Retreatant - A Photo Essay (Part 2)
More images and thoughts about going away on retreat
This is ‘Part 2’ of my photo essay about going away on retreat to the Community of the Resurrection (CR) in Mirfield, West Yorkshire (UK), which lives it’s life guided by the Rule of St Benedict. If you haven’t seen it already ‘Part 1’ can be viewed on my Substack here.
The Community
There are a dozen or so active brothers in CR and they do an enormous amount, not only within the Community but out of it too. From prayer, meditation and study to being active with local charities and organisations, leading retreats, offering hospitality, giving spiritual direction, organising annual fun days, and preaching and reaching out to the local and wider communities within which they operate. Not to mention the work they facilitate and undertake in southern Africa, an outstanding example of which was their part in the struggle against apartheid in South Africa. Oh, and the gardening and growing of vegetables and fruit to help feed themselves and their guests. Plus the four Offices (Mattins, Midday, Evensong and Compline) and the service of Eucharist they observe daily. They give themselves to these tasks wholeheartedly and in a spirit of service and love. It is genuinely inspiring to see.
The Church
The Church of the Resurrection is at the heart of the community’s life. It is beautiful, modern and light. The four daily Offices are held in the main part of the church with the monks in choir (that is, using the seats in the top image) and singing the psalms and canticles in a Gregorian chant which fills the beautiful acoustics of the space. The daily Eucharist is held in the chapel at the east end of the church. The service books can be a little difficult to follow for the uninitiated but it is more than wonderful enough to hear the chant wash over you and fill your ears, mind and heart.
It’s worth remembering that the Offices and Eucharist take place every day without fail, whether there are guests (like we were), other attendees, or none at all. Prayer and worship is the activity for which all other activities at the Community stop, every time. The bell rings, the brothers stop whatever they are doing and come to pray.
As their website says, the Community are a “constant praying presence, always there for the support of others”.
Daily Life
But it’s an immensely down to earth place too. Homely meals are served, plates are cleared away and washed by the brothers, gardens are dug, washing is done. Walks are taken, the newspapers are collected from the shop down the road. There is admin to do, meetings to attend. The Community takes a lot of running and organisation. Brothers are in and out on errands, preaching and business engagements (plus occasional days off and holidays). There is a support staff. Guests arrive and depart. It’s a busy, yet intensely calm and prayerful, place.
There is silence too, after Compline, which is at 9.15pm, until 9.00am the next morning.
The Setting
The situation of the Monastery itself is glorious and we had some great weather to enjoy it. Lovely grounds, managed for biodiversity, not manicured to within an inch of their lives. There were lovely lawns but also plenty of wild, plenty of ‘untidy’ space for wildlife to share, which I loved. And the trees……… they were just magnificent: the varieties of green were endless. And, whilst getting a short run in, I saw the first beautiful, red, bushy tailed country fox I’d seen for twenty or more years. Magical.
What About Me?
The few days on retreat - for me - were a significant step along a journey I’ve been on for a while to try and live much more consciously and authentically as ‘me’. Our parish priest, Fr. Clive, did some sessions with us on the parable of The Prodigal Son, and the way that the characters in the story ‘came to themselves’. Being at Mirfield allowed me time and space to absorb this, reflect on it and refocus my mind and my heart. It was quite hard work, but as I overheard Fr. Clive say: “It’s not a holiday”!
“Many people live their lives without ever finding themselves in themselves” - Dostoevsky
There’s a lot more I could say, and many more images I could share, but I think this is enough for now. Thank you for reading and please do share and subscribe to Photos x Words if you would like to.
Keith
Beautiful photos and your words made me feel I was there. Thank you.
Dietrich Bonhoeffer also spent some time at Mirfield.