I was glad to see this story on Joseph`s Shaw`s blog. I had heard about this a while back but didn`t realise it was now public. The contemplative sisters of the Franciscans of the Immaculate would like to open a new house. They opened their house in Lanherne in Cornwall a few years ago. Now they want to expand and are interested in the Carmelite monastery in Darlington where the nuns are preparing to leave. Problem is they need £1.5m to buy the monastery and, being Franciscans, they don`t have it and would need someone to hold it in trust for them. What a wonderful boost this would be for the diocese of Hexham and Newcastle. The sisters use the Extraordinary Form for their liturgy.
6 comments:
This seems to bear out the fact that Orders using the EF are flourishing. The Sisters would be replacing both Carmelites & Poor Clares both of which Orders were present in Darlington until very recently. Is there a priest in Darlington able to celebrate Mass in the EF for them or would Fr Elkin be travelling from BC?
David, I imagine they would provide their own chaplain as happens at Lanherne.
When I was at the FSSP seminary at Denton, Nebraska, I was taken to see the Carmel of Jesus, Mary and Joseph of Valparaiso, which is a couple of miles away from the seminary. These nuns are traditional and it is the traditional Mass which is offered in their convent. The FSSP priests and seminarians in Denton, helped the nuns start their foundation about 10 years ago and some actually helped to build the convent. The altar at Carmel came from the old St. Joseph chapel hospital in Omaha when the hospital was closed down and a new one opened. The altar was bought by Catholic investors who had property in Nebraska and it was stored in a barn for many years before the Peads, the owners of Sandhill Publications, bought the entire set of altars and statues because they liked the St. Joseph statue for the refurbishing of St. Joseph parish in Lincoln, Nebraska. When the Carmelites came along, they donated the altars for their chapel, and Fr Charles Van Vliet, FSSP, Construction Supervisor at Our Lady of Guadalupe Seminary, helped to assemble it in the Carmel. When I saw the beautiful altar I was reminded of the lovely altar in Ryhope. A photo can be found on this FSSP site http://fssp.com/press/2009/05/extraordinary-carmelites-to-start-foundation-in-elysburg/. In the photograph you can see the large grilles to each side of the sanctuary where the nuns stay.
It was when the nuns returned to traditional ways (in 2,000 I think) that their numbers began to increase dramatically. The FSSP priests and Seminarians from the seminary continue to support the convent by assisting their chaplain. The number of nuns increased so much that there was overcrowding and another community was established a couple of years ago in the diocese of Harrisburg. I think there are now three such communities.
the christian brothers house in birkenhead is on the market for £500,000 a real bargain
Not only do I like your blog, but I have tagged you for the prayer meme at Mulier Fortis (sorry!)
Good article on the Sisters in Catholic Herald this week
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