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Notices

Job Vacancy: Companion (Dementia Support)

The House of Prayer in East Molesey are seeking a kind, patient, and compassionate individual to provide companionship and day-to-day support for an elderly Religious Sister living with dementia. This is a rewarding opportunity to make a meaningful difference in someone’s life by offering friendship, reassurance, and gentle assistance while respecting her dignity, faith, and lifelong vocation.

Hours: Part-time – 28 hours per week

‍Monday to Friday but may include some weekends, with the requirement to live-in for short periods as occasional night cover may be necessary. Opportunity for full-time live-in accommodation can be discussed.

‍Essential Qualities

  • A caring, patient, and empathetic nature.
  • Experience supporting older adults, particularly those living with dementia.
  • Excellent communication and interpersonal skills.
  • Reliability, discretion, and respect for confidentiality.
  • Ability to work flexibly and independently while collaborating with the wider support team.
  • Ability to prepare simple, nutritional meals.
  • Respect for the values, traditions, and spiritual life of a Religious Community.
  • Full driving licence (if transport is required).

‍ We Offer

  • A welcoming and supportive community and environment.
  • Opportunities for ongoing training and professional development.
  • The chance to build a meaningful relationship while supporting the dignity and quality of life of an elderly Religious Sister.
  • Competitive salary and benefits.

Safeguarding:
The successful applicant will be required to undergo appropriate pre-employment checks, including references and an enhanced DBS check.

If you are a compassionate person who values kindness, respect, and person-centred support we would be delighted to hear from you.

‍Returning your application

Completed application forms should be returned by: Friday 18 September, midday

‍E-mail your completed application form to:

Name: Kerryn Penson

‍E-mail : kerryn@christian-retreat.org

‍Further information

‍If you would like an informal discussion about the role before applying, please contact:

‍Name: Kerryn Penson

‍Telephone : 020 8941 2313

‍E-mail : kerryn@christian-retreat.org

‍Informal discussions can be arranged from the week beginning Monday 7 September.

‍Application documents:

Female applicants only – advertised in accordance with the Equality Act 2010 (Schedule 9, Part 1) as a genuine occupational qualification for the post.

‍ Location: East Molesey, KT8 0PB

Abbatial Requiem

On Sunday 22nd November 2026 at 7.15 pm at Worth Abbey, Worth Society will host a very special musical event at Worth Abbey in honour of the third Abbot of Worth, Fr Stephen Ortiger OSB.

We are delighted to present the première of Julian Gairdner’s new work, Abbatial Requiem, alongside a selection of other choral pieces performed by Vox Cordis and the Worthian Singers. This concert brings together musicians, alumni, friends of the Abbey, and members of the wider Worth community to celebrate Fr Stephen’s memory through the beauty of sacred music.

This concert will support The Fr Stephen Ortiger Bursary Fund and The Catholic Diocese of Arundel & Brighton Lourdes Pilgrimage

Tickets: £16.50, which include complimentary interval refreshments. https://www.tickettailor.com/events/abbatialrequiemconcert/2064698 

Pick your own Dahlias at Worth Abbey

The beautiful dahlia patch at Worth Abbey is now in full bloom and visitors are warmly invited to pick a small bunch of flowers to take home and enjoy.

If you would like to take some dahlias, please feel free to pick a few stems and leave a donation in the jam jar provided. All donations will help support the continued care and maintenance of the gardens.

We hope these colourful blooms bring a little joy and beauty to your home.

Pick Your Own Apples at Ampleforth

19th September 2026 11:00am – 3:00pm

Free – pay for the apples you pick

A rare opportunity to pick your own apples from our beautiful heritage orchard and learn how our famous Ampleforth Abbey apple juice and full juice cider are pressed in the Abbey’s own Cider Mill.

Also on Saturday 29 August, Saturdays 12 and 26 September and Saturdays 17, 24 and 31 October

Monastayers

I was thrilled to recently come across ‘Monastayers’ on instagram, so much of their work echoes our own here. I wanted to share it with you here in case it is of interest.

Most people have never considered staying in a monastery — not because they wouldn’t want to, but because nobody told them they could.

Monastayers exist to bridge that gap. To connect young adults with Benedictine, Trappist, and Cistercian communities across the U.K. and Ireland — not as tourists, but as temporary members of the community.

You work alongside the monks and nuns. You eat with them. You follow their rhythm. And in doing so, something new begins.

Monastayers was started by a small team who visited Worth Abbey and came back different people: more centred, more open, more loving to themselves and to the world. We’re not monks or nuns — but we think what they have is worth sharing.

You can find out more about them here.

Abbot Robert Igo OSB elected EBC Abbot President

The English Benediction Congregation (EBC) yesterday (8 July) elected Abbot Robert Igo OSB, Abbot of Ampleforth Abbey, as Abbot President in succession to Abbot Christopher Jamison. The election took place at Kylemore Abbey, Connemara, County Galway, during the Congregation’s 100th General Chapter.

Abbot Robert Igo has been Abbot of Ampleforth Abbey since January 2021, and he will continue in that role while he also serves his four-year term of office as Abbot President. He had joined the monastic community at Ampleforth in August 1988. From 1996 until his election as abbot, he was a member of the small community of Ampleforth monks at the Monastery of Christ the Word in Macheke, Zimbabwe. He was Prior of that community from 2005-2021.

The General Chapter is a four-yearly gathering of the superiors and delegates of the English Benedictine communities around the world, along with the officials of the congregation.

The agenda for the Kylemore Abbey meeting also comprised reflections and discussions on a number of topics, including Vocation and Initial and Continuing Formation.

Please pray for Abbot Robert and the monastic community as he takes on this new role as Abbot President and continues to serve as Abbot of Ampleforth Abbey.

St Benedict Week 2026



11-19 July 2026

Since 2023 The Lay Community of St Benedict (LCSB) have been organising a celebration of St Benedict, known as St Benedict Week, to coincide with his 11 July feast.

Our week of celebrations this year will consist of online talks, podcasts, blogs, in-person Community gatherings, and, excitingly this year, two study days in Norwich, and anyone is welcome to join us for our online daily Offices during St Benedict Week. We’re also happy to share other information about Benedictine celebrations during this time, and if you’re interested in praying with a Benedictine community, take a look here.

Worth Abbey Welcomes New Interns

From Worth Abbey in Sussex

We are delighted to welcome our current group of interns, whose presence enriches our community. We are grateful to them for joining us. Speaking about their time here, one intern beautifully described the experience as ‘a peace the world cannot offer.’

Worth Abbey will run one programme in 2027; this will be from Monday 5th July to Friday 27th August. If you, or someone you know, is interested in joining the monastic internship, please visit worthabbey.net/interns/ for more information.

Public Talk at St Augustine’s explores Britain’s Poets Laureate

St Augustine’s Abbey, Chilworth near Guildford will host a special public talk this September exploring the lives, works and enduring influence of Britain’s Poets Laureate.

The Laurel and the Lantern: A Reflective Journey Through Britain’s Poets Laureate will examine how writers from Wordsworth and Tennyson to Betjeman, Ted Hughes, Carol Ann Duffy and Simon Armitage have captured the spirit, struggles, beauty and aspirations of their age.

Presented by Rt Rev Dom Paulinus Greenwood OSB, Dr Jo Russell and Sheila Longman, the evening will combine poetry, literary insight and reflection in the peaceful surroundings of the Benedictine monastery’s Assisi Room.

The talk takes place on Friday 18 September 2026, 7.30pm–9pm, at St Augustine’s Abbey, Chilworth, Guildford, Surrey GU4 8QR.

Advance booking is essential. Tickets are available via www.TicketSource.com by searching “Chilworth Abbey” or at:

https://www.ticketsource.com/st-augustines-abbey-chilworth

Early bird tickets are available until 4 September at £12 per person or £10 each for groups of three. A small booking fee applies. All proceeds support the monastery.

The Oxford Well

We live in a world shaped by speed, productivity, and constant connection. Yet many of us carry a deeper longing beneath the surface: a desire for space – to pause, to listen, and to connect with what truly matters.

The Oxford Well exists to meet that longing.

Whether you are seeking the shared experience of a group retreat or more personal one-to-one accompaniment: we offer spaces shaped with care, attentiveness, and depth.

Rooted in the Christian contemplative tradition, The Oxford Well is open to people of faith, people who doubt, and those seeking. Together, we listen for the signs of God – the sacred – that lead us towards life and wholeness.

Our day retreats are for small groups of 6-8 people in a welcoming, “home-from-home” setting

PILGRIMAGES

Our pilgrimages take place in and around Oxford, drawing on the ancient Christian tradition of journey and reflection.

1:1 SOUL-CARE / SPIRITUAL DIRECTION

We offer ongoing 1:1 soul-care / spiritual direction in person or online as a supportive space to explore faith, life, and meaning.

We also offer individual day retreats with 1:1 guidance, supporting reflection and discernment on request.

WELLNESS PRODUCTS

We retail a selection of carefully chosen wellness products designed to support you in your ongoing day to day health and wellbeing.