Dear Friends

Although this is the first Newsletter of2010, a third of the year has already

come and gone and we are well into theseason of Eastertide. I always marvel that,as we celebrate the new life of Easter andrejoice that the Lord is risen, the beautifulseason of Spring also arrives and we seesigns of new life all around us. In manycountries, such as India and Sri Lanka,Easter coincides with a very hot, ratheruncomfortable season, with thunder storms,power cuts and soaring temperatures. So,while we in England are enjoying Springdays and looking forward to Summer, I knowmany of you are hoping the hottest days willsoon be over!

In the book of Ecclesiastes, the words ofChapter 3 are probably very familiar to us all:

“There is a season for everything, a time forevery occupation under heaven…..

A time for giving birth, a time for dying ……….

A time for knocking down, a time forbuilding ……..”

There has been a fair amount of buildinggoing on in various places and I would liketo mention three Chapels, in three countries,all dedicated to St Benedict.

The first one to be completed was inAdaiyur where a Chapel was eagerlyawaited to accommodate not just thecommunity but also the 80 students. It waswonderful to hear that the senior studentswere all successful in their final exams andare now qualified nurses. Well done to all theteaching staff and students for thiswonderful achievement.

The second Chapel of St Benedict is in SriLanka at Melville Priory and will be blessedin July. During my visit in January I watched

the early stages of the construction withgreat interest and am now looking forward toseeing the completed building and theimproved communal areas for the residentswhere the former chapel used to be.

Lastly, closer to home, St Benedict’s chapelat the rear of St Mary’s House in Brighton isalmost finished and the blessing is set forAugust, so more about that, and somepictures, next time.

In Kenya there is also a building projectunderway at Mundika where we are in thehappy position of having a good number ofyoung girls joining us. This means we needa larger convent and this was started inMarch just before Sr Gabrielle left to return toEngland for a rather delayed retirement!

As I am talking about buildings andproperties, I would like to mention that one ofthe most time consuming aspects of runningthe Charity is ensuring that all our propertiesare well-maintained so that they are safe andfit for the future. Inevitably, this means thatthe Trustees sometimes have to make somedifficult decisions so please pray that we willalways make wise ones!

The above works have all cost money andthis is a fitting time to thank all our generousbenefactors especially those who haveremembered us in their wills. When wereceive a legacy it is usually quiteunexpected but often, just in time to helpwith one or other project!

I read the articles below before addingthese few words so I know you will get agood idea of all that is going on, both hereand abroad, in the rest of the Newsletter sothere is no need for me to duplicate thenews.

I would like to ask your prayers, for all oursisters who are studying and for all ourPostulants, Novices and Juniors. Inparticular, please remember those preparingfor Final Profession that they may experiencethe depth of God’s love and in turn, givethemselves generously and wholeheartedly

SISTER KASISTER KATHY’STHY’SLETTERLETTER

2

3

to the Community and the Church.God Bless you and thank you all for your

interest, support and prayers.

Sr Kathy

Since the last newsletter, we haveenjoyed the hope-filled season of

Advent in preparation for Christmas. DuringNovember, the Community made the annualretreat, which was conducted by Fr. GeorgeAreeckal CSSR. It was a very rewardingtime for all. There was also a five days’preparation for the Juniors, led by FatherBosco.

Heavy snow came in November, makingtravel difficult. Spirits were raised, however,when we saw the seasonal decorations goup! Midnight Mass was concelebrated byour Chaplain, Fr. Rajan, with Mons.Terry andFr. Denis – as usual, a blessed time. TheSisters had prepared a beautiful crib in frontof the altar – the Wise Men arrived on timetoo, even though it was an earlier Epiphany!

In the New Year, we sadly lost MissBeatrice Peters who died peacefully – mayshe rest in peace. Another resident, MissTheresa Chapman, moved to a nursinghome. She had been happy here, and wetrust she will have the same love and care inher new home.

More heavy snow in January caused thepostponement of the Sisters’ culturalconcert. Eventually, it was held a few dayslate, and everyone, residents and staff alike,agreed it was an enjoyable success. Therewas traditional music and dance from India,Sri Lanka, Africa and Pakistan, all introducedby Sr. Ruth and Fr. Rajan. Fun entertainmentbetween items was provided by MichaelThackaberry, also humorous pieces andsingalongs all of which went down very well

– as did the refreshments! Fr. Terry was kindin his vote of thanks to all at the end.

We are happy to have Steve Bennett(guitarist) and Dave Collins (organist) visitquite regularly to entertain the residents-they all love a singsong!

In January/ February, Sr. Jaya went toRome to attend a course in intensive study ofthe Rule of St Benedict. The course washeld at the Generalate of the Tutzing Sisters,and was both demanding and valuable. Weall look forward to sharing in these riches inthe months ahead.

On Saturday 6th March, we were pleasedto witness Sr.Hana renewing her vows – maythe good Lord continue to bless her.

A Memorial Mass was celebrated forMother Mary on 8th March, her thirdanniversary. Sister Kathy and many othersattended, and the principal celebrant wasthe Apostolic Nuncio to Great Britain,Archbishop Faustino Sainz Munoz assistedby five other priests. The Archbishop spokewarmly of Mother’s love and compassion.The Mass was followed by a visit andprayers at Mother’s grave, concluding withthe singing of the “Magnificat”. A trulyblessed occasion for all.

May the goodness of the Risen Lord bewith you all this Easter – and always.

HOLHOLY CROSS PRIORY CROSS PRIORYYHEAHEATHFIELDTHFIELD

A game of bingo at Holy Cross Priory.

4

Well, what a nightmare winter! The pastfew months have been very hard here

in East Sussex, with two long spells of deepsnow and almost unremitting cold. Luckilythe pre-Christmas snow thawed just beforethe great day and our Residents’ familiesand friends were able to come and visit andour celebrations go ahead as planned.

The snow came again with renewed forcein January and at one stage it seemed theNursing Unit might be cut off from the world!The staff rose to the occasion showingamazing resourcefulness and courage inorder to get into work on the icy roads. Fourof our staff even stayed for several nights toensure continuity of care for the Residents.

Everyone lent a hand and did what neededto be done. Most tasks can be fun if enteredinto in the right spirit, even clearing the driveand shaking the snow from overhangingbranches to enable delivery lorries to getthrough. The lure of the snow was too muchfor some of the Residents to resist and theyhad a great time playing snowballs.

Thanks to some donations to ourMillennium Garden we have been able toinstall rabbit proof fencing and Bill thegardener is looking forward to fulfilling hisambition to make it bright and colourful,confident that the plants won’t instantly bedevoured. You may think we are being hardon the rabbits but there is plentiful wildvegetation for them in the grounds and theyare quite fat enough already!

This is a beautiful area at all times of theyear and the snow was like a scene from apicture book but all we want now is to feelwarm sun and see the spring flowers in thehedgerows.

Yet again we have had a busy fewmonths.

In November our residents enjoyed anouting to Paradise Park. They enjoyed aleisurely lunch followed by a stroll around thegardens and gift shop where they were ableto buy Christmas gifts for family and friends.

December is always a very busy but happytime for everyone at St Mary’s. As theChristmas cards start to arrive everyoneseems to get into the festive spirit. On 15thDecember children from St Bernadette’sSchool arrived to sing carols and bringpresents for the residents. Everyone chattedand ate homemade Christmas biscuits. On17th December everyone gathered at StMary’s for a specially prepared three courseChristmas lunch. We all drank sherry whilstlistening to our good friend Margaret Watsonplaying beautiful music on her golden harp.After a very tasty lunch everyone was inneed of a nap! On 22nd December cameour very own Christmas programme. All ofthe Sisters and staff joined in the festivitiesgiving the residents a show full of singing,dancing and lots of laughter.

ST MARST MARY’S HOUSEY’S HOUSEBRIGHTONBRIGHTON

HOLHOLY CROSSY CROSSNURSING UNITNURSING UNIT

Enjoying the snow at Holy Cross Nursing Unit.

5

January arrived bringing heavy snow. Atfirst everyone was excited to see the crispwhite snow that looked so beautiful acrossthe park but as the days passed by with nosign of clearing it soon became a nuisanceto all for getting to the shops for food. Thesnow finally cleared after a good week butwe awoke a few days later to yet anothercovering!

Building work is still in progress on ourlovely new chapel. Our garden has gonefrom a giant muddy hole full of diggers to avery nearly completed chapel. The weeksseem to have flown by with hardly anydisruption to the house. The chapel is reallytaking shape now and we can’t wait until thetime we can set foot inside. We are alsohaving alterations to the inside of the housewhich comes with its fair share of noise!Everyone has taken it in their stride knowingthat the outcome will be well worth the wait.

We are pleased to welcome two of our

Sisters as residents at St Mary’s, Sr Elizabethwho joined us during the summer, and SrGabrielle who has joined us after manyyears working in Africa.

We currently have 11 sisters at St Mary’s.They are all excited to be arranging theirholidays for this year. The season of Lenthas been a time of reflection and prayer forall at St Mary’s House. We enjoyed ourEaster celebrations despite the upheaval inthe house.

We were very sorry to see our Japanesevolunteer Mai leave us in March. She hadbeen with us for a year and will be greatlymissed by everyone. Our new Japanesevolunteer Yoko arrived shortly afterwardsand we are happy to have her. We have alsowelcomed Teresa our Chinese volunteer whois assisting us with care work and polishingup on her English.

Wishing you all peace and happinessalways.

Christmas time at St Mary’s House.

Awarm hello from Bognor Regis! Westart our report with two great

celebrations, firstly Roshini’s final professionat Brighton and secondly the happyoccasion of the diamond weddinganniversary of Ray and Bunty Yeeles, SrKathy’s parents. We wish happiness to allwho are celebrating their special occasionand many blessings too.

As is often the case, we bade fondfarewells to Fr Stan Burt, Kitty Breslin andFreda Gatling all of whom died during thisperiod. We extend a warm welcome toMarie Mcnamara, Pauline Allen and EllenStarr who we hope will be very happy with ushere at St. Joseph’s. We also welcomeCanon John Stapleton and Fr Victor Cookwho have taken up residence within ourcomplex of sheltered flats – their presenceenriches our liturgical life and brings manyblessings. Maureen, one of our volunteers,has returned from Sri Lanka and it is lovely tohave her gentle presence around us again.

Christmas was celebrated with aplombfeaturing a full round of spiritual andtemporal events. Mass was concelebratedby 4 priests. The residents expressed theirgratitude through the forum of their monthlyresidents meeting acknowledging that it“was a dignified and enjoyable affair,thoroughly enjoyed by all”. Together withvisits from St Mary’s School carol singers,residents enjoyed a festive afternoon at StPhilip Howard School as well as visitingpantomime and the nativity play at the localprimary school. With a full programme ofspiritual events including a day ofrecollection led by Canon Dennis, the truemeaning of Christmas was very muchpresent.

The residents have enjoyed a selection of

outings, including lunch at Siddlesham andBosham Sailing Club and afternoon teaoutings to West Dean and DenmansGardens. Art appreciation was the key atChichester’s Pallant Gallery, all discussedover tea and cake in the Gallery Restaurant!Music has been a longstanding interest forour residents and this season has seenperformances on trumpets, guitars, voices,mandolins and banjos, to name but a few ofthe concerts experienced at St Joseph’s.

In early February the Juniorate meetingwas held here and it was good to see somany Sisters. Selvi has received her NVQ4while Dinesha and Wendy are continuingtheir NVQ2 studies. Now Selvi together withPriyanga is studying for a nutritionqualification, while Delsiya is attending acourse to become a reflexologist. All thesequalifications add to a repertoire of careafforded to our residents.

At the time of writing we are progressinggently through Lent reflecting and preparingfor Easter and the season of Eastertide. Wewish you every blessing for this period of theChurch’s year.

6

An outing to Bosham from St Joseph’s.

ST JOSEPH’SST JOSEPH’SBOGNOR REGISBOGNOR REGIS

7

MollyHi friends. How goes it with you all? I’m in

topping form. I go for walkies at 6am everymorning to keep my figure in trim. You seeI’ve put a bit of weight on (not my fault) so Iam on a strict diet. Mind you I had gorgeousIrish stew on St Patrick’s Day, oh it wasyummmmmmmmmmy!!! There was an Irishconcert in the afternoon and yeah, I howledand hollered as good as the rest of them,why not?

Guess what? She cleared off to Africa andnever took me with her. She could havedone you know. You CAN take animals onflights. So I gave careful consideration tothe matter and thought to meself – right waittill you get back, I’ll show you, you can’t pullthe wool over my eyes, no sir! I’m noafterthought! So when she was due back Iwas taken in the car to Gatwick Airport. Ihave to go anyway because I have tonavigate. It’s OK for them to go aroundBognor but Gatwick is a different kettle offish. God only knows where they’d end up.Anyway when she arrived (I saw herapproaching out of the corner of my eye)and I put my plan into action – no way was Igoing to be all over her – play it cool man!Oh boy she got an awful letdown and pettedand patted me to try to warm the cockles ofmy heart. In the end, I couldn’t resist her,she’s a smasher really and it was just greathaving her home again and I leapt up on herand licked her cheek. In the car, I cuddledup on her lap and lapped up all the attentionshe gave me. She was awfully caring and Iwas most awfully grateful. You see, Bognorhas royal connections and I’m the Duchessof Bognor!! Honest, did you not know that?Well I am, so watch it in future mate –remember your place and who you’re talkingto. It’s been awfully nice talking to you,thanks for your time.

Your darling Molly.

Hello to everyone from all at More HallConvent. Already, Christmas has gone

and Lent is upon us, and by the time you arereading this, we will be celebrating theEaster Season! Fr George, a Redemptoristpriest from Kerala, India, spent Christmaswith us so we were able to have the entireChristmas liturgy. Our grateful thanks to him.Happily all our building work is completeand the rooms are much improved. We werevery sad to say goodbye to Eileen andMairead, who both moved into nursinghomes recently. They will remain in ourthoughts and love. Three ladies have joinedus: Joan, Mary Margaret, and Astrid, whocomes from Armenia and who grew up inJerusalem. We are still hoping to find aChaplain. Fr Peter, Chaplain to theBernardine Sisters at Brownshill, has beenso good to us, saying our Sunday Mass, andanother Mass during the week whenever hecan. At present, Fr Bruno, who lives as ahermit, is staying with us, so we have thedelight of daily Mass once again. We arelonging for the weather to be warm enoughto sit outside in our lovely garden, it hasbeen a long, cold winter, with plenty of snowand ice.

MOREMORE HALLHALL CONVENTCONVENTRANDWICK, STROUDRANDWICK, STROUD

In the snow at More Hall.

The Friends of More Hall are arranging acanal boat trip for us in May, it is somethingwe all enjoy, down the Gloucestershirecanals. Some of The Friends are alsoarranging an Easter Bonnet Parade for us,we are hoping the sisters too will dress up!We love anything musical, especially theweekly musical afternoon with Maureen. Itseems to help everyone, especially those ofus with the worst memories! Several groupsare coming during the next few weeks to domusic with us.

Some of you may know Carina, who usedto help at St Mary’s House and who hasjoined us at More Hall; we also welcomedSara, a new night care assistant, to the team. We are happy not to have had to say goodbye to any of our sisters during the last few months, though we understandthat sometimes it is necessary. Our thanks always to Sr Kathy, for her visits to us and all her support. It was good towelcome Sr Benedicta, who came with her in March.

As I type this letter we are at last havingsome beautiful spring weather, all the

blossoms and spring flowers are in fullbloom.

Now we have just finished all our Eastercelebrations and how very special they werethis year. We were so blessed to be joinedby Srs Kathy, Carmel and Jenette, all thesisters agreed that having the sisters with usmade this Easter so special.

As usual our dear Fr Paul celebrated theEaster Masses, they were very beautiful andspiritual. The Vigil Mass was especiallybeautiful, although not many people came.After the Mass the Sisters gaverefreshments, it was a very happy occasion.Our Sunday Mass was packed and it was

lovely to see so many young families andchildren.

Easter lunch was also a very happyoccasion, there was a unanimous "Brilliant"from the residents, the food was wonderfuland they all enjoyed the Easter eggs.

Sadly one of our much loved residentspassed away on Holy Saturday. Our heartfeltcondolences go to her family members.

Since Christmas we have refurbished thePostinia, the carpets and curtains have beenchanged, and it is all looking very nice. Wehave also replaced the windows in two of theresidents’ rooms, it has made the roomsbright and cheerful, and the residents aredelighted. The kitchen also has a newwindow.

We now have a lovely conservatory, it willbe used by our residents and also forreceiving visitors.

The Sisters are doing a computer course, aTutor is coming once a week from the WestSuffolk College, all are enjoying the courseand are doing very well, they have justpassed their first exam. Srs Flora and Jincycontinue to be busy with their NVQ’s.

We are delighted to welcome two newresidents Bridget Dickinson and Dora Long,they have both settled quickly and happilyinto their new routines.

In February our very dear Sr Thaya had bythe grace of God a successful operation,

8

Montana sisters and staff.

MONTMONTANA ANA GREAGREAT BART BARTONTON

9

she is now fully recovered and thankseveryone from the bottom of her heart for alltheir prayers, good wishes and flowers. AMass has been said for everyone.

Our love and good wishes to you all, andwe hope that you all enjoy a goodsummer….God willing we will have one!..

Here in East Anglia, we (like most of thecountry) have endured a long and cold

winter. This has been reflected in increasedfuel bills which are a worry for the retiredpopulation. Mercifully we had no falls oraccidents here in spite of weeks of snow andice. Everything in the garden is verybackward and although we have passed StDavid’s Day there are no signs of daffodils.We do have a dazzling display of snowdropsand aconites to boost our spirits.

Oakampton House has benefitted fromsome major interior decoration. Lightreflecting paint has been used and the darkcorners of the entrance hall are so muchmore cheerful. With extra lighting, neededas a health and safety issue, the house isnow extremely smart.

Everyone was alerted at the beginning ofwinter to the dreadful threat of swine flu andit is a relief that this seems to have been afalse alarm. We have only had the usualcoughs and colds and no major illnesses.

One lady had unexpected and majorsurgery and has recovered in record timeand she is quite sure it is greatly due to theprayers of the many people here and abroadthat made her recovery so amazing.

A resident recently saw 10 hares “boxing”in a field nearby and although we are still inthe reflective time of Lent we are alreadypractising hymns for the blessed time ofEaster, so we can really feel spring is on theway.

From here in rural but chilly Suffolk we sendyou all our best wishes for a warm andpleasant spring and summer.

As Easter time approaches we takepleasure in greeting once again all the

Houses and those concerned in any waywith the Benedictine Sisters of Grace andCompassion. With their dedicated work,both abroad and here in England we hopethis continues to be of great benefit to manypeople.

Padua House, resting as it does near thetop of the South Downs, received a greatdeal more snow in the early winter monthsthan is usual. Normally only lasting a nightor two, there were two separate periods - justbefore and soon after Christmas - where allresidents were literally snowed in. No busesor taxis would attempt climbing the hill fromany direction and many cars in the roadbeyond the driveway were parked in strangepositions, abandoned, having slid perilouslyclose to damaging other vehicles.

With much effort a pathway was cleared forcars to negotiate Padua's sloping drivewayfor those needing to be away overChristmas. Parked overnight in the road, itwas a strange sight indeed to witnessluggage being wheel- barrowed safely upthe hill over ice, slush and snow the followingday!

After New Year the heaviest falls occurred,lasting long enough for many to start runningout of items of food. Some hardy ones set offin deep snow to trudge their way to thenearest food store - only to find very limitedsupplies due to panic buying and the factthat delivery trucks were unable to getanywhere near. It was exciting if anyone hadmanaged to get a bag of potatoes, a feweggs or some fresh veg. to share out -

PPADUA HOUSEADUA HOUSEBRIGHTONBRIGHTON

OAKAMPTON HOUSEOAKAMPTON HOUSE

10

almost reminiscent of war years.Though soon forgotten once the thaw set

in, in retrospect it seems worthwhile to pauseand reflect on the sense of real unity thiswinter event brought to us. Also of value isthe thought of how truly fortunate we are, inEngland at least, to witness the vast choiceof quality food normally available to us. Somany things in a civilised environment thatwe just take for granted. Many homes werewithout power during that very cold time -again we were most fortunate to haveavoided this great added discomfort.

Our Christmas lunch was once again avery happy event - a note has been made totake a camera next time - we were stillrecognisable under our silly hats!

The garden shows glorious evidence thatspring has arrived and the voice of songbirds busy proclaiming their territory isalways proof that nature is on course toensure that all things shall have their season.

Our little cockatiel died on the last day ofNovember. He had been a joy to us fornearly 4 years, having needed a new homeat age 27. It was only a brief illness, verylikely old age and a really kind lady vet

visited to do what she could for him but itwas not to be. Only in his last few weeks didwe discover that he was very much takenwith Rock 'n Roll music - an era from ourdistant past. Spontaneously one morningwhile entertaining him I started a bar or twoof 'Rock Around the Clock Tonight' and did asmall dance with arms making little circles.His response was amazing andinstantaneous. Running back and forthalong his top perch and jigging up anddown on reaching either end he did not stopuntil I did. It was a joy to see his happinessand a most beautiful memory to cherish.

Greetings from Glebeside and bestwishes for 2010. Prior to Christmas we

had tea together in our flat which of courseincluded mince pies. It was an enjoyableoccasion.

January can be an uncertain monthweather-wise. One morning when we drewback the curtains the lawn was covered indeep fluffy snow. It was beautiful to look at,many people took advantage of it, adultshad fun and young people enjoyed throwingsnowballs at everyone. It was a wonderfulweek.

Now that the New Year is well underway thegarden is waking up. Snowdrops, crocusesand daffodils are popping up everywhere.The birds are now active soon after dawnand before dusk with their wonderful birdsong.

Recently one of our residents took a shortbreak. Her holiday included a visit to Brugeswhich she enjoyed very much.

We now look forward to a joyful Easter andto lighter evenings. Later this year we hopeto enjoy a long spell of glorious sunshine.

We send our good wishes to the Sistersand residents of all other houses.

GLEBESIDEGLEBESIDEBEXHILLBEXHILL

MASS STIPENDS

A Carmelite priest in South India is appealing

for Mass stipends.

Please write directly to:Fr Raymond OCD

Carmel Theological CollegeEdamalaipatti Pudur

Trichy 620 012Tamil Nadu

SOUTH INDIA

Greetings from Melville Priory, Sri Lanka.

We thank almighty God for His countlessgraces and blessings towards us. The 8thDecember 2009 was a memorable day forall Sri Lankan Sisters as our Melville Conventofficially became a Priory and our superiorSr Heloise was appointed the first Prioress.The installation and the Eucharisticcelebration took place at the Communitylevel and Bishop Cletus Perera OSB was themain celebrant.

We are glad to have Sr Heloise as ourPrioress. All in all it was a great day for all ofus. On this special occasion another eventalso took place. It was the laying of the

foundation stone for our new chapel. HisLordship Bishop Cletus blessed and laid thefoundation stone.

On 12th December Sr Jena made her firstprofession. Fr Xystus officiated at theEucharistic celebration. Sr Jena’s familymembers were present on this specialoccasion. It was a joy to see anothermember added to the community.

Christmas entertainments with carols andplays for our residents were presented bythe schoolchildren from Korelawella and byour staff. All the sisters got together andmade the crib in a very creative way anddecorated the house. Fr Wulstan, ourchaplain celebrated the Christmas Mass.On 28th December our sisters from Ja-Elaand Chilaw came to Melville for theChristmas get together. We had games andplays. All received prizes and gifts. It was awonderful Christmas for us all.

We were happy to welcome our PrioressGeneral Sr Kathy in the month of January.

11

SRI LANKA

MELMELVILLEVILLE

Blessing of foundation stone for Melville’s new chapel.

12

Sr Metilda in India.

Sr Heloise in Sri Lanka.

Installation of our Two New Prioresses

Sr Carol with her family,after her Final Professionat Mundika.

Sr Jena’s First Professionat Melville.

Initiation of 10 newNovices at Mundika.

13

14

place at Melville. We wish Sr Heloise, ourfirst Prioress, well in her future endeavour. Inaddition to that some of our Sisters went toshare in Sr Jena’s first profession in the newPriory. It was an enjoyable get together.

Srs Lakmali and Surini finished theformation course at Aquinas Institute inDecember after the busy schedule and finalthesis. They gained the knowledge as wellas inspiration in their lives. At the farewellceremony Sr Heloise and Sr Wasanthi joinedto wish them well.

At Christmas the community midnight Masswas celebrated by Fr Felix and followed bygiving presents to the residents and goodwishes for Christmas. Sr Heloise invited usfor a Christmas get together and it was anenjoyable day for all of us. On the same daySr Vijaya attended the first council meetingat Melville Priory. Sr Vijaya takes thisopportunity to say a grateful thanks toeveryone who cared for her and prayed forher recovery.

The New Year 2010 started withassessments for the juniors with our Prioresson 2nd January. On 11th January Sr Kathycame to visit us and stayed for a few days.We also welcomed Sr Metilda for a shortvisit. We wish her the best of luck as the newPrioress in India.

Sr Dilrukshi spent her holiday with us as hermother is living here. Soon after Sr Kathy leftwe started to arrange the postulants’quarters with new beds and curtains. SrHeloise helped us with maintenance. Weare very grateful to her in every way.

Within a short period of time we were sadto say goodbye to four of our Sisters. SrMaryanne moved to Melville Priory inDecember. We wish her good health andthe best of luck. Sr Winifreeda left to studyin India. Sr Mercy left for Villa Maria and SrLakmali went to Melville Priory. Heartfeltthanks to them for their service while here atSt Joan’s and we wish them luck for thefuture. We welcomed Sr Wasanthi and

She visited us at Melville and our otherhouses, Ja-Ela and Chilaw. Her presencegave us much joy and encouragement.

We welcome Srs Maryanne and Lakmali toour community at Melville. We wish to offerour prayers for Sr Wasanthi who has takenup residence at the Ja-Ela convent. We arehappy to have Sr Rose from India. She isalready one of us and has settled down well.

Srs Nilusha and Jena went for a recruitmentprogramme to Batticaloa. We hope to getsome response in the near future. On 8thMarch the first group had their communityretreat at Chilaw preached by Fr William, aCapuchin priest. His talks were quiteenriching and spiritual nourishment for theSisters. This retreat also enabled them tospend more time with our Lord. Thecommunity at Villa Maria, Chilaw was veryhospitable. The quiet and calm atmospherehelped the Sisters to experience peace andserenity.

Sr Nilusha went to help Fr Cyril Perera in hisDiocesan programme for the students ofEnglish language. Srs Latha and Lakmalihad their 5 days preparation for their finalvows in the Priory. This was conducted by FrXystus.

The blessing of new quarters for the elderlySisters was done by Fr Wulstan on 30thMarch. All the Sisters were there to help theelderly Sisters to start their new residence, aplace of tranquillity.

We hope all our readers had a “HappyEaster”. May the risen Lord fill you all withhis love and peace.

We were delighted to be having a Prioryin Sri Lanka. We welcomed Sr

Heloise and Sr Vijaya at the airport after thechapter. On 8th December we allparticipated in this significant event that took

ST JOAN’S CONVENTST JOAN’S CONVENTJA-ELAJA-ELA

15

VILLA MARIAVILLA MARIACHILACHILAWW

Krishanthi, a postulant to our community.We wish Sr Lourdes well as Postulantmistress.

During the season of Lent, apart from ourLenten observance, Sr Scholastica and SrLourdes participated in the Way of the Crossat the Parish, conducted by Fr Gregory. Inaddition Sisters went to see the relic of StAnthony at Liyanagemulla next to our parish.It was a memorable day for all of us.

It was sad when Mrs Mugera diedpeacefully at home and the Sisters went toher Requiem Mass at Kanuwana. Two of ourresidents also moved to other houses, one toher daughter’s house. We miss them dearly.

May the risen Christ reign in your heartalways.

Greetings to our friends.

We were delighted to hear theannouncement of our first Prioress, Rev. SrHeloise de Silva. All three communities werepresent to welcome her at the airport on herarrival to Sri Lanka and the installationceremony was held on 8th December atMelville Priory.

As we moved into the Advent season,Rev.Fr Peter Charles nourished us spirituallyand he stressed the point that our presenceshould be a message of love. The belovedaunt of Sr Damayanthi passed away after ashort illness and we paid our last respects toher. May her soul rest in peace!

Our Sisters participated at the Christmasget together organised by the Bishop ofChilaw for the religious. The 2009 Christmasparty was a memorable one since for the firsttime we were able to contribute along withthe residents and staff. We enjoyedproviding entertainment.

We had the community get together at

Melville Priory in which three communitiesjoined together to share our Christmas joy.We are happy to welcome Miss Vinitia deSilva and Miss Manel Vincent who joined usat the end of the year.

The year 2010 was started with midnightMass on 31st December preceded byBenediction. Srs Kanita and Damayanthiwent to Melville Priory for 5 days for theirpreparation for renewal of vows. Withgratitude we remember Sr Nilusha whocame to help us in their absence. Also wewere happy to welcome Srs Dilrukshi andMercy to our community.

We have recently had another addition toour house Miss Priyani Jayawardena. Weare happy to have her with us. She hashelped the junior Sisters with their studiesand music. We are in the process ofimproving and enriching our liturgy. Wethank all our residents who are helping us invarious ways especially in maintaining thegarden.

We very much appreciate the helping handof Rev. Fr William Andradi – the Franciscannovice master who provides us with spiritualnourishment and also for getting theFranciscan novices to help us with ourbanana plantation. Also we are thankful toour Prioress General Sr Kathy Yeeles forvisiting us and also Rev Fr XystusKurukulasuriya who during his short visittook some time to encourage us in ourmission.

We celebrated Independence Day on 4thFebruary with Holy Mass and the hoisting ofthe national flag was done by Rev Fr CyrilJohn Fernando, our chaplain who celebratesour daily Mass.

The first group of our Sisters made theirretreat at Villa Maria from the 8th to 12thMarch. We were happy to be away from ourday to day activities and had the opportunityto be with the Lord in which we were able tohave a good spiritual experience under theguidance and inspiration of Fr William

16

Andradi, our preacher.The sacred relic of St Anthony of Padua

was launched to St Anthony’s Shrine atKottapitiya Chilaw on the 15th March and wehad the opportunity to venerate the relic.

Rev Fr Jude Algama who is famous forconducting healing services visited ourhome as requested by one of our residentsMiss Vinitia de Silva. He conducted ahealing service during which he blessedeach one individually.

As we approach Easter we praise andthank God for all the blessings He hasshowered upon us. We entrust ourselves toHis loving care and guidance, without whichwe cannot exist.

We wish you a happy and holy Easter.

The Community at Grace andCompassion Priory is a fairly big one

consisting of 15 Finally Professed Sisters, 7Junior Sisters and two Postulants. Sr. MetildaGeorge was installed as the new Prioress ofthe Indian Communities in the presence ofSr. Kathy, our Prioress General, in a simpleprayerful ceremony on 8th of December2009. Sisters from all the communities inIndia were present. The new Prioress hasexhorted the members that our busyactivities should not make us lose our focusto deepen our faith and live our monastic lifein accordance with the Rule of St Benedict.As we extend a warm welcome to our newPrioress and assure her of all our supportand prayers, it is also time to gratefullyremember Sr.Inigo, our former Prioress whois currently on a study leave, for all heraccomplishments and services during the

last 16 years.Amongst the various transfers which took

place in recent times, Sr.Amala has takencharge as Superior at Tiruvannamalai on 9thFebruary; also the Formation Personnel –Sr.Molly, Junior Mistress, Sr.Seena, NoviceMistress and Sr.Rakkini, Postulant Mistress.

We are happy to welcome Sr. Winifreedafrom Sri Lanka who has come to stay with usfor a few months and will attend a renewalcourse at Dyanasadana, Mysore. We hopeshe will enjoy her stay here with us. Some ofthe sisters who were doing both secular andreligious studies have successfullycompleted their courses and have returnedto their respective communities.

It was a very sad moment when we badefarewell to Sr. Rose who went on a transfer toMelville Community, Sri Lanka in the secondweek of February. The Sisters who attendedthe farewell ceremony fondly rememberedher for her very helpful nature to others intimes of need and her service as theSuperior and Bursar at Grace andCompassion Priory.

There has been a string of activitieshappening over here: in the second week ofJanuary, five of our Sisters attended a fiveday Catechetical Course at Tindivanam. Thecourse highlighted the importance ofimparting catechetical education in themodern times using the latestcommunication tools and methods.

The Junior Sisters who participated in theannual retreat expressed their view abouttheir experience which was very enrichingand enlightening. It was altogether adifferent experience as it was the first timewherein the juniors had an exclusive retreatalong with their Junior Mistress, Sr. Molly.

There was a ‘Prayer Workshop’ for twodays by a Jesuit priest during the third weekof March. The workshop had practicalsessions which made it very interesting andthe Sisters who attended found it verybeneficial.

INDIA

GRACE & COMPGRACE & COMPASSIONASSIONPRIORPRIORYY TIRUVTIRUVANNAMALAIANNAMALAI

17

In our Old Age Home, there are altogether60 residents some of whom need constantnursing care. The Nursing Students fromAdaiyur gave a Christmas programme. InJanuary, the Lions Club conducted a freeEye Camp for our residents and some ofthem received new spectacles. As in thepast, we see now and then some generousindividuals sponsoring a meal or snacks forthe residents.

At present, about 50 children attend theLittle Flower Crèche. Two generous donorssponsored new dresses for all our childrenfor Christmas. Mr. Pitchandi, a local M.P paida visit to our Crèche on his birthday andprovided the children with Uniform Dresses.From the local Primary Health Centre adoctor and a nurse carried out immunizationprogramme for Japanese encephalitis /brain fever. The children also had poliodrops as part of the polio drive. In Februaryannual Sports Day and Outing took place.Ajith Kumar a child in our Crèche has a

speech impediment from his childhood. Hecomes from a very poor background; hisparents are employed as washer men in ourHospital. His parents are not able to afford totake him to see the Specialist. So, wearranged to take him to Chennai to be seenby the Specialist and hopefully he willimprove his speech and be able to startschooling in the future.

Our Arts and Crafts Centre has beengranted a Government Scheme for Tailoringand Computer training. Through theTamilnadu Government Women’s WelfareScheme, 30 girls are sponsored to undergotraining in tailoring; another 20 girls taketraining by paying course fee. After thetraining, they will learn further about fashiondesigning through machine embroidery.Through Government Youth Skill Training,there are 10 boys and 20 girls learningComputer and another 10 girls are learningComputer under the paid scheme. Thesestudents also go for Typing classes

Medical camp in village near TV Malai.

18

simultaneously in order to pick up the speedin keying a Computer. It also helps them totake government exam in typing. Our fibersection is doing well and there is greatdemand for its products. Fiber articles aresent to our sales outlets, one being theVictoria Training Institute and the other, PhilipAssociates in Chennai. Sr. Rachel has takencharge of Craft Centre at the end ofFebruary.

The work on the compound wall around thefarm and field has been completed.Recently we have harvested paddy, peanutsand banana. We have sowed ragi andvegetables. It is good to see the cows andthe calves, pigs, goats and the kidsincreasing in numbers and thriving well.

In the hospital, we have had somerenovation work as there was a need to builda compound wall in front of the hospital andfloor the ground with boulder stone slabs.Altogether it gives a new look to our hospital.

The first batch of Nursing Studentscompleted their training and has joined ourhospital for six months Internship. Some newdoctors and staff also have joined us.

Sr. Arokiamary who was with us for a yearhas moved to Our Lady of Light, Bangalore.We wish her the very best in all that she willdo in caring for the Elderly. We welcome Sr.Loyola and Sr. Francisca to our hospital.

Two of our Staff Nurses went to St. John’sMedical College and Hospital, Bangalore toattend Emergency Course for a day. On 13thMarch we had In-service programme fromJohnson & Johnson Company on how tohandle suture material, sterilization, etc. Fiftyof our staff attended it.

One of the Pharmaceutical Company hasdonated ‘Aqua machine’ for our patients toenjoy cold purified water. We are tied up withthe State Government under healthinsurance scheme to help those belowpoverty line to take various surgeries. So far100 surgeries have been conducted. It is acredit to our hospital that we were

considered eligible to have this scheme inour hospital for Tiruvannamalai town.

On 11th March we conducted a freeMedical Camp at a nearby village. Wecelebrated World Sick Day on 15th March.Fr. Ambrose, our assistant Parish Priestconducted a prayer service for the sick andblessed them. On 21st March we had alarge scale medical camp in our hospitalpremises in which around 1650 patientsattended and medicines and tonic weregiven freely.

We try to make Cardiology and Nephrologyas our specialty units. A part timecardiologist will be appointed soon. Inaddition, a visiting cardiologist from Chennaiwill attend our Clinic twice a month from the10th of April. The Dialysis Unit is doing well.

We thank all those who are helping us tobuild up a just and humane society. Weassure our prayers to all our benefactors. Wewish you all a very Happy Easter.

Since the last newsletter quite a fewchanges have taken place. First of all a

few of our Sisters have transferred todifferent houses in India. Secondly a few oldstaff have left and four new residents havejoined the house. Together with residents,staff, children and Sisters we enjoyed theseason of Christmas with varieties ofentertainments performed by children fromSt Benedict’s School, Capuchin Brother fromDeena Seva Theologate and our staff andSisters.

Now we are in the holy season of Lent,preparing ourselves to celebrate the Easterfestival with great joy and peace. During thisseason as some of our Sisters in our conventare transferring to different houses, inparticular we would like to extend our thanksto our Sisters Patrice, Prema and Emily for

OUR LADY OF LIGHTOUR LADY OF LIGHTBANGALOREBANGALORE

the long dedicated service to our communityand wish them peace and joy. May ourLord’s kindness and goodness be with themand guide them. Likewise with joy andgoodness, we welcome our new communitymembers Sisters Arokiamary, Shoba andSeena to our community and wish thempeace and joy in their ministry.

We take this opportunity to congratulateour newly appointed Prioress Sr Metilda whohas been visiting us often and getting toknow all the Sisters, staff and residents.

On 7th December 2009, the meeting of allthe major Superiors of the BenedictineCongregations was held in our conventwhich was marked by a fellowship meal withthe participants and was a memorable eventfor the community.

The summer is in already and the residentsare acclimatising once more to theexcessive heat by mostly staying indoorsand doing some physical exercises. Whilewe fear the heat the farm work does not stop.The community and the residents benefitfrom a good harvest of vegetables and fruit.The dairy farm is thriving with six femalecalves and yielding a good amount of milk.The credit goes to Sr Jancy and her team fortheir hard work.

It is the first time for us to have all the juniorprofessed Sisters coming together to bespiritually nourished by an annual preachedretreat by Rev Fr Benny Koottanal msfs,which is taking place in Our Lady of Lightand we hope it will be a successful one andbeneficent to the Sisters. We wish themGod’s blessings in abundance. Of coursethis has also made the community andresidents observe silence to enable theSisters to have a prayerful atmosphere.

To update the information on the studentnursing Sisters a wonderful Lamp Lightingceremony took place for them on the 18thFebruary 2010 at SJB College of Nursingwhich will go down in their memories as anauspicious moment in every nurse’s

vocational life. This ceremony initiates thestudents into the noble profession ofnursing.

May the peace of the Risen Lord be withyou at Easter.

Greetings from House of Peace.

At the start of this year’s first Newsletter wewish and pray for God’s manifold blessingson all the readers of this magazine. Timeflies and we are in the season of Lent.

As usual now that the dry season hasstarted Yercaud is experiencing a shortageof water. We have our regular visitors comingfor get together- meetings, prayers andholidays. In December, we had a gettogether of the Yercaud Religious Forum;there were 60 members from the religiouscommunities. It was wonderful to see somany religious for this gathering. We had aday visit from the Benedictine brothers andfathers from India and Sri Lanka. We get notonly guests, religious from our country, butwe get guests from far away …. As far asfrom America who arrived for a day visit toYercaud.

We have had some comings and goings;we wish sisters Auxilia, Rachel and Shobamany blessings as they move to theirrespective communities. At the same timewe welcomed Srs Amali, Jimsy and Patriceto our community. Srs Marguerite andPatrice have been supervising the nightschool in our neighbouring house at HolyCross Convent; also our sisters are going forhouse visiting to our neighbouring villages.On 8th March, we had a special Eucharisticcelebration commemorating the death of ourFoundress Mother Mary Garson, and wegave almsgiving to Yercaud Anbu IllamResidents, staff and Crèche Children.

19

HOUSE OF PEACEHOUSE OF PEACEYERCAUDYERCAUD

20

It was wonderful to see Sr. Kathy as sheinstalled the new Prioress Sr. Metilda at TVMalai on 8th December. It was a happygathering to witness as Sr. Metilda took thevows to be a leader of the IndianCommunities.

Let us pray for one another and we wishyou all a very happy Eastertide.

Greetings to you from St Scholastica's.We thank God and each one of you for

the abundant blessings and the support weexperience each minute of our lives,especially we thank God for protecting usfrom extreme drought which badly affects inmost part of Kerala.

As usual Easter was a joyful time. For theEaster Vigil we all went to St.Joseph'sMonastery. On Easter Sunday Father PriorVincent Korandiyarkunnel kindly came tocelebrate Mass for the residents. We are sohappy to welcome Srs. Joseline, Matheleneand Merlin to our community and of coursewe are so sad to say good bye to Srs.Molly,Seena, Francisca and Santhuse. They aregreatly missed. We wish them well to carryout their given responsibilities.

Our garden looks so beautiful withmulticoloured roses. It is pleasant to admirecoffee blossoms which give out a distinctiveperfume and a beautiful snow white look.Despite the drought the garden producestomatoes, bringals, cucumbers, bittergourds, beans and so on.

All our residents are keeping well. Wehave no room to accommodate more andmany are in the waiting list. We are waitingto do some renovation in the hospitalbuilding to accommodate more bedriddenpatients. Village Medical Camps and otherreaching out programmes in progress. Allour Children had annual exams and have

gone on long holidays. We are lookingforward to the predicted monsoon and itscool atmosphere.

We send you our best wishes.

Greetings and best wishes from Adaiyur.

Community:Since the last news letter so much has

happened. The 13th December 2009 was avery joyful day, when our new St. Benedict'sChapel was blessed by Rev. Fr. A. C.Savarimuthu in the presence of Sr. Kathy ourPrioress General and we extend our sinceregratitude to all our participants.

We are delighted to welcome Sr. Premaand Sr. Fatima in to our little fold and we bidfarewell to Sr. Amali to Yercaud. Srs. Loyolaand Cynthia moved to T. V. Malai. We thankGod for all they did for the growth of thiscommunity and for the School. We ask Godto continue to bless them. On March 8th wemarked the day of our deceased MotherMary's third death anniversary in ourChapel, with almsgiving in honour of ourfoundress to the Sri Lankan families who livein the same village. The compound wall workis nearing its completion. The urgent need ismaintenance of the House to set up a properdrainage system and a new EB service to beinstalled, for the convent and for the Chapel.

Farm:We celebrated Pongal festival on 15th

January. Our assistant parish priest Fr.Ambrose blessed all the animals and farms,and then the Pongal was served andenjoyed. We had a good harvest of paddythis month; under the supervision of Sr.Fatima our farm is yielding good crops.Sister has planted different varieties ofbanana trees. Sr. Fatima so generously gives

ST BENEDICT’SST BENEDICT’SADAIYURADAIYUR

ST SCHOLASTICAST SCHOLASTICA’S’SCONVENT MAKKIYCONVENT MAKKIYADAD

21

us all fresh fruits such as papaya,banana,and gouva; also varieties of fresh vegetables- beans, pumpkin,brinjal,chillies,tomatoesand we also had a good harvest of tapioca,all of which we use for the community and forthe students. We also sell some of thevegetables and fruits to our neighbours. Oneof our goats delivered three female babygoats sadly, one of the baby goats died aftertwo days.

School:We take this opportunity to thank all those

who support us in all our activities and wishyou all a very happy Easter. Looking backover the past few months, there have beentimes of sadness and of joy. To begin a sadnote, one of our third year GNM studentsMiss. Sharmila passed away on 3rd Januaryat her home town. She comes from a RomanCatholic family, we have offered Mass andpray that her soul may rest in peace. She isgreatly missed by all of us. In the samemonth on 31st January we also had onemore incident one of our 2nd year GNMstudents met with an accident while crossingthe road, to attend the Sunday Mass afterfinishing her night duty in our Grace hospital.

She was knocked down by a governmentbus, sustained severe head injury,immediately she was taken to CMC hospitalVellore for an emergency treatment, andthen got admitted in our Grace hospital forfurther treatment, and now her health isgradually improving, with our expert doctors’visits and with physical therapy.

The painting of the wall has beencompleted at St. Benedict's School ofNursing. We held farewell party for the 1stbatch of the students who have completedtheir three years of training, it was sad to saygood bye to them. Our warmestcongratulations to all of them on successfullycompleting the GNM students’ board exam.

Christ will bless us abundantly.

As we write we are enjoying hot sunnyweather. Since our last newsletter

many events have taken place. On 10thFebruary it was a joyous day for us Sistersand Mundika complex as a whole. On thisparticular day we joined Sr Gabrielle inthanksgiving to God for 15 years ofdedicated service in Mundika. We hadMass at 11am in our chapel with fourteenpriests concelebrating and the VicarGeneral was the main celebrant. The chapelwas packed and some sat outside undertents. There were about 350 people. It wasa colourful day. There was giving of variousgifts not forgetting animals such as goatsand sheep. This was a clear picture that SrGabrielle was not only for the Sisters but shealso touched the lives of many people whomshe met during the time she was with ushere.

It was not long before the dreaded daydawned. This was on 2nd March. The daywas filled with silence and gloom as webade farewell to Sr Gabrielle. It was a daythat all remained still as we saw Sr Gabrielledisappearing through our gate. We recalledthe day of opening our convent when wewelcomed her to our community. SrGabrielle you are missed by many.

By God’s providence we have beenprivileged to have Sr Mary with us and wethought she was to stay longer butunfortunately it was a short visit. Anywayeven though it was a short visit wethoroughly enjoyed her company and welook forward to seeing her in the near future.

Our residents send you Easter greetings.

GRACE & COMPGRACE & COMPASSIONASSIONCONVENT MUNDIKACONVENT MUNDIKA

AFRICA

22

They are well and happy in the Lord. Theyenjoy the sunshine as they weave theirropes, mats and baskets. We are glad towelcome our new resident Teresa. She issettling in well.

Our tailoring project is doing well. Wemake chasubles, albs, clerical shirts, suits,habits etc. We have two tailors butunfortunately the demand is too high andsoon we will need a third tailor. We getorders from three dioceses i.e. Bungoma,Kakamega, and Kisumu. Recently wereceived a congratulation card from Brazilfor the nice chasuble we sold to one of themissionary priests in Brazil.

The farm is thriving in spite of the dry spell.We harvested soya beans and we arewaiting for rain so that we can plant maize.On 1st March one of our cows calved downa bull calf. We have plenty of milk and incase you are short of milk you are mostwelcome to share ours! We look forward toreceiving the rains shortly.

May God bless you all.

Greetings to all our dear friends.Although we are far from one another

we are together in spirit. The news from hereis that it has been very hot, green grass andtrees have turned brown.

People had been careful with every drop ofwater they were using and had been walkingaround looking where they could fetch waterto wash their clothes or for their animals todrink. We helped them with enough we hadfrom our ground tank and from the boreholeand there is still more for the house, wateringthe garden and also for the animals. So wesay a special thanks to all who helped us inany way to dig the ground tank.

We were pleased to have our PrioressGeneral Sr Kathy and Sr Mary with us. The

meaningful services during Lent give us a lotof inspiration to improve our spiritual life.Every Saturday is a day of prayers. Sisters,novices and two postulants here are doingwell, every Sunday afternoon we get achance to move in the villages and we talk tothe non-Christians. We teach catechism to awoman of 90 years of age. Just recently shewas baptised and now she receivescommunion.

A great day on March 19th 2010 for ourBishop Joseph Willigers is coming to visitour Irundu parish. We thank the Lord ourGod for keeping him faithfully to his serviceas Bishop of Jinja for many years. Now theHoly Father Pope Benedict XVI hasaccepted his retirement as Bishop and on2nd March appointed Bishop Charles MartinWamika to be the new Bishop of the Dioceseof Jinja. On 8th March 2010 it wascommemoration of our Mother Mary Garson.Immediately after Mass that day we hadexposition up to midday and Mother’s photowas put in front of the altar. In the eveningwe had a nice supper.

Thanks be to God for giving us anotherchance to have a new clinic. We thank all ourfriends from Worth Abbey parish andCynthia who has been working together withthe parish priest of Irundu to put up thebuildings. We welcome the nurses and otherhelpers. At least people are coming nearerrather than going to Kamuli, even weourselves.

Sr Stella completed her studies as ateacher and is now teaching in our school(St Benedict Nursery and Primary School).The number of pupils is increasing and wehave a primary three class. During breaktime we give them porridge and at lunchtimeP3s get their lunch from school. Parentsappreciate all that we are doing for theirchildren.

In the farm at present we get enough milkfrom our cows and we are busy preparingthe gardens for the next season, planning to

GRACE & COMPGRACE & COMPASSIONASSIONCONVENT IRUNDUCONVENT IRUNDU

23

Residents of our old people’s home, Mundika.

Spanish Holiday ApartmentHoliday apartment on the Costa Blanca at Javea

Third floor with lift. Sleeps six (one double, two twin bedrooms).Fully fitted kitchen and 2 bathrooms.

Apply to Grace & Compassion Benedictines, 57 Surrenden Road, Brighton, East Sussex BN1 6PQ

e-mail: osb@graceandcompassion.co.ukTel: 01273 502129

plant maize, water melon, vegetables andfruit. We have finished fencing the new landand the gate is already there which meanseverything we are planning to plant there willbe safe.

We have got ploughing cows. Theworkshop is doing well, many are coming fortraining and are eager to learn. Sr Helen is

happy with them and ready to train them.Some Sisters, novices and postulants arejoining in to learn how to do tailoring. Theyare making different fashions evenvestments, mappas and everything for thechurch is done there.

May you enjoy Easter and all of us wish youevery blessing and happiness.

PLEASE HELPThe Benedictine Sisters of

Our Lady of Grace & CompassionIn their work at home and abroad - by

1) Paying a subscription of £6 a year for Our Lady’s Newsletter q

2) Sending donations by Direct Debit or cheque payable to q“Grace and Compassion Benedictines”

3) If you are a taxpayer, Gift Aid will provide our Charity with a

tax refund. We will happily send you the requisite form q

4) Remembering us in your Will, please ask for details q

Donations to support our work should be sent to:Grace and Compassion Convent,

57 Surrenden Road,Brighton, BN1 6PQ

Tel No: 01273 502129 Email: osb@graceandcompassion.co.ukOur website is www.graceandcompassionbenedictines.org.uk

I enclose £.......................................... q Please tick if acknowledgement required

Name (Mr/Mrs/Miss) ......................................................................

Address..........................................................................................

... ....................................................................................................

..................................................Post Code ....................................

With our grateful thanks and our prayersReg. Charity No. 1056064

#

Spring 2010