Recent Events
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Douai
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Recent Events
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A recent view of Douai Park. |
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December 31
A capacity audience attended the afternoon concert in the Abbey Church give by the Rodolfus Choir directed by Ralph Allwood.December 29
Choral Evensong was broadcast by BBC 3 from the Abbey Church this afternoon. It was sung by the Rodolfus Choir directed by Ralph Allwood. There was a large congregation. Fr Oliver and the Provost of Eton presided.The music was mainly by Tallis including the hymn Glory to thee my God this night sung in canon by the congregation. The canticles were from the Dorian Service, the Introit Videte miraculum and the anthem Sancte Deus.December 25Fr Abbot and four of the brethren visited the Anglican monastery at Burford for lunch and None.
There was a larger congregation than usual for Christmas Day Mass also.December 24
The sacristan and juniors have decorated the church with holly, the flower team have provided displays of flowers, Fr Bernard has been busy assembling the crib. The novices have decorated the Christmas trees in the calefactory and entrance hall with lights.December 22A larger crowd than ever attended the Christmas Vigil and Mass and many stayed for refreshments afterwards.
Grounds staff have cut Christmas trees which have been set up in the calefactory and the monastery entrance hallway.December 20
Douai Abbey Newsletter 21 has been published.December 19
The Advent Service of Music and Reflections was held in the Abbey Church.December 17 - 19
Thirteen people are taking part in a Pastoral Programme 'Pre-Christmas Retreat' led by Br Christopher.December 15
Fr Abbot preached at St Mary's Ryde, Isle of Wight, for the unveiling of a Plaque to the memory of Bl Robert Anderton and William Marsden, two recusant priests who, on the way from France to England, were ship-wrecked on the Isle of Wight and martyred in 1586.December 14 - 15Elstree School, our near neighbour, held their Carol Service in the Abbey Church.
The new boilers were commissioned today.
Fr Dermot led a Day of Recollection for chaplains from Bloxham School, in the Conference Centre.December 13
The annual Carol Service for local primary schools took place in the Abbey Church this afternoon.December 12
Fr Abbot led a Day of Recollection for the Knights and Dames of Malta in the Conference Centre and Parish Church.December 11
A Pastoral Programme Healing Workshop was directed by Fr Nicholas.December 10 - 12
A weekend retreat for oblates took place.December 9
The Diocese of Oxford Education Department met in the Conference Centre.December 10
The Monastic Interfaith Dialogue Committee met in the Guesthouse, participants came from Curzon Park, Ramsgate and Prinknash Abbeys.
Roof timbers for the houses to be built on part of the former school site have been arriving. Also the lawn in front of the theatre has been removed.December 8-10
Roof timbers stacked behind the music school.
A view outside the theatre showing where the lawn was and more roof timbers ready for building to begin.
Another view of the where the lawn was, showing the entrance to the former squash court, and builders huts.
Fr Henry Wansborough of Ampleforth was here to lead a seminar of the monastic distance learning programme. Participants came from Quarr and Downside Abbeys.December 7 - 9
A midweek retreat for oblates took place.December 4
Fr Gervase took the novices to visit the communities of the Olivetan monasteries at Turvey Abbey, Bedforshire.December 3 - 6
The Anglican parish of St George, Wash Common, came for a Day of Recollection in our Conference Centre led by Fr Oliver.
Frs Finbar and Peter went to Douai, France, to begin arrangements for the foundation we are to make there next September.
November 30
Br Simon Hill who went last January to Nunraw Abbey, Scotland, to try his vocation with the Cistercians there, returned to Douai this morning.November 29In the evening Sir Stephen Wall, former pupil of our school, and former ambassador to Portugal and the United Nations addressed the community on Ethics and foreign policy.
Fr Bernard represented the abbot at the Consecration of the refurbished chapel at the Royal Military Academy, Sandhurst. Former army chaplain, Fr Timothy Kelly OSB was also present.November 28 1st Sunday of Advent
At Mass today Fr Alban, the presider, blessed the Advent wreath. The music was Missa Sti Josephi by Flor Peeters and Alma Redemptoris Mater & Canite turba by Palestrina.November 27
Singscape, directed by Sarah Tenant-Flowers, gave an Advent Concert in the Abbey Church which was full to capacity. The programme included music by Lauridsen, Tchaikovsky, Rachmaininov, Roxanna Panufnik, Britten, Bruckner, Part and the first performance of Veni, Veni, Emmanuel by Cameron Sinclaire.November 26 - 28Thirty people attended a Pastoral Programme Interfaith Workshop, Christians meeting a Theravadi Buddhist monk, led by Fr Peter.
Twelve people took part in a Pastoral Programme Advent Retreat directed by Fr OliverNovember 24Fr Dermot is leading a workshop at conference Streams in the Desert: Being Church in Contemporary Society at High Leigh Conference Centre, Hoddesdon, Hertfordshire, on Spirituality-in-the-Workplace.
Fr Abbot attended the celebrations for the 150th anniversary of the consecration of Oulton Abbey Church, Staffordshire. The nuns of Oulton are the community founded in Ghent in 1624, from the English community which had been established in Brussels in 1597.November 21
A new website was launched today to publicise the work of Bishop Christopher Butler OSB and the the second Vatican Council.November 20 Feast of St Edmund, king & martyr, our patron.
November 19
It was announced today that we are to make a foundation in Douai, France, just over 100 years since our expulsion. We have been offered the former presbytery of l'eglise St-Pierre by the parish (picture on right). Fr Finbar Kealy, our last abbot and Fr Peter Bowe will take up residence in September 2005. The house will be called Maison St-Benoit. Fr Abbot presided at Mass which was at 12noon. Click to read his sermon.
We had several guests at Mass and lunch today including confraters, our financial advisors and some of the community from St Benet's Hall, Oxford.We had the first snow fall of the season during Mass, the temperature has turned much colder.
Monks from the Anglican communities of Elmore and Burford joined us for 1st Vespers of St Edmund, supper and Compline.November 19 - 23
Fr Nicholas led a Healing Retreat for Chemin Neuf in Somerset.November 17
CAFOD South held a meeting in the Conference Centre.November 14
Fr Nicholas Led a Pastoral Programme Healing Workshop for 20 people.November 12 - 14
Fr Gervase led a Pastoral Programme retreat on the Eucharist.November 11
The Historic Churches Committee for the southern dioceses met in the Conference Centre.November 7
Everyone is rather shaken with the news of the train disaster within our parish, less than three miles away.November 6Click for information about the Advent Service of Music & Reflections.
Br Hugh led a Pastoral Programme Day of Recollection for Eucharistic Ministers, Readers, Cantors.November 5
A training workshop for counsellors was held in the Conference Centre.November 3
The temporary boiler and oil tank that has stood outside the house chapel for the past few weeks has been removed. Our new installation is almost complete, only a few rooms now have no heating, where the supply pipe was cut in error when asbestos lagging was removed.November 3 - 4
Fr Nicholas attended a meeting of Vicars for Religious in Leeds. He is Diocesan Vicar for Religious in the County of Berkshire.November 2 All Souls Day
After Mass the abbot led he community to the cemetary, where a psalm was prayed for the dead: this is the first time we have done this.
October 31
Solemnity of All Saints (anticipated). At Conventual Mass, the Douai Singers sang the Mass and Motet O quam gloriosim by Victoria and Beatorum animae by Stanford.October 30
Fifteen people attended a Pastoral Programme Healing Workshop led by Fr Nicholas.October 29 - 31
Fifteen people attended a Pastoral Programme Spirituality in-the-Workplace retreat/workshop led by Fr Dermot.October 26 - 28Also seven trainee deacons from the Archdiocese of Liverpool came for a retreat prior to their institution as lectors, given by Fr Gervase.
A group of our Oblates were here on retreat led by Fr Francis, the assistant Oblate Director.October 24 - 29
Fr Peter attended a meeting of D.I.M. (Monastic Interfaith Dialogue) at the Abbey of Montserrat in Spain. He is the secretary for the Britain.October 23
34 people attended a University of Reading Dayschool in the Conference Centre entitled Monks & Books given by Fr Abbot and Fr Bernard.October 22 - 24
Fr Nicholas gave weekend retreat for Chemin Neuf in Somerset.October 18 - 22Frs Oliver and Alban are leading a retreat for the Knights of St Columba from our Ormskirk parish in the monastery.
Sr Elizabeth Rees OCV and Fr Benedict were directors for Come to the Quiet individually guided retreat organised by the Pastoral Programme.October 16
Konovets Quartet, who have sung here many times before, gave a concert of Russian liturgical music in the Abbey Church, followed by folk music in the Refectory.October 15 - 17Fr Peter ran a Pastoral Programme Workshop on Christian Meditation.
Fr Nicholas led a Pastoral Programme Retreat Healing Grief.October 15
Boerhinger Ingelheim came for the last of their current series of management training sessions, which have been held monthly over the past year.October 13 - 14
Bracknell Anglican Deanery with the Bishop of Reading met in the Guesthouse and Conference Centre.October 13
The parish of Goring-on-Thames and South Stoke Pastoral Team held a quiet day in the Conference CentreOctober 12
The first of the two new boilers was fired successfully for the first time, so we now have central heating in the Guesthouse, the Conference Centre and some areas of the monastery.October 10 -11
National Council of Priests Standing Committee held an executive meeting in the Conference Centre; Fr Godric is their chairman.October 8 - 10
Some thirty people are taking part in an Enneagram workshop organised by the Pastoral Programme.October 4
Fr Peter has gone to attend the Conference of Catholic Bursars at Hoddesdon, Herts.October 3
There is more activity on the school site; another builders' hut has arrived. The photo shows the former art building, (a corrugated iron structure put up in 1949-50 originally to accommodate chemistry and physics laboratories and the printery), the workshop, (erected as a temporary building in the quadrangle in 1916), and the biology and technical building (a terapin building erected in 1972), overgrown and derelict awaiting demolition.
October 2It has been announced that Fr Edmund Power OSB, until now Prior of Sant'Anselmo Abbey, Rome, is to become Prior Administrator of the Abbey of St Paul's without the Walls, also in Rome. The photo shows Fr Edmund (left) being presented to Pope John Paul II by the Abbot Primate, Norker Wolf, during the recent meeting of abbots in Rome. Seated is the Abbot of St Louis, Thomas Frerking.
Mhairi Lawson soprano, Deborah Calland trumpet and William Whitehead organ gave a superb concert in the Abbey Church this evening.
CHRONICLE - SEPTEMBER 2004 September 30
Fr Abbot attended a reception given by the Vice Chancellor of the University of Oxford to celebraate the publication of the Oxford Dictionary of National Biography.September 29Four Salesian novices from Farnborough, Hants, attended a class on the Psalms given by Fr Gervase and one on Church History given by Fr Abbot with our two novices. They will come every Thursday during this term.
The Diocese of Portsmouth Spirituality group met in the Conference Centre.
Br Hugh had gone to Minster Abbey, Kent, to attend a meeting of Eastern Orthodox and Catholic monastics, centring on a lecture and discussion on the Great Letter of Pseudo-Macarius, as a basis for dialogue.September 26
A number of portocabins for workmen's use and a demolition machine have arrived in the school grounds, signs that work is about to begin for the housing development.
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The Waverley Development Group met in the Conference Centre.Septmeber 20 - 29
Fr Abbot attended the Congress of Abbots in Rome.September 19
The Douai Abbey Singers sang at the Conventual Mass today, Missa Aeterni Christi munera and Sicut cervus by Palestrina, and Ave Verum by Saint-Saens.September 18
Gradualia, an Oxford choir which explores music from the XVth to the early XVIIth centuries gave a concert in the Abbey Church.The programme, which showed the great variety of music of this period, was expertly sung. It consisted of music by Victoria, Lambe, Cornysh, Bull, Gombert, Whyte, Byrd, Allegri, Lheritier, Gesualdo and de Rore.September 17Fr Nicholas ran a Workshop on Healing Families, part of the Pastoral Programme.
The new permanent boilers were delivered today at 7.30am, the work of installation can now begin.
September 13A temporary boiler was installed outside the house chapel which enables at least some rooms to have hot water.September 10 -12
Sixteen people attended a retreat, 'Praying the Psalms' led by Fr Gervase, as part of the Pastoral Programme.September 9 - 12
Fr Abbot attended an abbots' meeting at Worth Abbey, Sussex.September 9
Fr Prior & Fr Gervase attended a meeting of the Julian Chapter of Oblates at St Gregory's Church, Stratford-upon-Avon.
September 8A large crane mounted on a lorry came and removed the old central heating boilers from the monastery boiler room.September 7
Fr Szczepan Sztuka OSB arrived from the Abbey of Tyniec in Poland. He will stay a year with us while researching Newman in Oxford. This is part of our centenary celebration.September 6
Gergely Toldi, a former pupil of the monastery school of Pannonhalma in Hungary arrived today to stay until Christmas working and perfecting his English.September 4
Fr Paul arrived this evening having completed a two month German language course in Bonn.September 3 - 5
Fr Nicholas gave a Healing Workshop, part of the Pastoral Programme
There were 24 participants in a Mens Retreat this weekend.September 3
The final concert of this year's Festival of Baroque Music took place this evening in the Abbey Church. It was given by Apollo and Pan who have taken part in all three festivals. Their programme was called Birth of Baroque and consisted of music from seventeenth century Italy by Dario Castello and his contemporaries for two violins, dulcian, organ and harpsichord.
August 31 - September 3
Fr Gervase travelled to Cromer, Norfolk, to lead a retreat for the Julian Chapter of Oblates.August 27
Br Hugh has replaced Fr Nicholas on the hospitality team, and Br Christopher has replaced Br Hugh as monastery liason person with the parish.August 26 - 27
A 'cherry-picker' has been brought in to survey the roofs of the former school buildings. Several members of the community availed themselves of the driver's offer to take them aloft to see the view.August 19
Douai Abbey Newsletter no 20 is published today.August 16
Work has begun removing the life-expired monastery boilers; our hot supply is coming from the emergency boiler recently moved from the redundant Ditcham House and installed in the old boiler house beneath the Conference Centre.August 15 - 20
The annual community retreat is being given by Fr Myles Readen CM, spiritual director at Maynooth College, Ireland.August 12
The second of this year's Summer Festival of Baroque Music concerts took place in the Abbey Church this evening. It was given by the Marésienne Consort. The first half was devoted to French music including four motets by Charpentier, part of François Couperin's Leçons de Ténèbres a Chaconne by Jacques Morel and suite for solo theobo by Robert de Visée. The second half was of German music and included Buxtehude's Cantata, Singet dem Herrn, Telemann's Cantata, Ihr Völker hört, an aria, Auch mit gedämpften, by J.S. Bach and a Sonata by Johann Schenck. The singer was Clare Wilkinson mezzo-soprano and the players were Hazel Brooks baroque violin, Ibi Aziz bass viol, James Akers theobo and David Wright harpsichord. It was one of the most satisfying concerts we have had, all the performers being of an exceptionally high standard.August 7
Our telephones were restored this afternoon after more then 48 hours.August 5 - 14
We have two monks from Augsburg in Germany staying with us, Fr Stephan and Fr Gregor.August 5 - 14
Fr Nicholas has gone to Felixstowe to lead a guided retreat.August 5
Two severe thunder storms today, the first without rain. Our telephone exchange has been put out of action.August 2
A very hot day. A digger has started work on the school site.
July 31
The third Douai Festival of Baroque Music opened this evening with a superb concert in the Abbey Church given by Charivari Agreable, a quartet of viols and harpsichord. They played music by members of the Couperin family, Corrette, Bach, Funck, Pacelbel and Dornel.July 29
The electrical supply for the monastery has now been completely separated from that of the former school, in preparation for the development.July 24
Fr Gervase led a Day of Recollection for 39 ministers of the Eucharist and of the Word from the parishes of New Milton and Milford-on-Sea, Hants, in the Conference Centre.July 23 - 25
The Archdiocese of Southwark seminarians and aspirants held a retreat here with Archbishop Kevin McDonald, the metropolitan.July 22
Boehringer Ingelheim held a training session in the Conference Centre.July 21 - 24
Fr Abbot attended the Summer Conference of the Ecclesiastical History Society at the University of Liverpool at which he gave a paper The Poor Man's Catechism.July 19 - 23
The Diocese of Northampton seminarians and aspirants held a retreat here.July 19
The Diocese of Oxford schools RE organisors met in the Conference Centre.July 13 - 15
The choir of New College, Oxford, under their director Edward Higginbottom have been recording in the Abbey Church, mainly contempoary music.July 12
Fr Leo Arkwright OSB celebrated the golden jubilee of his ordination as a priest in Salzburg Cathedral in 1954, with Mass at noon.July 11
At Mass today John Sandars' alternatim polyphonic setting for plainsong Mass X was sung complete for the first time. The motets were Bruckner's Locus iste and Vittoria's O quam.July 10
Three oblate novices made final oblation during Conventual Mass this morning.July 9
Fr Benedict led a Day of Recollection in the Conference Centre for parishioners of Our Lady of Peace parish, Burnham, Bucks.
Anniversary of the Dedication of the Abbey Church, Fr Abbot presided at Office and Mass.July 7
In the morning all the school leavers from the Catholic primary schools in the neighbourhood who will be moving to Bl Hugh Faringdon senior school next term came for a Mass in the Abbey Church. Afterwards they had a picnic in the grounds. In the afternoon Elstree School, our near neighbour, held their end of year service in the Abbey Church.
All the primary school leavers from Thatcham schools came for an activities day and service in the Abbey Church. The event was organised by Thatcham Baptist Church.July 6
Sister Laurentia, novice mistress, brought her assistant and two novices from Stanbrook Abbey to visit our novices for the day.July 5
July 3
The hay on the hayfield has been cut and baled.
The wild flower seed planted in an experimental strip last year is in full bloom. We hope to extend this to the whole field eventually.
Fr Nicholas led a Healing Workshop, part of the Pastoral Programme and Fr Benjamin gave a Day of Recollection for members of St Margaret's Parish, Twickenham, who had become Catholics at Easter.July 2
The Newbury Choral Society gave a concert in the Abbey Church of various pieces by Elgar and Durufle's Requiem. The highlight of the evening was a performance of Bach's Suite for solo cello no 5 in C minor played by Jonathan Cohen.
We hear that Fr Edmund Power OSB, currently Prior of Sant'Anselmo, Rome, has been appointed Prior-administrator of the Abbey of St Pauls-without-the Walls, Rome, effective from September.July 1
Several prepartory works are taking place for the major construction work which will begin later this year. The telephone exchange is being moved to a new site in the corridor outside the monastery laundry room where the fax machine was. Also the novices haved cleared the cellar under the Conference Centre of various bath room fittings stored over many years to allow auxiliary boilers to be installed. These will be moved from the former school swimming pool. The cellar had been used for boilers many years ago. 
The bathroom fittings removed from the cellar, outside the link between the monastery and the conference centre.
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