‘Now the man Moses was very meek, more than all men that were on the face of the earth’.

St John Chrysostom said: ‘What distinguished the first Moses? Moses, Scripture tells us, was more gentle than all who dwelt upon the earth.  We can rightly say the same of the new Moses, for there was with him the very Spirit of gentleness, united to him in his inmost being’. The new Moses is, of course, Christ, who said: ‘Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me; for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls’.

For ‘meekness’, a word not often used today, read ‘gentleness’ and ‘humility’. It does not, in earlier usage, denote weakness; rather, it offers a creative balance of soul combining strength and vulnerability. May we truly receive these qualities through the operation of the kindly grace of God, and may He bless you this day.

For our latest news, see below:

Statement for release on Sunday August 1st 2021

The Benedictine monks of Prinknash Abbey are delighted to announce a new and important venture on the historic Prinknash Abbey estate in Gloucestershire.

The monks have offered one of the properties on the Prinknash estate to the Sisters of the Blessed Virgin Mary, OSB, an autonomous community of nuns established within the Personal Ordinariate of Our Lady of Walsingham following the Benedictine Rule and currently living at Kingstanding in Birmingham.

The Prinknash community converted to the Catholic faith in 1913 on Caldey Island. The monastic community belongs to the Subiaco-Cassinese Congregation of the order of St Benedict, the largest of the Benedictine Congregations which comprise the Benedictine Confederation, and whose monasteries include St Benedict’s own monasteries of Subiaco and Monte Cassino.

The Sisters of the Blessed Virgin Mary, OSB, were received into the Catholic Church at the Oxford Oratory in 2013. They are part of the Personal Ordinariate of Our Lady of Walsingham, established by Pope Benedict XVI and are aggregated to the Subiaco-Cassinese Congregation.

The refurbishment of buildings at the new monastery for nuns will include new guest and retreat facilities for individuals and groups, especially of young people. The work is expected to take two years.

The Abbot Administrator of Prinknash said: Prinknash is a much-loved and historic centre of prayer and monastic hospitality. We ask Almighty God’s blessing on this new venture. Our hope is that the presence of these two distinct monastic communities on this outstandingly beautiful and historic estate will enrich this oasis of peace for the many who visit, and be a powerful witness of monastic generosity and prayer.

Further information:

Dom Cuthbert Brogan, Abbot Administrator of Prinknash: abbas@farnboroughabbey.org