Worth Abbey

Last updated

Worth Abbey
Worth Abbey, geograph.jpg
West Sussex UK location map.svg
Red pog.svg
Location within West Sussex
Monastery information
Full nameAbbey of Our Lady, Help of Christians
Other namesWorth Abbey
Order Benedictine
Denomination Roman Catholic
Established1933
Mother house Downside Abbey, Stratton-on-the-Fosse, Somerset
Dedicated toOur Lady, Help of Christians
Diocese Arundel and Brighton
People
Founder(s) Rt. Rev. John Chapman
AbbotRt. Rev. Mark Barrett, O.S.B., Ph.D.
Bishop Rt. Rev. Richard Moth, D.D.
Architecture
Functional statusAbbey
Architect Francis Pollen
Site
LocationPaddockhurst Road, Turners Hill, Crawley, West Sussex, RH10 4SB
Country United Kingdom
Coordinates 51°5′33.16″N0°7′5.94″W / 51.0925444°N 0.1183167°W / 51.0925444; -0.1183167
Grid reference TQ318342
Website Worth Abbey

The Abbey of Our Lady, Help of Christians, commonly known as Worth Abbey, is a community of Roman Catholic monks who follow the Rule of St Benedict near Turners Hill village, in West Sussex, England. Founded in 1933, the abbey is part of the English Benedictine Congregation. As of 2020, the monastic community had 21 monks. [1]

Contents

History

Worth Abbey is a daughter house of the monastic community of Downside Abbey, in Somerset. The first monastic community of 17 monks was founded in September 1933 in the property formerly known as "Paddockhurst", near Turners Hill village, by Abbot John Chapman of Downside. Worth was a dependent priory of Downside from 1933-1957. The conditions of sale of the property laid down that the name "Paddockhurst" should not be used by the new owners. Because the priory lay within the boundaries of Worth parish, the name "Worth" was chosen for the site. The first prior of Worth, Dom Anselm Rutherford, chose "Our Lady, Help of Christians", as the patron of the new monastery. [2]

In 1957, the monastic foundation became an independent priory and its first prior was Dom Victor Farwell. In 1965, Worth was formally designated an abbey with Farwell elected as its first abbot. He remained as Superior until 1988, and was thus responsible for guiding the Worth community before, during, and after the period of the Second Vatican Council. In 1959, the community had already established a senior school now known as Worth School. In 1965, the community also began pastoral oversight of the parish of Worth. [3] In 1968, a missionary connection with Peru began when monks from Worth built a farm and mission in the remote Apurimac valley, while in Lima they founded a monastery, a large parish and a health centre. Since 1990, the Worth community has no direct oversight in Peru, but the connection has been continued through the charity "Outreach Peru". [4]

In 1971, the "Worth Abbey Lay Community" launched the idea of lay participation in monastic life for young people, growing to become, by 2003, an independent lay movement known as the "Lay Community of St Benedict". [5] Between 1983 and 1990, St Peter's, East Dulwich, became the home to an experimental urban monastic community jointly founded by Worth Abbey and the Anglican Diocese of Southwark.

List of Abbots

  1. Rt. Rev. Victor Farwell, O.S.B. (1965-1988)
  2. Rt. Rev. Dominic Gaisford, O.S.B. (1988-1994)
  3. Rt. Rev. Stephen Ortiger, O.S.B. (1994-2002)
  4. Rt. Rev. Christopher Jamison, O.S.B. (2002-2010)
  5. Rt. Rev. Kevin Taggart, O.S.B. (2010-2013)
  6. Rt. Rev. Luke Jolly, O.S.B. (2013-2021)
  7. Rt. Rev. Mark Barrett, O.S.B. (2021–present) [6]

Abbey church

The abbey church (one part of the larger Worth Abbey complex of buildings) was built between the years 1964 to 1974 by the renowned English architect Francis Pollen who also designed adjoining buildings. It was dedicated to "Our Lady, Help of Christians", consecrated for worship in 1975, and is today a Grade II listed building of 17,000 square feet seating around 900 people. Being built for a monastic community to pray the communal Liturgy of the Hours, as well as a parish church for the local community, required a creative design. The original construction of a "church in the round" with a stone altar in the centre was considered common for that post Vatican II era, but unique in the architectural construction of churches in the larger UK. A general lack of funding delayed the construction and also required many original design features to be abandoned. [7]

In 2011, the monastic community undertook a year-long renovation and refurbishment of the church led by the equally renowned English architect Thomas Heatherwick. The renovated church featured new lighting and a sound system that facilitated worship, along with newly constructed woodwork. The pews and monastic choir appointments were made of dark American walnut wood that also used distinctive ash wood embedded in the features. [8] [9] [10]

Television documentaries

Worth Abbey was used for television programmes that have been described as a combination of "documentary" and "reality television". The first three-part series was broadcast in May 2005 by BBC Two broadcast and was entitled "The Monastery". Due to the success of the first series, a second series was broadcast in June 2006 and was entitled "The Monastery Revisited". A third series was then produced and broadcast in 2010 and was entitled "The Big Silence". The lead monk in these programmes was Abbot Christopher Jamison and he would produce a best-selling book series derived from these programmes called "Finding Sanctuary: Monastic steps for Everyday Life" and "Finding Happiness: Monastic Steps for a Fulfilling Life". [11]

Present

Like all Benedictine monks, the monks of Worth Abbey place the public prayer of the Church (the Opus Dei or Work of God ) at the centre of their lives. In common with other monasteries of the English Benedictine Congregation, their tradition also places stress on daily periods of individual prayer and Lectio Divina (the prayerful reading of scripture). Through writing, preaching, and hospitality they make this tradition available to others.

Their retreat centre, through the "Open Cloister", offers daily, weekend, and weekly retreat programmes. [12] There is a Quiet Garden on the grounds of the Abbey, which, like the Abbey Church, is open to the public.

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Benedictines</span> Catholic monastic order

The Benedictines, officially the Order of Saint Benedict, are a mainly contemplative monastic religious order of the Catholic Church for men and for women who follow the Rule of Saint Benedict. The male religious are also sometimes called the Black Monks, in reference to the colour of their religious habits, pace the Olivetans who wear white. They were founded in 529 by Benedict of Nursia, a 6th-century Italian monk who laid the foundations of Benedictine monasticism through the formulation of his Rule. Benedict's sister, Scholastica, possibly his twin, also became a religious from an early age, but chose to live as a hermit. They retained a close relationship until her death.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Downside Abbey</span> Benedictine monastery in Somerset, England

Downside Abbey is a Benedictine monastery in England and the senior community of the English Benedictine Congregation. Until 2019, the community had close links with Downside School, for the education of children aged eleven to eighteen. Both the abbey and the school are at Stratton-on-the-Fosse, between Westfield and Shepton Mallet in Somerset, South West England. In 2020, the monastic community announced that it would move away from the present monastery and seek a new place to live. In October 2021, the monastic community further announced that as part of their transition they would move in Spring of 2022 to the temporary accommodation of "Southgate House, in the grounds of Buckfast Abbey, Devon, where we will live as the Community of St Gregory the Great". As of 2020, the monastic community of Downside Abbey was home to fifteen monks.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Subiaco Abbey (Arkansas)</span> United States historic place

Subiaco Abbey is an American Benedictine monastery located in the Arkansas River valley of Logan County, Arkansas, part of the Swiss-American Congregation of Benedictine monasteries. It is home to thirty-nine Benedictine monks. The abbey and the preparatory school it operates, Subiaco Academy, are major features of the town of Subiaco, Arkansas. It is named after the original Subiaco, Italy, where the first monastery founded by Saint Benedict was located.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ealing Abbey</span> Church in London, England

Ealing Abbey is a Catholic Benedictine monastery located on Castlebar Hill in Ealing, United Kingdom. It is part of the English Benedictine Congregation.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Saint Anselm's Abbey (Washington, D.C.)</span> Benedictine monastery in Washington, D.C.

St. Anselm's Abbey is a Benedictine Abbey located at 4501 South Dakota Avenue, N.E., in Washington, D.C. It operates the boys' middle and high school St. Anselm's Abbey School, which was ranked by the Washington Post as the most challenging in Washington, D.C., and as the most challenging private high school in the U.S.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Saint John's Abbey, Collegeville</span> Benedictine monastery in Collegeville Township, Minnesota

Saint John's Abbey is a Benedictine monastery in Collegeville Township, Minnesota, United States, affiliated with the American-Cassinese Congregation. The abbey was established following the arrival in the area of monks from Saint Vincent Archabbey in Pennsylvania in 1856. Saint John's is one of the largest Benedictine abbeys in the Western Hemisphere, with 110 professed monks. The Right Reverend Fr. John Klassen, OSB, serves as the tenth abbot.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ligugé Abbey</span>

Ligugé Abbey, formally called the Abbey of St. Martin of Ligugé, is a French Benedictine monastery in the Commune of Ligugé, located in the Department of Vienne. Dating to the 4th century, it is the site of one of the earliest monastic foundations in France. The original abbey having been destroyed during the French Revolution, the current monastic community dates from 1853, and belongs to the Solesmes Congregation.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Conception Abbey</span> Benedictine monastery in Conception, Missouri

Conception Abbey, site of the Basilica of the Immaculate Conception, is a monastery of the Swiss-American Congregation of the Benedictine Confederation. The monastery, founded by the Swiss Engelberg Abbey in 1873 in northwest Missouri's Nodaway County, was raised to a conventual priory in 1876 and elevated to an abbey in 1881. In 2021 the community numbered fifty-eight monks who celebrate the Eucharist and Liturgy of the Hours daily and who staff and administer Conception Seminary College, The Printery House, and the Abbey Guest Center. Monks also serve as parish priests and hospital chaplains in the Roman Catholic Diocese of Kansas City-Saint Joseph and other dioceses. There is also a large postal facility attached to The Printery House, operated by lay employees, which includes package shipping and delivery facilities.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">St. Gregory's Abbey, Three Rivers</span> Benedectine monastery near Three Rivers, Michigan

St. Gregory's Abbey is an American monastic community of men living under the Rule of St. Benedict within the Episcopal Church. The abbey is located near Three Rivers in St. Joseph County, Michigan.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Saint Louis Abbey</span> Benedictine monastery in Creve Coeur, Missouri

The Abbey of Saint Mary and Saint Louis is an abbey of the Catholic English Benedictine Congregation (EBC) located in Creve Coeur, in St. Louis County, Missouri in the United States. The Abbey is an important presence in the spiritual life of the Archdiocese of St. Louis. The monks of the Abbey live their faith according to the Benedictine discipline of 'prayer and work', praying the Divine Office five times daily, celebrating daily Masses in English and Latin, and working in the two parishes under their pastoral care and in the Saint Louis Priory School, which the Abbey runs as an apostolate. The Abbey and its school sit on a 150-acre (0.61 km2) campus in west St. Louis County, in the city of Creve Coeur.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ampleforth Abbey</span> Church in North Yorkshire, England

Ampleforth Abbey is a monastery of Benedictine monks a mile to the east of Ampleforth, North Yorkshire, England, part of the English Benedictine Congregation. It descends from the pre-Reformation community at Westminster Abbey through the last surviving monk from Westminster, Sigebert Buckley. As of 2023 the monastery has 46 monks, and sometimes will have 50 nuns of the monastery organization.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">American-Cassinese Benedictine Congregation</span> Association of Benedictine monasteries

The American-Cassinese Congregation is a Catholic association of Benedictine monasteries founded in 1855. The monasteries of the congregation follow the monastic way of life as outlined by St. Benedict of Nursia in his early 6th century Rule of Saint Benedict. The congregation is one of 19 congregations in the Benedictine Confederation and includes 25 monasteries: 19 autonomous abbeys and 6 dependent priories, located across 15 states and Puerto Rico, as well as Brazil, Canada, Colombia, Mexico, and Taiwan.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Saint Anselm Abbey (New Hampshire)</span> Benedictine monastery in Goffstown, New Hampshire

Saint Anselm Abbey, located in Goffstown, New Hampshire, United States, is a Benedictine abbey composed of men living under the Rule of Saint Benedict within the Catholic Church. The abbey was founded in 1889 under the patronage of Saint Anselm of Canterbury, a Benedictine monk of Bec and former archbishop of Canterbury in England. The monks are involved in the operation of Saint Anselm College. The abbey is a member of the American-Cassinese Congregation of the Benedictine Confederation.

The Subiaco Cassinese Congregation is an international union of Benedictine houses within the Benedictine Confederation. It developed from the Subiaco Congregation, which was formed in 1867 through the initiative of Dom Pietro Casaretto, O.S.B., as a reform of the way of life of monasteries of the Cassinese Congregation, formed in 1408, toward a stricter contemplative observance, and received final approval in 1872 by Pope Pius IX. After discussions between the two congregations at the start of the 21st century, approval was given by Pope Benedict XVI in 2013 for the incorporation of the Cassinese Congregation into its offshoot, the Subiaco Congregation. The expanded congregation was given this new name.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Swiss-American Congregation</span> Association of Benedictine monasteries

The Swiss-American Congregation is an association of Benedictine monasteries founded in 1881 in the United States, as a part of the international Benedictine Confederation of monasteries.

St Michael's Priory, Kumily, Idukki, Kerala, India, is a Benedictine monastery of the Congregation of the Missionary Benedictines of Saint Ottilien. The monastery was established in 1987 by Zacharias Kuruppacheril, an Indian secular priest. Located on the western slopes of the Cardamom Hills, around 150 km east of Kochi, the monastery is currently home to 13 monks and 6 brothers in formation. Prior Fr.John Kaippallimyalil is the community's superior.

The Abbey of St. Maurus is a Tanzanian Benedictine monastery of the Congregation of Missionary Benedictines of Saint Ottilien in Hanga, Ruvuma Region. Established in 1956 by Abbot-Bishop Eberhard Spiess as a formation house for African monastic candidates, the monastery is currently home to 122 monks. The abbey operates schools and a dispensary for the people of the local village and a seminary for the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Songea.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Waegwan Abbey</span> Benedictine monastery in South Korea

Saint Maurus and Saint Placidus Abbey, Waegwan, Chilgok, North Gyeongsang, South Korea is a Benedictine monastery of the Congregation of Missionary Benedictines of Saint Ottilien. Established in 1952 by Korean monks who had survived the dissolution of the Territorial Abbey of Tokwon and Holy Cross Abbey in Yanji, the monastery is currently home to 131 monks. Fr Blasio Park is the current abbot.

St Benedict's Abbey, Pietersburg (Polokwane), Limpopo, South Africa, is a Benedictine monastery of the Subiaco Congregation. It began in 1911 as a mission territory; the community established a monastery in 1937. As an Abbey Nullius, the monastery governed what is now the Roman Catholic Diocese of Polokwane until 1989. As of 2022, the community numbers about 12 in various stages of formation monks. The community was given the Very Rev. Dominic Mohapi, OSB, as Prior Administrator on August 18, 2022.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">St. Martin's Abbey, Washington</span> Church in WA , United States

Saint Martin's Abbey is a community of Roman Catholic Benedictine monks who follow the Rule of St Benedict in Lacey, Washington, United States. First founded as a priory in 1895, the abbey is part of the American-Cassinese Benedictine Congregation and the Benedictine Confederation. As of 2020, the monastic community had 20 monks.

References

  1. ↑ The Benedictine Yearbook. London: English Benedictine Congregation Trust. 2020. p. 26. ISBN   978-0-901089-58-8.
  2. ↑ Moss, Bernard (1993). Worth Abbey, A Historical Guide. Worth, UK: Worth Abbey. p. 7. ISBN   9780952110811.
  3. ↑ Beattie, Gordon (1997). Gregory's angels: a history of the abbeys, priories, parishes and schools of the monks and nuns following the rule of Saint Benedict in Great Britain, Ireland and their overseas foundations: to commemorate the arrival of Saint Augustine in Kent in 597 AD. Gracewing: Leominster. p. 183. ISBN   9780852443866.
  4. ↑ "Worth Abbey - Outreach Peru - Who We Are". www.worthabbey.net. Retrieved 14 September 2021.
  5. ↑ "LCSB; Lay Community of St. Benedict". www.lcsb.uk. Retrieved 14 September 2021.
  6. ↑ Dunford, Mark (9 June 2021). "New Abbot has been elected by the monks of Worth Abbey". Crawley and Horley Observer. Worthing, Sussex. Retrieved 14 September 2021.
  7. ↑ Lentz, Linda (15 November 2012). "Church at Worth Abbey". Architectural Record. Retrieved 14 September 2021.
  8. ↑ "Worth Abbey Church completed". Independent Catholic News. 16 June 2011. Retrieved 14 September 2021.
  9. ↑ Frearson, Amy (5 November 2011). "Worth Abbey by Heatherwick Studio". www.dezeen.com. De Zeen Magazine. Retrieved 14 September 2021.
  10. ↑ Waite, Richard (16 November 2011). "Heatherwick completes Worth Abbey revival". Architects' Journal. Retrieved 14 September 2021.
  11. ↑ McIntyre, Karen (22 October 2010). "The Big Silence". The Times. London. Retrieved 14 September 2021.
  12. ↑ "Retreats". www.worthabbey.net. Worth Abbey. Retrieved 14 September 2021.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.