Our Monks - Douai Abbey: The Monastery of St Edmund, King & Martyr

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Our Monks

Who we are
The monastic community of Douai Abbey currently numbers 21 monks, though not all of them are resident in the monastery. Some monks live in the parishes we serve, while others serve the Church in other roles. Below you can see the members of the community and some, but not all, of what we do. List updated on 16 January 2023.

Right Rev. Paul Gunter was elected abbot on 11 May 2022. He remains secretary for the Department of Christian Life & Worship of the bishops' conference.
Very Rev. Gabriel Wilson is claustral prior, vocation director and beekeeper, and sits on the abbot's council.
Right Rev. Finbar Kealy is Cathedral Prior of Canterbury and chaplain to the FMM sisters at Cold Ash.
Right Rev. Geoffrey Scott is titular abbot of Lindisfarne and parish priest of Alcester (Warks). He serves as librarian, archivist and junior master, conregational annalist, and president of the Catholic Archives Society.
Right Rev. Edmund Power is titular abbot of St Albans and resides in Rome, where he is Procurator General for the English Benedictine Congregation and director of priestly formation at Collegio Sant'Anselmo.
Fr. Benjamin Standish is subprior of the monastery, and assists in the Woolhampton parish and the guest team.
Fr. Gervase Holdaway is oblate master, retreat director, baker and manager of our bookshop.
Very Rev. Godric Timney is Cathedral Prior of Worcester, and resides in our parish of Ormskirk (Lancs) where he is parish priest. He acts as Vicar for Religious in Liverpool archdiocese.
Fr. Boniface Moran is assistant oblate master and organist at the monastery.
Fr. Peter Bowe is sacristan, director of the pastoral programme and assistant guestmaster.
Fr. Austin Gurr is parish priest of Andover (Hants).
Fr. Oliver Holt is bursar, guestmaster and organiser of concerts in the abbey church.
Fr. Alexander Austin is parish priest of historic Stratford-upon-Avon (Warks).
Fr. Francis Hughes resides in Kemerton (Gloucs) where he is parish priest, and sits on the Marriage Tribunal for Clifton diocese.
Fr. Richard Jones is parish priest of St Davids and Fishguard (Pemb), and is editor of the Ordo for the English Benedictine Congregation.
Fr. Alban Hood is parish priest of Woolhampton and serves on the abbot's council and the Douai Magazine editorial committee.
Fr. Benedict Thompson resides in Warwickshire, serving as parish priest of Studley.
Br. Christopher Greener, a deacon, is monastic Infirmarian and assists from time to time in our pastoral programme.
Br. Simon Hill, a deacon, is assistant to the bursar, properties and bookshop manager, and looks after our cars.
Fr. Hugh Somerville Knapman is the parish priest of Scarisbrick (Lancs), and serves on the abbot’s council, and as webmaster and publisher for Weldon Press.
Br. Aidan Messenger is assistant sacristan and pursuing studies at Blackfriars, Oxford..

 DIVINE OFFICE & MASS
- in the abbey church -
0620 - Matins & Lauds (English)
0745 - Weekday Conventual Mass
[1030 - Sunday Conventual Mass]
1250 - Midday Office (English)
1800 - Vespers (Latin, Gregorian Chant)
2000 - Compline* (English)
*No public Compline on Sundays
VISIT US
Douai Abbey
Upper Woolhampton
Reading, Berkshire
RG7 5TQ, United Kingdom

Visitor Enquiries: 0118 9715 399
Douai is hiring
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Society of Saint Edmund at Douai Abbey
Published by - 19/12/2023
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