Visit to Douai (France)
FR ABBOT, Frs Gervase, Godric, Oliver, Alexander, Alban, Hugh and Christopher and eight members of the Douai Society visited Douai, France, during the first weekend of October, guests of the William Allen Association, invited as part of the commemoration of the centenary of our departure from France.Contemporary accounts in The Douai Magazine describe how the citizens of Douai regretted our departure in 1903, and sadly bade us farewell. The politics of the Parisian government were not popular with the townsfolk. Gradually, however, the presence of the English monks was forgotten. Indeed several past pupils of the Lycée Corot, the school which now occupies our former buildings, told us that when they were students there, they were never told that those buildings had once been occupied by English monks, indeed some of them did not know even of the existence of the chapel. All that began to change some twenty years ago when a group of Douai citizens, under the leadership of Madame Corteel formed the William Allen Association to research and preserve the history of the English Catholics in Douai.
Over the years there have been several visits of individual monks; reciprocal visits have been made of parties of parishioners of Woolhampton and of Douai, but this was the first time a formal visit had been made by a large group of monks and members of the Douai Society.
Our weekend was packed with activities. Having travelled by Eurostar, we were greeted at Douai station by members of the William Allen Association who hosted the Douai Society members, while the monks stayed at La Sainte Union convent. Two of the families of Woolhampton parishioners who had been in the party of visitors ten years previously, and who are now living in France, the Haneys and the Maguires, came to join us.
The first evening, as guests of Monsieur and Madame Corteel, we had the first of several sumptuous meals we were to enjoy in the town. The next day, Saturday, began with a visit to the grave of our monks in the town cemetery. Thence we moved to visit our former monastery. The headmaster himself unlocked the gate for us. After a tour of the Ward Cloister and the library, which had been installed for the monks of St Gregory's before the Revolution, we went to the chapel where we sang the Mass of St Edmund. Because of the laws of separation of church and state in France it is not normally permitted to have services in a state school, and because the chapel is a listed ancient monument it cannot be converted to another use, so it remains virtually as we left it 100 years ago, choir stalls and altar still in place.
The monks in the choir stalls of the chapel with M. André Merville, the curé.
The afternoon began with a visit to the town library, where a display of items concerning the British in Douai had been kindly arranged by the librarian, who explained something of the history of the exhibits to us. The second part of the afternoon was taken up with a visit to Planques, about four miles away, where we had had a country house and estate, which served as a venue for school sports and as a place of recuperation for monks who were sick. The house has long since been demolished, but a large part of the estate has become a public park known as the English Park. There, by the lake where in former times boys had fished, boated and swam, the mayor of Douai, Madame Corteel, and the abbot together unveiled a stele, commemorating the English Benedictine presence.
The stele, being unveiled at Planques. The text reads, “Former swimming pool of the students of the English College of St Edmund (now the Lycée Corot). This stele was unveiled on October 4, 2003 by Jacques Vernier, Mayor of Douai, Regional Councillor, Fr Abbot Geoffrey Scott of Douai Abbey (England), Nicole Corteel, President of the William Allen Assocation.
The afternoon was spent on a conducted tour of the town museum which is situated in the former Carthusian monastery, the church of which has recently been beautifully restored. In the evening we were entertained to dinner by the priests of the newly formed town centre parish in the presbytery of Notre Dame. This was the last of the many banquets given in our honour.
The next day we made our farewells, visiting parts of the town and the city of Lille on our way back home to Douai Abbey, England.‡
Death of Fr Wilfrid Sollom OSB
FR WILFRID SOLLOM OSB died in the Royal Berkshire Hospital in Reading just after midnight on August 1. He had collapsed the previous afternoon, while reaching for a box of nails in his workshop. Fr Terence was with him at the time and was able to call for assistance on his mobile phone. Wilfrid was airlifted to hospital within half an hour but he never regained consciousness. Fr Abbot had been able to anoint him before the air ambulance came. Although he had had a heart problem for many years, and indeed had been taken ill whilst on holiday in Wales in September last year, he had been in good form since returning from this year’s holiday at the beginning of that week, and was actively working right till the moment of his collapse.
Wilfrid’s knowledge of the technical side of the monastery and former school buildings was immense and in many ways his absence has been deeply felt in the weeks since his death.
A large number attended his funeral on August 8, including past pupils of the school, as well as colleagues from the world of ham radio, science, and the architects and planners with whom he had dealings while working on our building project. Very many letters and emails of condolence have been received. There is no doubt that Wilfrid had touched the lives of very many people.
A full obituary of Fr Wilfrid will appear in the next issue of The Douai Magazine.
Celebration at Lamspringe by Abbot Geoffrey Scott
AFTER the French Revolution, the attack on the church, especially on its property, continued in Europe until the fall of Napoleon I in 1815. Many surviving monastic communities are therefore presently celebrating, if that's the right word, the suppression and dispersal of their monasteries at that time. The circumstances of all the English Benedictine monasteries were drastically affected during this period. Douai [Downside], Dieulouard [Ampleforth], Paris [Douai, Woolhampton], Cambrai [Stanbrook], and Paris [Colwich] were all forced to move house. Only one community survived intact, the monks of the abbey of Lamspringe in Lower Saxony. This monastery was the largest and wealthiest of all the English Benedictine houses, and was the only house belonging to the monks which had abbatial status, the others being priories. Lamspringe had been founded by the English monks in 1643 as a Catholic implant in a solidly Lutheran part of Germany. The English Benedictines took over a complex of buildings which had variously housed Catholic and Lutheran nuns. To this it added a huge church in the 1690s and a splendid range of monastic buildings in the first half of the eighteenth century. The community enjoyed cordial relations with the Bishop of Hildesheim, and controlled an enormous landed estate. After over one and a half centuries of prosperity, it fell prey to the secularisation of church property by the Prussian government and was dissolved in 1803.
In Easter Week, 2003, a symposium was held at Ampleforth Abbey where lectures on Lamspringe were given. On 28 August, a party of twelve, including monks, nuns, knights of Malta and laity travelled to Hildesheim, at the invitation of the Bishop of Hildesheim and his archivist, Dr Thomas Scharf-Wrede, to commemorate the suppression of Lamspringe. We were comfortably lodged in the mother house of the Sisters of Mercy in the centre of the city, from where, on the first day, 29 August, we visited the cathedral and the two old abbey churches in the city, St. Godehard and St Michael. In the evening, we visited a lavishly decorated nineteenth-century rural parish church at Harsum and then attended Vespers with the Benedictine nuns at Marienrode. This was followed by a conference in the new cathedral library, the Dom Bibliothek, which was attended by Bishop Josef of Hildesheim. At this, short papers were delivered and an exhibition of books and manuscripts from the library of Lamspringe was on display.
On 30 August, the feast of St. Oliver Plunket, the party drove down to Lamspringe on a warm summer morning. Pfarrer Bock, the parish priest, who has the care of the abbey church and Herr Fleige, the local historian, showed us around the monastery and church. We then sang Lauds in Latin, the abbot of Douai acting as cantor and Sister Margaret of Stanbrook as organist on the magnificent seventeenth-century organ which had once belonged to the monks. In the afternoon, we visited neighbouring monastic centres at Gandersheim and Clus before returning to join the annual OliverPlunketFest. St Oliver's quartered remains had been brought to Lamspringe by Abbot Maurus Corker, in the late seventeenth century, after his execution in London. For this celebration, the church was packed and, after Mass, the long procession, headed by a brass band and banners, carried the relics around the town. The following morning, Sunday, the party was invited to Mass in Hildesheim cathedral, after which it returned to England, grateful to its German hosts for the care and generous welcome it had received.‡
Monastic News
New Appointments
AFTER the Retreat at the beginning of September a number of new appointments took effect. Fr Francis Hughes became prior in succession to Fr Dermot Tredget. Fr Bernard Swinhoe took over the office of subprior from Fr Terence FitzPatrick. Fr Louis O’Dwyer went from the monastery to become parish priest of Scarisbrick in Lancashire in succession to Fr Francis. Fr Benedict Thompson, who has spent two years working as hospital chaplain in Southampton, has been appointed sacristan and given the pastoral charge of the Theale area of the local Woolhampton parish. Fr Terence has taken on the role of assistant bursar, with responsibility for maintenance.
Profession
Br Petroc Kimm, having completed his novitiate year, made his temporary profession, for three years, on St Luke’s day, October 18.
At the end of September two postulants joined us for a period of discernment, George FitzGerald and Barnaby Hughes. Novice Patrick Jorgensøn departed on November 13 to return to his native Norway.
Studies
Fr Paul Gunter has begun the second year of his liturgical studies at Sant’ Anselmo in Rome. Br Christopher Greener has gone to Louvain, Belgium, to study Ethics. Br Petroc Kimm has begun a theology course at Blackfriars, Oxford, where Br Simon Hill is completing his course. Fr Dermot Tredget is continuing with his doctoral work at Oxford.
Confrater
DURING the Mass on St Edmund’s Day, Madame Corteel was made a consoror of the community. The abbot can appoint as confraters or consorors people who have been especially helpful to the community. In Madame Corteel’s case, it was in recognition of her work in furthering the relationship between the community and the citizens of Douai, France, not least through her hospitality and through the setting up the William Allen Association. It was Madame Corteel who organised our visit to Douai in October and ensured that everything went smoothly.
Sing for the Homeless
The biennial concert in the Abbey Church to raise money for the Cardinal Hume Centre Trust was held on November 15. There were 500 singers and about 300 audience who between them raised almost £18,000. Sir David Willcocks came as usual to conduct, but was taken ill at rehearsal, so that our own organist and choir director, Dr John Rowntree, had to take over as conductor. The works performed were Fauré’s Requiem and Bach’s Magnificat.
Tapestry
A beautiful tapestry has been hung in the reception area of the monastery. It was made by Susanna Beer in memory of her mother, Elizabeth Carson, who died in 1992 aged 100. The artist wrote, "I have called the piece ‘Connections’ since it is informed and inspired by the many interwoven threads of love and succour formed by Elizabeth, and especially her spiritual connections to Douai and Stanbrook Abbeys and her enduring friendship with Fr Peter."
Broadcast of Evensong
On October 29 the weekly broadcast of Choral Evensong on BBC Radio 3 came from the Abbey Church, sung by the choir of Clare College, Cambridge under their director Timothy Brown. Br Hugh and Fr Romuald read the lessons, and Fr Oliver led the intercessions. The Introit was Laudate Dominum by Christopher Brown, the Canticles were by David Willcocks and the Anthem was Thou hast made me, words by John Donne and setting by Lennox Berkeley. There was a congregation of about 250 which we were told was higher than usually found in cathedrals.
University courses
This term nine monks gave lectures in a series entitled Monks and Monasteries for the Department of Education at the University of Reading, and a University Saturday dayschool was held at Douai on Real and Fictional Abbeys given by Stuart Abbott and Fr Oliver.
Retreat
The annual community retreat this year was held during the first week of September. It was led by Fr Nicholas King SJ on the theme ‘Thirsting for God’.‡
Douai Abbey Newsletter is published at Douai Abbey, Upper Woolhampton, Reading, Berks, RG7 5TQ. Phone: 0118 971 5300 Fax: 0118 971 5303 e-mail to editor@douaiabbey.org.uk Web site: http://www.douaiabbey.org.uk 25.11.03. Registered charity no 236962 Go to the previous issue Douai Newsletter Summer 2003
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