NORBERTINE ASSOCIATIONS

The 12^th Century was a period of great reform in the Church. There was a movement amongst people, both clerical and lay, to get back to the basics of Christian life as it was lived by the Early Church and described in the Acts of the Apostles

Soon after St Norbert founded his first monastery at Prémontré, lay people, men, women and children, were drawn to work, live and pray with the Norbertine priests as a part of the wider community there.

This feature of the Order has continued down to our own times. Norbertine communities throughout the world have groups of lay people who are associated with them. Sometimes these people live close to the monastery; there are also associates who live further away but who maintain a link through regular visits.

Our newly-revived Association in Storrington is in its early stages. In April 2006 we invited a group of forty people to come and share their ideas at an informal meeting. This invitation was enthusiastically received and after further exploration the following emerged as areas which interested people:

• spiritual nourishment

• adult education in Scripture, teaching of the Church

• journeying together, pilgrimage

• working with the Priory Community

With this in mind, we organised a series of events and opportunities for the rest of 2006. Also, a smaller group met to put together some simple Constitutions which will give the Association a structure.

On Wednesday 6^th June 2007 (The Solemnity of St Norbert) we held our Norbertine Associates first Annual Commitment Ceremony during Vespers. 23 people made this yearly commitment. Several others, who attended the sessions over the past year but were away on 6th June, will be making their annual commitment later this summer, on or about the Solemnity of St Augustine. Copies of Vespers for the Solemnity of St Norbert, our Constitutions and our Act of Commitment are available to download in PDF format below:

Vespers for the Solemnity of St Norbert

 

Constitutions of the Storrington Norbertine Associates

 

Act of Commitment

 

 

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Several of our Associates made a pilgrimage to Zsambek in Hungary in April 2008. Below is an account by Catherine Moore: Since my move to the Parish in 2001, I had come to know Zsámbék in Hungary through our Lenten projects and the displays in the church porch.  It was then just a name to me. But in April, I had the chance to accompany a small group of Norbertine associates, including Father Martin, on a visit to Zsámbék.   Though the trip was short in duration, it was rich in experience.  I can now put names on friendly faces and have seen how productive the day to day life of the school is.  The work achieved since 1994 is tremendous and I am particularly touched by the diversity of the outreach work by the Norbertine community in the surrounding area.  On arrival at Ferihegy Airport, Father Marton and Sister Katharine gave us a warm welcome. Our first view of Hungary was the derelict and shabby suburbs of Budapest but the landscape soon changed to green meadows and rich fertile fields with views stretching for miles.  We passed many industrial outlets on our way and as we approached the town of Zsámbék, we even spotted a Tesco storage depot! When entering the town, one cannot miss the 13th century Norbertine Abbey, which stands tall above the village. This year it is celebrating its 800th Anniversary; however this does not stop the locals using the stones of the ruin to build their houses. The hospitality in Zsámbék was very generous and from the beginning, we were made to feel at home. We shared meals with the nuns and so we got to know our hosts very well. Sister Paola was pleased to practise her English and Sister Johanna’s knowledge of her country’s history proved fascinating even though her stories were in Hungarian.  Both are teachers at the school.  The convent houses the ‘informatics’ (IT) department, the kitchen and the restaurant rooms where students learn silver service. Thanks to the trainee caterers, we enjoyed a delicious evening meal of local specialities, a feast of shapes, colours and tastes. Sister Katharine was our guide throughout. She put on a slide show which allowed us to see the progress and growth of the school through the years and hear the stories of the most disadvantaged families in Zsámbék. The country has suffered years of war, division and repression.  Today people still bear the scars of this chaotic past.  The day centre, a small classroom kept in its original state, receives daily dozens of children and their families for food and all kinds of support.  A psychologist offers counselling and the school employs a lawyer to help individuals with their rights. The main school, a more modern building, houses all aspects of education, technical and academics.  We looked at the workshops for learning building skill, bricklaying, welding, carpentry and wood work.  We met the headmistress and some friendly members of staff who were pleased to know of our interest in the school.   It was good to exchange a few words with English learners and to see the manual students so absorbed by their skilful tasks. We stopped at the dressmaking workshops where students were learning embroidery and admired their collection of handmade clothes. Our last stop was at the workshop for handicapped learners where the variety of skills, pottery, painting, sculpting and wood carving was impressive.  Artists were busy putting the last touch to a set of plates which had been commissioned for a local horse show. Your support over the years has brought to the Zsámbék community a feeling of hope and achievement; it gives a chance to many children to gain skills for life and for some to go on to further education.  Budapest is only a short drive away and with its history is splendid.  I have enjoyed Zsámbék enormously and would recommend anybody to visit. Catherine Moore

 

 

 

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ASSOCIATES OVERNIGHT RETREAT IN THE PRIORY

12/13 MAY2007

Our weekend together, led by the Prior of Storrington, the Rt Rev Paul MacMahon o.praem. was very successful. We met at 4.00pm on Saturday for tea after which Fr Paul gave a brief outline of the weekend. At 5.00pm the 24 would-be Associates joined the professed Community in the church for Vespers. After this Fr Paul gave a talk about the upcoming Associates Commitment Ceremony due to take place on the Solemnity of St Norbert on 6 June and clarified what being a Norbertine Associate attached to Our Lady of England consisted of. After drinks and supper we went back into the church for Night Prayer at 10.00pm. Morning Prayer was at 7.00am on the Sunday, followed by breakfast, and the Parish Mass at 10.00am ended our time together. All agreed it had been a very prayerful, fruitful and informative weekend.

 

For more photos go to our Gallery page

 

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 OUR Pilgrimage to Bayham Abbey

 

 

 

On Saturday 16 September 2006 several of the prospective Storrington Norbertine Associates made a pilgrimage - their first as a group -  to the ruins of Bayham Abbey, a former Premonstratensian House on the East Sussex/Kent border.

 

We met at 12 noon for Midday Prayer, after which we had a picnic lunch in the grounds (we were blessed with the weather being warm and sunny). After lunch Fr Andrew Smith o.praem. gave a very informative talk on the history of Bayham.

 

For more photos go to our Gallery page