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The Compass Course

If you are discerning a call to religious life, visit the Compass website. Compass is based at Worth Abbey, near Crawley, and offers both personal spiritual support and residential experience of community life, while allowing you to continue your normal life and career. Compass runs from October to June. Each month, the small group of participants gets together for a short stay (seven weekends and two single weeks) at a house specially set aside for the course.

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Testimony - Sister Joanna Harrison, Holy Cross Abbey

Sr Joanna made her temporary profession in June 2008 at the Cistercian community at Holy Cross Abbey in Whitland, Wales. She previously worked as a nurse and attended the parish of St Joseph’s in Brighton. Sr Joanna had enjoyed being a nurse but she knew she had to become “more God centred but she didn’t know how that would happen.” On visiting a Carmelite community and she was “Struck by the silence, which I heard with my heart". She returned back to her home and work "with a terrible restlessness.” She decided to enter in 2005. At her profession Sr Joanna made a commitment to obedience, stability in the community and conversion of life.

Holy Cross Abbey has a typically monastic round of daily prayer, of lectio divina, an attentive reading of the word of God, of manual work and of community living. The Community earns its living making altar breads, and they also have a small monastic guesthouse. They grounds include 5 acres of woodland that they are currently exploring for developing a sustainable bio-fuel resource.

In Wales there were two monasteries of Cistercian women, or "White Ladies" which were suppressed in 1530s. The first Solemn Profession of a Cistercian nun in Wales since the Reformation took place at Holy Cross Abbey, Whitland in August 2003. Hopefully Sr. Joanna will be the second.

We can pray for Sr Joanna by making our own the prayer offered by the Abbess, Mother Christine, at her Temporary Profession; “Hear our prayer, O Lord, and through the intercession of the Blessed Virgin Mother of the Church, pour out your Holy Spirit in abundance on your servant Joanna, whom in your goodness you have called to follow Christ. Grant that she may carry out with untiring devotion the promise she has made.”

Holy Cross Abbey, Whitland - www.hcawhitland.co.uk

Sr Alexis Dendra OP

Sr Alexis Dendra OP celebrated her 25th profession as a Dominican Missionary Sister in May 2009. Sr Alexis is a member of the Council of the Dominican Missionary Sisters based in Gossops Green in Crawley. She came to Crawley from her native Zimbabwe just over three years ago when the order decided to set up their General Council in England.

For more information on the Domincan Missionary Sisters: www.dominicanmissionarysisters.org

Sr Alexis (third from left), Dominican Missionary Sisters from Gossops Green, Fr Chris Bergin, and Fr Paul Turner.

Katie Colbran

Katie Colbran from the parish of Crawley will be joining the Community of Our Lady of Walsingham this September 09. Katie is currently working as an air stewardess for British Airways. Whilst she has been discerning her vocation to the religious life she has been involved with the parish confirmation programme and running a Youth Cafe course.
To find out more about Katie and the Community of Our Lady of Walsingham go to: http://www.walsinghamcommunity.org/story_katie.html