St Cecilia’s Abbey

 

“A monastery is like a window opening onto God; it helps us turn our gaze towards God and allows the full light of God to penetrate everyday life.”

The Benedictine nun, like Our Lady in Hopkins’ poem, has “this one work to do–let all God’s glory through.” The monastic life is about a way of looking, the gaze turned in the direction of the things of God.

“Love flourishes in silence and hidden actions have a particular efficacy. If we have come apart from the world, it is in order to share in sanctifying the world, in union with the Lord who alone sanctifies. We are to be convinced of the apostolic fruitfulness of our willed hiddenness and our prayers said in secret. Here is matter for the faith, hope and love which constitute our life in the Heart of Christ.”                                                                                                                    Mother Abbess, St Cecilia’s Abbey

The nuns live a traditional monastic life of prayer, work and study

Founded in 1882 and dedicated to the Peace of the Heart of Jesus, St Cecilia’s Abbey belongs to the Benedictine Order, and in particular to the Solesmes Congregation, a family of monasteries in the spiritual tradition of Dom Prosper Guéranger. The nuns live a traditional monastic life of prayer, work and study in accordance with the ancient Rule of St Benedict. At the heart of their life is the praise of God, expressed through the solemn celebration of the sacred liturgy. This hidden life of prayer is a gift of God.

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