St. Michael's Abbey, Farnborough

I made my first retreat in nearly two years in Saint Michael's Abbey in England, home to a dozen Benedictine monks, from the 24th of May to the 30th.

Saint Michael's Abbey is a Benedictine abbey in Farnborough, Hampshire, founded in 1881 by the Empress Eugénie (1826–1920) as a mausoleum for her late husband Napoleon III (1808–1873), Emperor of France, and their son the Prince Imperial (1856–1879), both of whom are buried in the Imperial crypt, as is Empress Eugénie herself. (Visit their web site for more details).

Farnborough Abbey

The Abbey was a gorgeous place, with acres of forest and farm land surrounding it. The monks raised pigs and hens and cows - and peacocks! There were two of the lovely creatures - one a dazzling white, the other a brilliant green and blue - roaming the grounds.

The white one was even more stunning

The Chapel was equally beautiful and I discovered the beauty of the Gregorian chant there, as also the Latin mass (I was utterly captivated by the beauty of the mass when it is celebrated with such reverence and solemnity, and I do believe we should have a few masses like this all over the world), and praying seven times a day! The monks were truly inspirational in the way they live, and as always, I felt utterly humbled in the presence of people so devoted to God.

Mass was an experience at the Farnborough Chapel

I had a very comfortable room in the Guest house which can accommodate individuals (men) or small groups. There were three other guests with me: an Australian, a Scotsman and a Frenchman (there to learn English, he said!). All meals were provided, and though they were quite excellent, I didn't eat much: I fasted five of the six days that I was there.

Me, Peter Townson and Calein Gillespie

One of the other three guests - the Aussie (Peter) - joined in with a three day fast of his own, drawing comments from the monks about how they were thinking of renaming the guest wing the Bobby Sands Wing. It wasn't flattering. Sands was an Irish republican who died on a hunger strike! I believe part of their reaction was because of a nun who had addressed them a week earlier, telling them that they shouldn't fast!

I turned 4x during the retreat, but it was birthday that went largely uncelebrated as I kept it a secret. It was a lovely birthday for all that spent in a lovely place.