AUGUST 2019 COMING EVENTS
| Saturday 10 August | Feast of St Lawrence | Eucharist 9.30 |
| Tuesday 13 August | Eucharist 8.30 | |
| THURSDAY 15 AUGUST | FEAST OF THE ASSUMPTION | 9.00 SUNG EUCHARIST |
| Thursday 22 August | Eucharist 8.30 | |
| Saturday 24 August | Feast of St Bartholomew | Eucharist 9.30 |
| Thursday 5 September | Eucharist 8.30 | |
| Saturday 14 September | Feast of the Holy Cross | Eucharist 9.30 |
| Monday 16 September | Harvest Thanksgiving | Terce and Eucharist 9.00 |
| Saturday 21 September | Feast of St Matthew | Eucharist 9.30 |
BUILDINGS PROJECT UPDATE
We had hoped that by now we could tell you more about our building works; however, the planning permission process has taken longer than expected. Meanwhile we have continued to have meetings with our design team and a whole host of specialists, and among ourselves. The overall design is based on what we believe will make Fairacres more supportive of the needs of the Community, of those who work for us, and of our visitors.
Recently we’ve been asked to think about small but significant details such as the siting of radiators and sockets, the design of door handles and hinges, about security and paving surfaces and rainwater butts — and where we might plant a bay tree or two to replace the flourishing one we’ll be losing.
The delay means that we have rather more time than we expected to pack ourselves up and move into temporary accommodation, which will be in Fellowship House and in rented houses nearby. Viewing these, weighing the advantages and disadvantages of each, and negotiating contracts has all been very time-consuming for those involved, with frequent progress reports to keep us in the picture. We look forward to sharing our plans more fully when things are a bit clearer.
In the Community Notes in the Summer edition of the Fairacres Chronicle Sister Clare-Louise offers a helpful outline of the practicalities of the changes, and calls us all to steadfastness in the face of every kind of disruption and uncertainty.
Follow this link to buy a copy https://www.slgpress.co.uk/
For the time being, and at least until October, we are able to worship in our Chapel and welcome others to join us, but are closed to resident guests.
NEWS
Many of our activities since Easter have been undertaken by Sisters individually or in twos, supported by the prayers of the whole community. Sisters have made pastoral visits to other communities; Sister Susan continues to share the fruits of her study of St Augustine (see her article in the Chronicle), and Sister Avis Mary and Sister Judith attended the CIR (International Interconfessional Congress of Religious) gathering at the Benedictine monastery at Montserrat, near Barcelona, for which the theme was ‘The Spirituality of Communion’.
Sister Clare-Louise, Sister Margaret Theresa and Sister Catherine have all taken part in the consultations preparing the way for Religious Life to be recognised in the Canons of the Church of England. Archbishop Justin made the renewal of prayer and Religious communities a priority for his ministry, and this recognition is one practical outcome. Final Approval was given at the meeting of the General Synod in July, which Sister Catherine attended with Sister Anita CSC, Brother Philip OSB, and Father Thomas CR, representing the Recognised Communities. The new Canon will come into force when it has received the Royal Assent and Licence.
Our Bishop Visitor, Michael Lewis, paid us a flying visit and gave us news of his diocese, Cyprus and the Gulf, which has been much in our prayer.
In spite of less than perfect weather, we had almost three hundred visitors to our Open Garden event. The apple blossom was a fortnight or so past being pretty, but the rhubarb proved popular, and we also took this opportunity to offer some of the gleanings of the ‘clearing out’ which precedes ‘packing up’.
During Retreat Week we celebrated our Rogation Liturgy and procession through a garden and orchard fully in leaf.
We said goodbye to Janet who combined receptionist duties with giving us secretarial support: we miss her!
On two evenings in June we were glad to be invaded by one of our local Beaver Colonies…
… and on the Feast of St John the Baptist we were the privileged audience for Orlando Gibbons’ anthem ‘This is the Record of John’.
In July a group of Associates of the Community gathered at Llangasty Retreat House in the Brecon Beacons National Park. The theme was ‘Living by a Rule’, with our Warden Father Andrew Teal talking about St Maximus, and Sister Clare-Louise speaking on the SLG Rule and how it can help our associates shape their own Rule of Life.
Let us keep the centre open for God alone.
The Rule guards this sacred space, to keep us in the remembrance of God,
and responsive to the Holy Spirit.
adapted from the SLG ‘Way of Life’