Welcome to Boarbank Hall

This holy celebration, brothers and sisters, has removed night from the night, putting darkness to flight with all these lights and making our faith bright and cheerful as if it were the daytime of our hearts. It is taking place, as you know, in memory of the resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ. (St Augustine, Sermon 223G).

Tommaso da Modena, fifteenth century manuscript from Venice: ‘Augustine in front of the crucified Christ, with St John and the Virgin’.

April '09 News

For once, this has been a fairly quiet month, which has been a relief after the eventful time since Christmas, and has given us an opportunity to concentrate on the season of Lent. The Sisters have been very pleased to welcome Fr Jim O’Brien back to Boarbank to give our Lenten retreat, on the theme of St Paul, and to celebrate Palm Sunday with us. We very much appreciated his thoughtful talks. We have also been blessed with wonderful bright spring weather in the last few weeks, which made Boarbank gardens look particularly lovely and the retreat even more special. Meanwhile, Fr Dixie was leading a retreat for the Carmelite Community in Birkenhead.

Sr Margaret contributed to a colloquium at Blackfriars, Oxford, on 14th March on the theme of ‘Suffering and Dignity’, organised by the Las Casas Institute. About 80 doctors, nurses, social workers, philosophers, lawyers and theologians gathered to reflect on issues concerning the treatment of the dying. With threatened changes in the law, and with concern about the standards of care of the elderly in some places, the theme was very timely, and the participants engaged very seriously with the questions.

On 25th March, two of the Sisters were able to enjoy a concert in Grange presented by the Patrons of Lake District Summer Music and given by the Steinberg Duo, Nicholas Burns (piano) and Louisa Stonehill (violin). This recently married couple treated the audience to a varied programme, and the Sisters particularly enjoyed the lively Six Romanian Folk Dances by Bartók and a moving performance of Brahms’ Sonata no. 3.

We have had two very special visitors to the Guest House - Paul and Val Middleton. Paul is responsible for our wonderful website, and their stay was a thank you for all the hard work he does in maintaining it. They were blessed with good weather, and enjoyed a well-earned rest before returning to take part in a choir tour of Cracow, which Val has been responsible for organising for 87 people - a full-time job! We wish them a very happy and successful Easter in Poland, and look forward to hearing more about it.

We are grateful to Jocelyn, who has helped us in the garden for a few weeks, and to Annika, from Germany, who worked in the Guest House in order to experience something of English culture as part of her degree. We wish them both all the very best for the future. Meanwhile we are delighted to welcome back an old friend, Dina, from Spain, who will help us in the Guest House over Easter.