commemoration Day
in June 2001 at Begbroke Priory was a particularly happy occasion. Not
only was it the Sisters’ first Commemoration Day in their new
home, but also it marked the 150th anniversary of the founding of the
CSJB at Clewer.
Joined by their
Diocesan Bishop, the Bishop of Dorchester, and a very large number of
friends, both old and new, the day began, as usual, with the celebration
of the Eucharist in the Chapel, when the Bishop gave his address.
It was a beautiful
service, perhaps made all the more memorable by the slight hitch in
the proceedings as it began: the incense burning during the procession
from the Bishop’s resting room into the Chapel inadvertently set
off the fire alarm, which threatened to drown the opening hymn! However,
the alarm was quickly silenced and after that everything went smoothly!
After the service,
everyone repaired outside to the magnificent blue and gold marquee on
the big lawn, near the refectory. It was a lovely, warm and sunny day
and everyone was able to enjoy their picnic lunches, chatting to the
Sisters and other old friends and acquaintances.
During the afternoon
the Sisters gave conducted tours of the Priory and Convent buildings,
for naturally everyone was eager to admire their new home, and to stroll
around the grounds – looking so lovely now in the height of summer,
and showing, we are told, such a transformation from the neglected wasteland
they had resembled less than a year ago.
Fewer people stayed
on for Vespers and tea than had been the custom at Clewer, for most
of the visitors had travelled long distances and were anxious to get
home before contending with the rush hour traffic, but nevertheless,
there could have been no-one who came away without feeling that it had
been a very happy and joyful day.
Later in the year,
coinciding again with the Community’s anniversary celebrations
– this time with the 150th anniversary of the professing of Harriet
Monsell, the first Mother Superior, on St Andrew’s Day in 1852
– Mother Jane Olive and Mother Ann Verena (Superior of the Companions
of the Community of Jesus the Good Shepherd, who now share their lives
with the CSJB) paid a visit to their sister Community in Mendham in
New Jersey.
This again was
an unforgettable experience – they saw so many interesting places,
met so many old friends and made so many new, and were welcomed so warmly
by the Mendham Community, which has been growing from strength to strength
over recent years.
The highlight
of their visit was the special celebration of the Eucharist on St Andrew’s
Day when no fewer than four Bishops, splendidly robed, were present,
together with a large number of priests, including Father Lister Tonge,
the Chaplain General of the CSJB on both sides of the Atlantic.
By the time Mother
Jane and Mother Ann Verena returned it was almost Christmas –
another joyful occasion celebrated by Midnight Mass in their own Chapel
when their old organist from Windsor came down to play for them, and
followed by their usual tradition of mulled wine and hot chocolate and
mince pies in the kitchen.
Meanwhile, the
Sisters have been continuing to feel more and more at home at Begbroke.
Of course, it is all very different from Clewer: the busy urban world
that surrounded the Convent there is replaced by the rural close-knit
village community of Begbroke; the noisy congested roads become here
quaint country lanes and rough farm tracks; the streets of terraced
houses and soaring office blocks give way here to little country cottages
with their pretty gardens, to rambling farms and scattered homesteads
and green fields, woods and hills stretching into the distance.
If they wish to
explore further a ‘bus ride will take the Sisters to a number
of attractive country or market towns in the vicinity. Woodstock with
all its romantic historical associations lies only ten minutes away
by ‘bus; Chipping Norton – a pleasant Cotswold market town
– is a little further afield; Kidlington, their nearest shopping
centre, is more awkward to reach by ‘bus, but is accessible by
foot if one feels inclined for a longish tramp across the fields; and
then if one is prepared to make a day of it, Witney provides some excellent
shops; and of course there is always Oxford.
In Begbroke itself,
many of the villagers have become familiar figures. Mother Jane is on
the Village Hall Management Committee; every day the Sisters will meet
many of the local inhabitants going about their business, some of whom
work in various ways at the Priory itself, and on occasions the Sisters
may join the parishioners in their worship at the local Parish Church
or, in their turn, a group of the parishioners may share in the celebration
of the Eucharist at the Priory.
There is no doubt
at the Priory that Benedict and Tabitha, the two Priory cats, now feel
thoroughly at home in their new quarters! As the cold dark days of winter
drew in they were presented with a very sophisticated cat flap, designed
with a lock, to allow them to seek the warmth and comfort within the
stone walls of the Priory and to keep ‘Old Ginger Paws’,
the local tough and a regular bully, out.
Tabitha, always
inclined to be more timid, remained a little suspicious, and preferred
on the whole the safety of the outside world to the unknown terrors
of within, but not so the bolder Benedict! Having offered Mother Jane
a rather doubtful Christmas present, in the form of a mouse, as a mark
of his appreciation, he then set out on a journey of reconnaissance,
finally determining upon the Chapel as his own special sanctum.
Quiet and peaceful,
warm and comfortable with its lovely soft carpet and huge radiators
– why it might have been made especially for him. But, when he
aspired to higher things and chose first the Altar and then the Tabernacle
on its raised marble slab as the nicest place to sit or sleep for a
while – well, enough was enough! But could he really be blamed
when, surprised by one of those alarming two-legged creatures, he leapt
from the Tabernacle, onto the credence table, knocked over the wine
cruet, stained the beautifully embroidered cloth, and left wet paw marks
all over the priest’s chair?
However, after
that the Chapel was placed firmly out of bounds for cats! Still, with
spring returned, and summer on its way, it might be preferable to remain
out of doors after all.
The Sisters’
address at Begbroke is:
The Community of
St John Baptist
The Priory
2 Spring Hill Road
Begbroke
Kidlington
Oxford OX5 1RX
