Sr. Audrey's First Profession

On 1st October, the feast of St. Therese of Lisieux, Sister Audrey made her First Profession at the Monastery of Our Lady and St. Bernard. Sr. Mary Helen was here to receive her vows. Fr. Chris Posluszny, who had been Sr. Audrey’s Parish priest in Shefflield, was the principal celebrant. We were delighted to celebrate with four of our Sisters from the Monastery of Our Lady of Hyning in Lancashire, friends from nearby and friends from Sheffield.

Fr. Peter Craddy, Sr. Maria, Sr. Audrey, Sr. Mary Helen, Fr. Chris Posluszny

From the Archives

Sister Mary Helen, our Prioress General, visited recently to work on the archives. The conference room soon filled with files and photographs and all manner of records of Bernardine life in Slough and Westcliff.

Sr. Mary Helen left behind someone very important. Sr. Mary Lucy suggested that we celebrate with him on Sunday, the Solemnity of St. Benedict. See below.

Banner made at one of our schools to mark the 1500th anniversary of St. Benedict's birth.

Return to Goma

Thank you for your interest and your prayers for our community in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. We are very happy to report that our Sisters have returned to our monastery in Goma. They are getting back to something approaching normal life, having left the city under an evacuation order from the government two weeks ago, due to the risk of further eruptions of Mount Nyiragongo.

Please continue to pray for the population of Goma and the whole country, where the volcanic eruption added to the difficulties caused by ongoing conflicts and violence.

Evacuation of Goma

Today our Sisters began a journey out of Goma in response to the government’s call to evacuate. Since Saturday’s volcanic eruption earth tremors have continued every few minutes, causing cracks to appear in the ground and in the walls of buildings, including in the walls of our Monastery. The latest assessments are that there is significant risk of further eruptions of Mount Nyiragongo,

Three Sisters remain in Goma to watch over the monastery. The rest of the community is en-route along the heavily congested road out of Goma to Sake, and onwards to another Monastery.

Thank you for continuing to pray for our Sisters and for all the people of Goma, those who have fled, those who remain in the city.

Pentecost: Goma and Brownshill

We began the feast of Pentecost with the news that the city of Goma in the Democratic Republic of the Congo was being evacuated , following the eruption of the volcano Mount Nyiragongo , which caused a devastating flow of lava to move towards the city. Electricity lines were cut and there was no news from our community in Goma.

During the day news came through that our community was safe. Deo Gratias! All the Sisters remained together at the Monastery, where they had celebrated Lauds and Mass for Pentecost, after a very anxious night. The situation is still precarious and you may know that people on the edges of the city lost their lives, while others lost homes and property. Please continue to pray for our community, their families, the pupils and staff of our school, and all the people of Goma.

Pentecost at Brownshill was also marked, happily, by the presence of some of our first guests since October last year. It is a joy to be able to welcome people once more, albeit in smaller numbers and with all necessary restrictions in place. We look forward to welcoming more of you as the summer progresses.

News and Events

Following the popularity of our on-line retreats and events during Advent and Lent, we are preparing “Virtual Days of Reflection and Prayer”. The first will be next week. If you would like to join us in Eastertide to “Rejoice with the Risen Christ”, see our programme for details and to register.

You can also see a new photograph of the Sisters of Brownshill on our Community page. This may be your first sight of our new community. It was formed in August 2020 when Sr. Maria became Prioress and we were joined by Sr. Michelle Marie and Audrey. Sr. Elizabeth Mary is now Prioress of our community at Hyning in Lancashire, and Sr. Reina is part of the same community.

Alleluia, Alleluia, Alleluia!

The Lord is Risen! The Lord is Risen Indeed! Alleluia!

Happy Easter

The community wishes you the fullness of Paschal joy

Before Mass on Easter Sunday Morning

Paschal Triduum

At the foot of the cross we wait in hope

Good Friday afternoon after the celebration of the Lord’s Passion

Lent Reflections 2021

Through a Glass Darkly” (I Co 13) in these Covid-19 times

We are offering a series of talks during Lent. For more information see the programme page

Week of Prayer for Christian Unity

Day Eight 25th January

“So that my joy may be in you, and that your joy may be complete” (Jn 15:11)

Reconciling with all of creation

“Through the crucified and risen Christ, a path of reconciliation has been opened up; creation too is destined for a future of life and peace.” “The newness of life that Christ brings, however hidden, is a light of hope for many. It is a wellspring of reconciliation for the whole of creation and contains a joy that comes from beyond ourselves: “so that my joy may be in you, and that your joy may be complete” (Jn 15:11).” quote from CTBI resources for Unity Week

Week of Prayer for Christian Unity

Day Seven 24th January

“I am the vine, you are the branches” (Jn 15:5a)

Growing in unity

“Each tradition seeks to lead us to the heart of our faith: communion with God, through Christ, in the Spirit. The more we live this communion, the more we are connected to other Christians and to all of humanity.” “Christ’s will commits us to a path of unity and reconciliation. It also commits us to unite our prayer to his: “that they may all be one. . .so that the world may believe” (Jn 17:21).” quote from CTBI resources for Unity Week

Week of Prayer for Christian Unity

Day Six 23rd January

“Go and bear fruit, fruit that will last” (Jn 15:16b)

Welcoming others

“Throughout his life, Jesus welcomed those he met. He listened to them and let himself be touched by them without being afraid of their suffering.” “Sometimes something as small as a kind look, an open ear, or our presence is enough to make a person feel welcome. When we offer our poor abilities to Jesus, he uses them in a surprising way. We then experience what Abraham did, for it is by giving that we receive, and when we welcome others, we are blessed in abundance.” quote from CTBI resources for Unity Week

Week of Prayer for Christian Unity

Day Five 22nd January

“You have already been pruned by the word…” (Jn 15:3)

Letting oneself be transformed by the Word

“The Word of God is very close to us. It is a blessing and a promise of happiness. If we open our hearts, God speaks to us and patiently transforms that which is dying in us. He removes that which prevents the growth of real life, just as the vine grower prunes the vine.” quote from CTBI resources for Unity Week

Week of Prayer for Christian Unity

Day Four 21st January

“I do not call you servants any longer… but I have called you friends” (Jn 15:15)

Praying together

“Jesus lived in prayer, intimately united to his Father, while creating friendships with his disciples and all those he met.” “If we pray with Christians of other traditions, we may be surprised to feel united by a bond of friendship that comes from the One who is beyond all division. The forms may vary, but it is the same Spirit that brings us together.” quote from CTBI resources for Unity Week

Week of Prayer for Christian Unity

Day Three 20th January

“Love one another as I have loved you” (Jn 15:12b)

Forming one body

“Jesus wishes that life and love circulate through us as the sap through the vine, so that Christian communities be one body.” “In Christ we are invited to be clothed in compassion, through countless new beginnings. The recognition that we are loved by God moves us to welcome each other with our strengths and weaknesses. It is then that Christ is in our midst.” quote from CTBI resources for Unity Week

Week of Prayer for Christian Unity

Day Two 19th January

“Abide in me as I abide in you” (Jn 15:4a)

Maturing Internally

We “need a long period of maturation, an entire lifetime, in order to plumb the depths of Christ's love, to let him abide in us and for us to abide in him.” “it is through prayer, by listening to the word, in sharing with others, by putting into practice what we have understood, that the inner being is strengthened.” quote from CTBI resources for Unity Week

Week of Prayer for Christian Unity

Day One 18th January

“You did not choose me but I chose you” (Jn 15:16a)

Called by God

“The love of God seeks us. God became human in Jesus, in whom we encounter the gaze of God. In our lives, as in the Gospel of John, God’s call is heard in different ways. Touched by his love, we set out.” quote from CTBI resources for Unity Week

Christian Unity Week

Praying and working together with Christians of all traditions is very important to us at the Monastery of Our Lady and St. Bernard. Each year our community likes to participate in the week of prayer for Christian Unity, organized by Churches Together in Britain and Ireland. This year we will be using readings and prayers for unity at Lauds each day. These are taken from the CTBI programme, which was prepared by the Monastic Community of Grandchamp in Switzerland. You can join us by listening to the daily recordings of Lauds on our Welcome page.

Happy Christmas!

Glory to God in the Highest and on Earth peace to people of good will.

The community at Brownshill wishes you a Happy Christmas. May the joy of Christ’s birth enflame our love and rekindle our hope.

Advent Service

Join us for a service of songs and readings as we offer our prayer and praise to the God who comes. Recording on the “Welcome” page of this web-site

Advent Wreath in Chapel with the fourth candle lit.