Douai & Belmont Meet
Published in News · 30 January 2022
» On Tuesday, 25 January, 30 brethren from the Douai and Belmont monastic communities gathered in the hall at St Gregory’s church in Stratford-upon-Avon, the parish priest Fr Alexander being a gracious host. Abbess Anna of Stanbrook was present as a guest in her capacity as a member of the preparatory commission for the English Benedictine Congregation's General Chapter to be held in the summer. The first part of the meeting discussed questions earlier posed by the preparatory commission to all the EBC communities. In the afternoon, the discussion turned to the value of and future strategy for maintaining the EBC's incorporated parishes in England and Wales, of which both Douai and Belmont have a good number. It was a very fruitful meeting on many levels, not least to renew personal and community links with another EBC house, face to face rather than by Zoom.
» Two days later the Douai Abbey Trust and Abbot’s Council met at Douai, with some members and advisors attenmding by Zoom.
» During the week was published a book with a chapter by the abbot on the gardens of English religious communities exiled in Europe during the 17th and 18th centuries.