Mega Update

» A Green Energy consultant visited to see what differences his company might be able to suggest. He was impressed with our experiment to judge the feasibility of changing over from our oil boiler to air-source heat pumps for the heating of the monastery. Another experiment in alternative heating has been tested in the choir stalls in the abbey church with the use of infra-red heaters, particularly welcome on the cold early mornings.

»  The Guest House has been fully operational for some months now. A group of 12 professors of theology and philosophy from various universities, from Exeter to St Andrew’s, came for what they called a Writing Retreat. This is the first of two visits by this group, to be followed later in the year by a group of their PhD students. This was the first time we had welcomed such a group and the experience was very interesting for the community.

»  Fr Finbar spent some time in hospital in early February, but he has now returned to the monastery and is back to taking an active part in community life.

»  On 7 February one of our regular groups visited the Guest House again: the RAF Pastoral Advisory Group together with Bishop Paul Mason, the Bishop of the Forces.

»  In mid-February the interns in the Bishops’ Conference Faith & Politics Programme stayed at Douai. Three of these four young people are working with MPs for a year, while the other is at CAFOD. By coincidence in the previous week we had a similar group of interns from an equivalent Anglican programme.

»  On 16 February Shalom TV visited the monastery and recorded interviews with Abbot Paul, Fr Gabriel and Fr Oliver. We also heard that BBC TV’s Countryfile are planning to visit in March, with particular reference to bee-keeping. As yet we do not know when these programmes will be broadcast.

»  On 22 February Abbot Paul attended the episcopal ordination of Mgr Philip Moger as auxiliary bishop in the archdiocese of Southwark. In December he had also attended the ordination of Mgr Peter Collins as bishop of East Anglia. Both bishops-elect made their pre-ordination retreat at Douai.

»  A former pupil, Gerald Strickland, visited with his son, Thomas, from Malta. Their main reason for coming was to see the collection of books on Malta collected by Gerald’s father, Adrian, also an Old Dowegian, which are now displayed in the main cloister of the monastery.

»  The Annual Conventual Chapter took place on Thursday, 2 March. In the afternoon the community heard a talk from Fr Leo Maidlow Davis of the Community of St Gregory the Great, olim Downside Abbey. In December Fr Anselm Brunwell from the same community had also given a talk on monastic work.

»  On 7 March Fr Oliver attended the funeral of George Benbow, who taught geography in our former school from 1967 to 1997. This took place in Bridgwater, Somerset and Fr Oliver spent the night at Downside, singing Vespers and Lauds with the Manquehue community of St Scholastica who keep the Benedictine tradition alive at Downside after the departure of the monks to live Buckfast.