In this section we will share with you how we are celebrating and marking our Jubilee year.
Sr Laurentia has written a new book sharing the Stanbrook 400 year old story, a beautiful combination of text and photographs.
Sr Julian has designed a delightful tea towel depicting the 400 year history of our community.
JUBILEE PILGRIMAGE to FOUNTAINS ABBEY
JUBILEE PILGRIMAGE to FOUNTAINS ABBEY
Ist party: Weds 18 Sept
2nd party: Mon 23 Sept
Fountains Abbey, near Ripon, had long been on our list of desirable places to visit, and, through the generous offices of the National Trust we have at last been able to make a pilgrimage to the world-famous site during our Jubilee Year.
The first party set out in two cars on 18 September, a glorious day during this welcome Indian summer. Earlier, at the Eucharist, we had prayed for God’s blessing on the pilgrimage and entrusted our intentions, including for renewal of our monastic life, into God’s hands.
We were met at the West Gate of the abbey by our guides, Deb and Mike Homer, whose knowledge of, and enthusiasm for, this unique place, were infectious. Under the bluest of skies which were filled with wheeling jackdaws we heard how Fountains has developed from its foundation in 1132, its growth, dissolution and various re-incarnations, before becoming, in 1986, part of the Studley Royal Water Gardens UNESCO World Heritage Site: a complex and fascinating story.
Amazingly, about 40% of the fabric of the abbey buildings has survived (compared with, say, 20% of Byland Abbey).
To see the working water mill takes you straight to St Benedict’s Rule: ‘the monastery should, as far as possible, be so arranged that all necessary things such as water, mill, garden and various crafts, should be within the enclosure’ (RB 66: 6), while the size of the cellarium, the business area of the monastery, gives an idea of the scale of the Cistercian economy at its height when Fountains had its own ship on the Humber for the export of wool to the Continent.
It was particularly moving to pray Midday Office in the Chapter House whose history is more than twice as long as our own.
Unfortunately, on 23 September, the second party of pilgrims had to brave torrential rain for the morning of their visit to Fountains. However, they found the enthusiasm of volunteer guide, Deb, undampened by the rain! They spent more time exploring the interior wonders of the site and were rewarded in the afternoon, when the weather cleared up, by the sighting of some stags in full antlers.
We hope to include a fuller account of the pilgrimage in our Jubilee edition of Stanbrook Benedictines next year.
For now it remains only to record our sincere gratitude to the National Trust, particularly volunteers Deb and Mike Homer and Sam MacFee, for making this highlight of our Jubilee Year possible and so enjoyable.
And, if you have yet to explore Fountains Abbey and Studley Royal, we thoroughly recommend a visit: there is so much more to see and do than we can mention here.
Visit: nationaltrust.org.uk/fountainsabbey
