Worth Abbey
Encyclopedia
The Abbey of Our Lady, Help of Christians, commonly known as Worth Abbey, is a community of Roman Catholic monks who follow the Rule of St Benedict
near Turners Hill
village, in West Sussex
, England
.
Like all Benedictine
monks, the monks of Worth Abbey place the public prayer of the Church (the opus dei or work of God) at the centre of their lives. In common with other monasteries of the English Benedictine Congregation
their tradition also places stress on daily periods of individual prayer and lectio divina
(the prayerful reading of scripture). Through writing, preaching and hospitality they make this tradition available to others.
Through the Open Cloister, which incorporates a daily and residential retreat programme, Worth Abbey is host to over 2000 visitors a year. There is also an extensive schedule of residential conferences at the Abbey throughout the year. The community administers a charity, Outreach Peru, which supports a range of health and social welfare projects in Lima
and other parts of Peru
. Several of the monks serve as chaplains in Worth School
, in the local parish around Turner's Hill, and in the Tinsley House immigration detention centre. Compass, a project for young people who are considering a religious vocation, is based at Worth and run by the monks in co-operation with other Catholic religious groups.
There is a Quiet Garden in the grounds of the Abbey, which, like the Abbey Church, is open to the public.
The Lay Community of St Benedict, a lay Benedictine movement, was founded at Worth Abbey and maintains close links with the monastic community.
, better known as Downside Abbey
, in Somerset
. Worth Priory was founded in September 1933 by Abbot John Chapman of Downside, who established a community of 17 monks in the property formerly known as Paddockhurst, near Turners Hill
village. The conditions of sale of the property laid down that the name Paddockhurst should not be used by the new owners. Because the Priory lay within the boundaries of Worth parish, the name Worth was chosen for the site. The first prior
of Worth, Dom Anselm Rutherford, chose Our Lady, Help of Christians, as the patron of the new monastery.
It was Abbot
Christopher Butler
of Downside who decided that its two dependent Priories, Ealing
and Worth, should each rapidly became independent houses: St. Benedict's, Ealing, in 1946 and Our Lady, Help of Christians, Worth, in 1957.
The first Prior of the independent Worth Priory in 1957 was Dom Victor Farwell. He was elected the first Abbot in 1965 when the Priory was raised to the status of an Abbey. He remained its superior until 1988. Thus he was responsible for guiding the Worth community before, during and after the period of the Second Vatican Council
. His successor, Dom Dominic Gaisford, was Abbot until his untimely death in 1994. The third Abbot of Worth, Dom Stephen Ortiger, served the community from 1994 to 2002. The fourth Abbot, Dom Christopher Jamison
served from 2002 to 2010. The present Abbot, Dom Kevin Taggart, was elected in 2010.
As an independent Abbey, Worth has been involved in a number of different pastoral endeavours. Worth School
, a boarding and day school, was opened shortly after the Abbey became independent of Downside. In 1964 parish work began in the immediate locality of the Abbey. In 1968 a long-term missionary
connection with Peru began when monks from Worth built a farm and mission in the remote Apurimac valley
, while in Lima they founded a monastery, a large parish and a health centre. Since 1990 this connection has been continued through the charity Outreach Peru. In 1971 the Worth Abbey Lay Community launched the idea of lay participation in monastic life for young people, growing to become, by 2003, an independent lay movement as the Lay Community of St Benedict. Between 1983 and 1990, St Peter's, East Dulwich
, became the home to an experimental urban monastic community jointly founded by Worth Abbey and the Anglican Diocese of Southwark
. The work of formation in Christian faith and spirituality which began there is continued in The Open Cloister.
The Abbey Church, designed by the UK architect
Francis Pollen (d.1987) in the period immediately following the Second Vatican Council
, was begun in 1966, and came into use in 1974. The church was consecrated
for worship in 1975, and work continued on the structure of the building until its completion in 2001. The church adjoins the monastery buildings, also designed by Francis Pollen, which were completed in 1989.
In 2010 to 2011 the Abbey Church was extensively restored and refurbished, and was equipped with purpose built furniture for the first time. The design of the furnishings and the overall supervision of the refurbishment was the work of the UK designer Thomas Heatherwick
.
broadcast The Monastery
, a three-part documentary series filmed at Worth Abbey. This was followed in June 2006 by The Monastery Revisited. In 2010 "The Big Silence" was broadcast.
http://www.orionbooks.co.uk/HB-40815/Finding-Happiness.htm His previous book, "Finding Sanctuary: Monastic Steps for Everyday Life" by Abbot Christopher Jamison
http://www.orionbooks.co.uk/HB-39030/Finding-Sanctuary.htm
Rule of St Benedict
The Rule of Saint Benedict is a book of precepts written by St. Benedict of Nursia for monks living communally under the authority of an abbot. Since about the 7th century it has also been adopted by communities of women...
near Turners Hill
Turners Hill
Turners Hill is a village and civil parish in the Mid Sussex District of West Sussex, England. The civil parish covers an area of , and has a population of 1,849 ....
village, in West Sussex
West Sussex
West Sussex is a county in the south of England, bordering onto East Sussex , Hampshire and Surrey. The county of Sussex has been divided into East and West since the 12th century, and obtained separate county councils in 1888, but it remained a single ceremonial county until 1974 and the coming...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
.
Like all Benedictine
Benedictine
Benedictine refers to the spirituality and consecrated life in accordance with the Rule of St Benedict, written by Benedict of Nursia in the sixth century for the cenobitic communities he founded in central Italy. The most notable of these is Monte Cassino, the first monastery founded by Benedict...
monks, the monks of Worth Abbey place the public prayer of the Church (the opus dei or work of God) at the centre of their lives. In common with other monasteries of the English Benedictine Congregation
English Benedictine Congregation
The English Benedictine Congregation comprises autonomous Roman Catholic Benedictine communities of monks and nuns and is technically the oldest of the 21 congregations that are affiliated in the Benedictine Confederation....
their tradition also places stress on daily periods of individual prayer and lectio divina
Lectio Divina
In Christianity, Lectio Divina is a traditional Catholic practice of scriptural reading, meditation and prayer intended to promote communion with God and to increase the knowledge of God's Word...
(the prayerful reading of scripture). Through writing, preaching and hospitality they make this tradition available to others.
Through the Open Cloister, which incorporates a daily and residential retreat programme, Worth Abbey is host to over 2000 visitors a year. There is also an extensive schedule of residential conferences at the Abbey throughout the year. The community administers a charity, Outreach Peru, which supports a range of health and social welfare projects in Lima
Lima
Lima is the capital and the largest city of Peru. It is located in the valleys of the Chillón, Rímac and Lurín rivers, in the central part of the country, on a desert coast overlooking the Pacific Ocean. Together with the seaport of Callao, it forms a contiguous urban area known as the Lima...
and other parts of Peru
Peru
Peru , officially the Republic of Peru , is a country in western South America. It is bordered on the north by Ecuador and Colombia, on the east by Brazil, on the southeast by Bolivia, on the south by Chile, and on the west by the Pacific Ocean....
. Several of the monks serve as chaplains in Worth School
Worth School
Worth School, near the village of Turners Hill, Crawley, West Sussex, England, is a co-educational Roman Catholic boarding and day independent school for pupils aged between 11–18 years. The school is located with Worth Abbey, a Benedictine monastery, in of Sussex countryside...
, in the local parish around Turner's Hill, and in the Tinsley House immigration detention centre. Compass, a project for young people who are considering a religious vocation, is based at Worth and run by the monks in co-operation with other Catholic religious groups.
There is a Quiet Garden in the grounds of the Abbey, which, like the Abbey Church, is open to the public.
The Lay Community of St Benedict, a lay Benedictine movement, was founded at Worth Abbey and maintains close links with the monastic community.
History
Worth Abbey is a daughter house of the community of St. Gregory’sPope Gregory I
Pope Gregory I , better known in English as Gregory the Great, was pope from 3 September 590 until his death...
, better known as Downside Abbey
Downside Abbey
The Basilica of St Gregory the Great at Downside, commonly known as Downside Abbey, is a Roman Catholic Benedictine monastery and the Senior House of the English Benedictine Congregation. One of its main apostolates is a school for children aged nine to eighteen...
, in Somerset
Somerset
The ceremonial and non-metropolitan county of Somerset in South West England borders Bristol and Gloucestershire to the north, Wiltshire to the east, Dorset to the south-east, and Devon to the south-west. It is partly bounded to the north and west by the Bristol Channel and the estuary of the...
. Worth Priory was founded in September 1933 by Abbot John Chapman of Downside, who established a community of 17 monks in the property formerly known as Paddockhurst, near Turners Hill
Turners Hill
Turners Hill is a village and civil parish in the Mid Sussex District of West Sussex, England. The civil parish covers an area of , and has a population of 1,849 ....
village. The conditions of sale of the property laid down that the name Paddockhurst should not be used by the new owners. Because the Priory lay within the boundaries of Worth parish, the name Worth was chosen for the site. The first prior
Prior
Prior is an ecclesiastical title, derived from the Latin adjective for 'earlier, first', with several notable uses.-Monastic superiors:A Prior is a monastic superior, usually lower in rank than an Abbot. In the Rule of St...
of Worth, Dom Anselm Rutherford, chose Our Lady, Help of Christians, as the patron of the new monastery.
It was Abbot
Abbot
The word abbot, meaning father, is a title given to the head of a monastery in various traditions, including Christianity. The office may also be given as an honorary title to a clergyman who is not actually the head of a monastery...
Christopher Butler
Christopher Butler
Basil Christopher Butler OSB , was a convert from the Church of England to the Roman Catholic Church, a Roman Catholic priest, the 7th Abbot of Downside Abbey, one-time Abbot President of the English Benedictine Congregation, a bishop, an internationally respected scripture scholar, a consistent...
of Downside who decided that its two dependent Priories, Ealing
Ealing Abbey
Ealing Abbey is a Roman Catholic Benedictine monastic foundation in West London, England, and part of the English Benedictine Congregation.-History:...
and Worth, should each rapidly became independent houses: St. Benedict's, Ealing, in 1946 and Our Lady, Help of Christians, Worth, in 1957.
The first Prior of the independent Worth Priory in 1957 was Dom Victor Farwell. He was elected the first Abbot in 1965 when the Priory was raised to the status of an Abbey. He remained its superior until 1988. Thus he was responsible for guiding the Worth community before, during and after the period of the Second Vatican Council
Second Vatican Council
The Second Vatican Council addressed relations between the Roman Catholic Church and the modern world. It was the twenty-first Ecumenical Council of the Catholic Church and the second to be held at St. Peter's Basilica in the Vatican. It opened under Pope John XXIII on 11 October 1962 and closed...
. His successor, Dom Dominic Gaisford, was Abbot until his untimely death in 1994. The third Abbot of Worth, Dom Stephen Ortiger, served the community from 1994 to 2002. The fourth Abbot, Dom Christopher Jamison
Christopher Jamison
Christopher Jamison OSB is a Benedictine monk and former Abbot of Worth Abbey in West Sussex, England. He became well-known through the BBC TV series The Monastery.-Early life:...
served from 2002 to 2010. The present Abbot, Dom Kevin Taggart, was elected in 2010.
As an independent Abbey, Worth has been involved in a number of different pastoral endeavours. Worth School
Worth School
Worth School, near the village of Turners Hill, Crawley, West Sussex, England, is a co-educational Roman Catholic boarding and day independent school for pupils aged between 11–18 years. The school is located with Worth Abbey, a Benedictine monastery, in of Sussex countryside...
, a boarding and day school, was opened shortly after the Abbey became independent of Downside. In 1964 parish work began in the immediate locality of the Abbey. In 1968 a long-term missionary
Missionary
A missionary is a member of a religious group sent into an area to do evangelism or ministries of service, such as education, literacy, social justice, health care and economic development. The word "mission" originates from 1598 when the Jesuits sent members abroad, derived from the Latin...
connection with Peru began when monks from Worth built a farm and mission in the remote Apurimac valley
Apurímac Region
Apurímac is a region in southern-central Peru. It is bordered on the east by the Cusco Region, on the west by the Ayacucho Region, and on the south by the Arequipa and Ayacucho regions...
, while in Lima they founded a monastery, a large parish and a health centre. Since 1990 this connection has been continued through the charity Outreach Peru. In 1971 the Worth Abbey Lay Community launched the idea of lay participation in monastic life for young people, growing to become, by 2003, an independent lay movement as the Lay Community of St Benedict. Between 1983 and 1990, St Peter's, East Dulwich
East Dulwich
East Dulwich is a district of South London, England in the London Borough of Southwark. It forms the eastern one third of Dulwich, with the Dulwich Wood area, Dulwich Village and West Dulwich to its South and West making up the remaining two thirds...
, became the home to an experimental urban monastic community jointly founded by Worth Abbey and the Anglican Diocese of Southwark
Anglican Diocese of Southwark
The Diocese of Southwark is one of the 44 dioceses of the Church of England, part of the worldwide Anglican Communion. The Diocese forms part of the Province of Canterbury in England. It was formed on May 1, 1905 from part of the Diocese of Rochester...
. The work of formation in Christian faith and spirituality which began there is continued in The Open Cloister.
The Abbey Church, designed by the UK architect
Architect
An architect is a person trained in the planning, design and oversight of the construction of buildings. To practice architecture means to offer or render services in connection with the design and construction of a building, or group of buildings and the space within the site surrounding the...
Francis Pollen (d.1987) in the period immediately following the Second Vatican Council
Second Vatican Council
The Second Vatican Council addressed relations between the Roman Catholic Church and the modern world. It was the twenty-first Ecumenical Council of the Catholic Church and the second to be held at St. Peter's Basilica in the Vatican. It opened under Pope John XXIII on 11 October 1962 and closed...
, was begun in 1966, and came into use in 1974. The church was consecrated
Consecration
Consecration is the solemn dedication to a special purpose or service, usually religious. The word "consecration" literally means "to associate with the sacred". Persons, places, or things can be consecrated, and the term is used in various ways by different groups...
for worship in 1975, and work continued on the structure of the building until its completion in 2001. The church adjoins the monastery buildings, also designed by Francis Pollen, which were completed in 1989.
In 2010 to 2011 the Abbey Church was extensively restored and refurbished, and was equipped with purpose built furniture for the first time. The design of the furnishings and the overall supervision of the refurbishment was the work of the UK designer Thomas Heatherwick
Thomas Heatherwick
Thomas Heatherwick is an English designer known for innovative use of engineering and materials in public monuments and sculptures...
.
Television Documentaries
In May 2005, BBC TwoBBC Two
BBC Two is the second television channel operated by the British Broadcasting Corporation in the United Kingdom. It covers a wide range of subject matter, but tending towards more 'highbrow' programmes than the more mainstream and popular BBC One. Like the BBC's other domestic TV and radio...
broadcast The Monastery
The Monastery (BBC TV series)
The Monastery was a documentary television series made by Tiger Aspect Productions for BBC Two which aired in the UK in May 2005. The programme follows five modern lay men as they embark on a 40 day and night introduction to Roman Catholic monastic life at Worth Abbey, West Sussex, England under...
, a three-part documentary series filmed at Worth Abbey. This was followed in June 2006 by The Monastery Revisited. In 2010 "The Big Silence" was broadcast.
Recent publications
"Finding Happiness: Monastic Steps For A Fulfilling Life" by Abbot Christopher JamisonChristopher Jamison
Christopher Jamison OSB is a Benedictine monk and former Abbot of Worth Abbey in West Sussex, England. He became well-known through the BBC TV series The Monastery.-Early life:...
http://www.orionbooks.co.uk/HB-40815/Finding-Happiness.htm His previous book, "Finding Sanctuary: Monastic Steps for Everyday Life" by Abbot Christopher Jamison
Christopher Jamison
Christopher Jamison OSB is a Benedictine monk and former Abbot of Worth Abbey in West Sussex, England. He became well-known through the BBC TV series The Monastery.-Early life:...
http://www.orionbooks.co.uk/HB-39030/Finding-Sanctuary.htm
Associated websites
- The website of Worth Abbey
- The website of Compass
- The website of the Lay Community of St Benedict
- The website of Outreach Peru