Signs of New Growth
In 2016 the community sold the bungalow which was used as part of the Guest House accommodation and purchased St Anne’s chalet, which is closer to the Abbey. This allows the community to welcome guests and retreatants in a more private setting. It is, as well, a delightful hideaway for the sisters to have their break.
The Guest House with its Bethany wing has been blessed with many new and varied groups, and the number of day groups has steadily increased. Parkminster tea rooms will be opening up once the warmer weather arrives. A room near the entrance to the Parkminster gardens was recently cleared and renovated by some friends of the community. The sisters plan to use this as a reflective space where visitors will be able to sit quietly before taking a “contemplative walk” around the gardens.
The farm with our small flock of sheep, as well as a large vegetable garden and orchards continue to be busy places of work. The gardening sisters provide the community with many varieties of home-grown organic vegetables and fruit. Recently the Sisters increased the number of grazing paddocks so that they can offer more people tenancies for horse grazing. The combination of sheep and horses provide rich agricultural soil, and at the same time create additional income.
The community continues to receive new candidates seeking God in the monastic life. Some of these women have made a permanent commitment through solemn monastic profession in our community. Others have discovered that their vocation is elsewhere. The community has been enriched by each person who has come to Minster, each bringing their own particular gifts and skills. Some women have come from Britain and others have come from abroad. This “internationality” continues to be one the characteristics of the Minster Abbey community.
The sisters are particularly inspired by the recent encyclical “Laudato si”. In response to this, the most recent project is to have solar energy panels installed at the Abbey. This plan is very much in keeping with the Church’s and Pope Francis’ emphasis on care of the environment and building a sustainable future for all. We hope our solar panels, which will be situated in a paddock, will provide green electricity for the Abbey, the Guest House and Parkminster.
“May our love for our Common Home give us courage to continue to care for it in whatever way we can.”
