Good news & bad
» The community was saddened to hear of the death on duty of PC Andrew Harper on the A4 near Douai. May he rest in peace and those who mourn him, especially his wife of four weeks, find consolation.
» More happily on the same day, the solemnity of the Assumption, Fr Louis was able to return for the festal lunch from his new home in care at Thatcham. Now beyond his use, his extensive - perhaps exhaustive - library related to Heidegger is being relocated to safe-keeping in the monastic library.
» The next day carnage was found in the monastery garden as a fox had got in overnight and slaughtered 30 of the poultry, mainly laying chickens. Younger chickens and the guinea fowl were able to fly to safety and some special breed chickens and ducks had thankfully been locked in for the night. Fr Gabriel has had the sad duty of disposing of the dead.
» Fr Abbot visited Colwich Abbey in Staffordshire on the same day to offer advice to the nuns about the storage of their rare books and manuscripts. The nuns are considering housing them in the Douai library which offers more comprehensive care.
» During this past week our staff have been maintaining the higher windows of the choir and sanctuary in the abbey church, making use of a mobile tower we have acquired courtesy of generous benefactors, whom we thank sincerely. The tower allows access to previously inaccessible areas and will enable us to spot any problems before they become serious as part of a regular maintenance regime.