A Trip to Malling Abbey
I've just been on a mini-retreat to St Mary's Abbey at West Malling in Kent, at the start of Holy Week 2006. It was kindly suggested by
my Rector, who nevertheless had never been there himself. Still, it all worked out well enough!
The Abbey was founded by Bishop Gundulf of Rochester in 1090; it was never very large, and never housed more than about 30
Benedictine nuns, and went through unhappy times over the centuries when the Sisters were clearly not behaving in a terribly nunly
fashion! The Abbey was suppressed in 1538 and the 13 nuns driven out. The buildings passed through a variety of owners before the
Akers family bought the estate in 1849. The Akerses were a devout Anglo-Catholic family who felt increasingly uneasy at owning
property which had once belonged to the Church. They restored the old Pilgrim's Chapel and invited several Anglican Sisterhoods to use
the buildings. In 1893 the Community of SS Mary & Scholastica took over the site and it became a religious house for the first time in
350 years. The Sisters joined the Roman Catholic church in 1911 and left, but in 1916 another Anglican Sisterhood arrived and have
remained there ever since.
Malling Abbey houses about 22 sisters at the moment and they even have a novice, which is encouraging! They are largely an enclosed
order whose work is prayer, spiritual writing, looking after the Abbey and the two thousand-or-so guests who stay in it every year to
take part in the life of contemplation for a short while.
I've just been on a mini-retreat to St Mary's Abbey at West Malling in Kent, at the start of Holy Week 2006. It was kindly suggested by
my Rector, who nevertheless had never been there himself. Still, it all worked out well enough!
The Abbey was founded by Bishop Gundulf of Rochester in 1090; it was never very large, and never housed more than about 30
Benedictine nuns, and went through unhappy times over the centuries when the Sisters were clearly not behaving in a terribly nunly
fashion! The Abbey was suppressed in 1538 and the 13 nuns driven out. The buildings passed through a variety of owners before the
Akers family bought the estate in 1849. The Akerses were a devout Anglo-Catholic family who felt increasingly uneasy at owning
property which had once belonged to the Church. They restored the old Pilgrim's Chapel and invited several Anglican Sisterhoods to use
the buildings. In 1893 the Community of SS Mary & Scholastica took over the site and it became a religious house for the first time in
350 years. The Sisters joined the Roman Catholic church in 1911 and left, but in 1916 another Anglican Sisterhood arrived and have
remained there ever since.
Malling Abbey houses about 22 sisters at the moment and they even have a novice, which is encouraging! They are largely an enclosed
order whose work is prayer, spiritual writing, looking after the Abbey and the two thousand-or-so guests who stay in it every year to
take part in the life of contemplation for a short while.
The full round of monastic offices is observed at Malling in the austere
and simple 1960s church, and guests can take part in as much or as little
as they please.
The site contains both modern buildings and the remaining structures of
the medieval Abbey, including the Gatehouse, the Guest House part of
which dates back to about 1400, and the massive west tower of the old
Abbey Church, which dominates the area open to the public. A stream
rising at St Leonard's Well south of the town runs through the grounds.
I found the worship calming, the environment a great help to reflection,
and the food tasty and plentiful! I wanted to renew my ordination vows
while there (having missed the Chrism Mass at Guildford, when it should
have happened, because it was moved to Monday to avoid clashing with
Her Maj dishing out the Maundy money there on Thursday), and the
Mother Abbess very kindly heard them for me!
There's no charge for staying at the Abbey as the Sisters regard looking
after guests as part of their duty of hospitality. But donations are always
welcome.
and simple 1960s church, and guests can take part in as much or as little
as they please.
The site contains both modern buildings and the remaining structures of
the medieval Abbey, including the Gatehouse, the Guest House part of
which dates back to about 1400, and the massive west tower of the old
Abbey Church, which dominates the area open to the public. A stream
rising at St Leonard's Well south of the town runs through the grounds.
I found the worship calming, the environment a great help to reflection,
and the food tasty and plentiful! I wanted to renew my ordination vows
while there (having missed the Chrism Mass at Guildford, when it should
have happened, because it was moved to Monday to avoid clashing with
Her Maj dishing out the Maundy money there on Thursday), and the
Mother Abbess very kindly heard them for me!
There's no charge for staying at the Abbey as the Sisters regard looking
after guests as part of their duty of hospitality. But donations are always
welcome.
See here for Abbey contact details.
The Abbey Gatehouse & Pilgrims Chapel
The grounds and the West Tower
Inside the Pilgrims
Chapel
Chapel
Inside the Guest
House
House
