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THE PRIORY VINEYARD'S FIRST GRAPE HARVEST
On Friday 11 October we picked our first harvest of grapes in the Priory Vineyard. After the grapes were collected they were sent to be processed in a Sussex vinery.
For more photos go to our Priory Vineyard webpage by clicking here
The Prior of Storrington, The Rt Rev. Paul MacMahon, helping to pick the first harvest!
On Sunday 21 September we celebrated the Blessing of Matt's Wood, the Prayer Labyrinth, the Priory Vineyard and the new outside Shrine of Our Lady. For full details please go to our Woodland Blessing page
Blessing of the outside shrine statue
Blessing of the vineyard
Fr Stephen Cansse, O.Praem. R.I.P. We regret to announce the death of Fr. Stephen Luc Cansse O.Praem. who died at the age of 79 on 17 September whilst visiting family in Belgium. He lived in our Priory from 1956 except from 1977- 1983 when he as Parish Priest of Crowle, North Lincs. In 1990 he took over from Fr. Kevin Cassidy as Parish Priest but after a year he had a stroke which led to his resignation in '92. In 2002 he moved to be part of the Manchester community. His Requiem Mass and burial will take place in the Abbey of Tongerlo. It was from there he was sent to work in Storrington. On Tuesday 23 September we will celebrate a Mass of Thanksgiving in the Priory church for his Life and Work in our midst and this will be held at 10am, the same time as his funeral in Belgium (11am). "Happy are those who die in the Lord, for their good deeds go with them". For his full obituary please click here
65th Birthday & 40 years of Profession Celebrations On the weekend of 6/7 September we celebrated Fr. Andrew's 65th birthday and also the 40th Anniversary of Fr. Martin's and Fr. Andrew's Solemn (final) Profession as members of a religious community - the actual day was September 8th.
RESTORATION OF STATUE & RE-SITING OF THE OUTDOOR MARIAN SHRINE
Monday 28 July
The restored statue is now in place! The garish colours the metal statue had been painted with over the years have been removed and the statue has been stripped back to its natural state and former glory. For more photos please click here
Before and after
Saturday 19 July
Getting the statue ready prior to sandblasting off the many coats of paint! It will be returned to the Priory on Saturday 26 July. For more photos please click here
Saturday 8 July
On the 8th July the statue of Our Lady and Child in the former outside shrine garden was moved to our back garden for much-needed restoration and re-painting prior to being re-sited at the head of the large open area at the end of the avenue of hornbeams in our Woodland Field Development. We intend this to be in place for our annual 8th September celebration.
It should be noted that the actual Shrine of Our Lady of England with its statue is in the Priory Church itself. The former outdoor shrine across the road from the church was set up in the Marian Year of 1954. The site was once the quarry used for the sand to build the Church and Priory. This site had no historical significance whatsoever and there have been no miracles wrought there, nor appearances of Our Lady!
For more photos please click here
Click here for a scrapbook (needs Adobe Flash Player)
PRAYER LABYRINTH On Saturday 26 April we created a labyrinth of logs as part of our woodland field development. Please click here to go to our labyrinth webpage.
NORBERTINE ORDER CELEBRATION
18th DECEMBER 2007
NORBERTINE ORDER CELEBRATION On Tuesday 18 December the Priory held a second Mass of Thanksgiving for its 125 year presence in Storrington. It was primarily a day of celebration for the Order and was attended by our Abbot General and various abbots and confreres from Order communities. The preacher at Mass was the Abbot General of the Norbertine Order, the Most Rev. Thomas Handgrätinger O.Praem. Also invited were the Religious of our diocese. Mass was at 11am and parishioners were invited to attend and also stay to meet the guests, during a Reception, before they had lunch. The Apostolic Nuncio, His Excellency Archbishop Faustino Sainz Muñoz, also attended.Our day of celebration ended with a special Evening Prayer at 6.30pm.
Visit to Our Lady Of England PRIORY by His eminence Cardinal Cormac Murphy-O'Connor
On Monday 24th September, the Solemnity of Our Lady of England, we were pleased to welcome back to Storrington His Eminence Cardinal Cormac Murphy-O'Connor who lived in the village for 23 years. Please click here for more information and photos of our celebration.
6 July 2007 - Composer Marty Haugen visits Our Lady of England Priory
Marty Haugen, fourth from left, with some of the members of the parish music and liturgy group. Standing next to Marty is Parish Priest Fr Andrew Smith
We were greatly blessed when Marty Haugen, the leading composer of contemporary liturgical music, paid a visit to the Priory to meet the parish music and liturgy group. Marty has been commissioned by the Priory to write a new Mass setting celebrating the 125th anniversary of the Norbertine Order in Storrington. After tea in the library, Marty was shown the church and the outdoor shrine as he wanted to feel a 'sense of place' before he started composing the new Mass setting.
CANONRY RETREAT 19th - 23rd February 2007
Between 19th - 23rd February 2007 we held our Canonry Retreat in the Priory which was led by Br Bob Campbell, o.praem., from Santa Maria de la Vid Priory, Albuquerque, New Mexico.
From left to right: Fr Ian McLean; Retreat Director Brother Bob Campbell; The Rt Rev Paul MacMahon (Prior); Fr Andrew Smith; Fr Martin Gosling.
ELECTION OF A NEW PRIOR FOR OUR LADY OF ENGLAND CANONRY, STORRINGTON, on Thursday 14 December 2006
The new Prior of Storrington, the Rt Rev Paul MacMahon, pictured with the Abbot General in the Cloister Garth
After the foundation of Our Lady of England Priory in 1882, until 1962 the Prior of the Community was appointed by the Abbots of Frigolet in Provence (until 1940), and the Abbots of Tongerlo (Belgium). The Prior was only a local Superior, a Prior Claustralis.
Since 1962, when the Community was granted independence from Tongerlo Abbey, the Prior has been a Prior Conventualis, more properly known as a Prior de Regimine (a Ruling, or Governing, Prior).
The first such, Fr Gerebern Joseph Neill, was appointed for life by the Abbot of Tongerlo. He resigned in 1970. He was followed by Fr Georges I. Joye who was elected thrice for six year terms. He resigned in 1986. Fr Michael J. Gallagher followed him for six years and then Fr Andrew H. Smith for ten years. Fr Gallagher was re-elected for six years in 2002 but resigned after two years. Fr Paul M. MacMahon was then appointed Administrator of the Canonry by the Abbot General. On 14 December 2006 Fr Paul was elected as Prior 'Ad Vitam - for Life', but must offer his resignation when he is 75 years old.
In our Order of Prémontré the common title of all ruling Abbots and Priors is 'Prelate', although in our case, being a Priory, the more formal title is 'Father Prior'.
Fr Paul was born in Birmingham on 21 May 1955 and entered the Community on 28 August 1986 after being a teacher of English and Drama. After studies at the Franciscan Study Centre in Canterbury he was ordained to the priesthood on 4 June 1991. His priestly ministry to date has been spent in Spalding (Lincs.), Brighton and Storrington and he has held the Canonry Offices of Sub-Prior and Novice Master. For the past 8 years until the summer of 2006 he was full-time Chaplain at Cardinal Newman Catholic School in Hove.
A Celebration Dinner was held on Friday 15 December attended by the Abbot General and over 20 friends of the Priory Community.
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