Emmaus Partnership
A US-based religious order has announced the foundation of a new community in the UK. The Benedictines of Mary, Queen of Apostles — founded by Sister Wilhelmina Lancaster, whose body was discovered last year to be remarkably well-preserved —will occupy St Mary’s Abbey at Colwich in Staffordshire, a monastery that is already rich in Catholic history. The order has been welcomed by Archbishop Bernard Longley of the Archdiocese of Birmingham.
“Colwich Abbey was founded by Saint Thomas More’s great-great-granddaughter, with nuns once exiled from England during the Elizabethan persecution, and exiled back there during the French Revolution,” Mother Abbess Cecilia Snell wrote in the order’s Spring newsletter. She hopes it will be “a place of expansion, especially for future foreign vocations to our community.”
In a recent email interview with the National Catholic Register newspaper, Mother Cecilia shared that the order’s expansion to Colwich Abbey would allow the history of Benedictine tradition in this space to continue:
“The abbey was renowned for adoration of the Blessed Sacrament and its illustrious foundress. Most significantly of all, it is part of the Benedictine refoundations in England. During the persecutions of Henry VIII and Elizabeth I, religious took refuge on the continent of Europe and then headed back to England as soon as they were able. In the case of Colwich, the nuns went back during the French Revolution, as it was no longer safe to remain in France.”
The connection to St. Thomas More, whose feast the Church celebrates on June 22, is another aspect of this unexpected expansion that excites the sisters. Mother Cecilia shared that the saint holds a special place in the order’s heart:
“St. Thomas More has always been very much beloved of our community, and we think of him not just as the patron of lawyers, but as a saint of joy and grace under fire, grace that holds up under the challenges of an age.”
Writing on its website the Order says: “The Sisters discovered that fifteen miles away, St. Mary’s Abbey in Colwich was for sale. A week after their arrival, the Sisters visited the Abbey grounds, and were quite taken by the buildings, the historical value of the place, and its rural setting. With a formal invitation from the Archbishop, it became clear the Lord wanted the Benedictines of Mary to stay in Staffordshire, and to do all in their power to restore Colwich Abbey to its former glory.
“When our Sisters landed in the UK, their first stop was to St. Paul’s in London to offer the Holy Rosary. The new house is under the patronage of the Immaculate Conception, and they know that St. Paul and all the holy martyrs of England will assist them in their missionary endeavor in England, traditionally called “Our Lady’s Dowry”. It was no surprise to learn that Colwich Abbey is properly called St. Mary’s, and that the towns around them are closely associated with the martyrs of the persecution.
“Learning the rich history of Colwich Abbey, we discovered that the founders included three great-great-granddaughters of St. Thomas More, who gathered in 1623 at Cambrai, Flanders after the dissolution of the English monasteries in the 1500s. They then reestablished themselves in Paris under Dame Bridget More, where they suffered through the French Revolution until they were deported back to their homeland. They finally settled in an 18th Century house at the edge of Cannock Chase, the beautiful forest historically used for royal hunts. Due to dwindling numbers, the Abbey was put up for sale in 2020.
“It is our great hope and desire that our community can revive monastic life in this beautiful and historic sanctuary. Until then the Sisters have already brought the Benedictine ora et labora to the Midlands, and we await God’s timing for the next step in this exciting endeavor.”
(Photo: Courtesy of Benedictines of Mary, Queen of Apostles)