On the feast of St Joseph, 19th March, Sister Sheila made her promise of stability in our community for three years. Father Edward Delepine presided over the ceremony in the Chapter Room before Mass. Sister Sheila began her religious life with the Visitation Sisters, and has already spent two years at Colwich. Her work is in the sacristy, library and garden.

We had three postulants this year. The first, Sister Francesca, is from Scotland, and she was clothed on 1st November. The second postulant went home after trying her vocation; the third is still with us. Please pray for them and for others who are, thanks be to God, attracted to our life.

Two new oblates: Ann Beeston made her oblation last December and Heidi Schofield this August. Both have been involved with our community for many years. Oblates promise to live according to the Rule of Saint Benedict in the ordinary circumstances of their lives.

Mother Edith kept her Golden Jubilee quietly in March. Then in April she broke her hip and, at age 92, had a successful operation. On 16th October we celebrated Pope John Paul II's Silver Jubilee of Pontificate with a special Mass. And Father Edward's Diamond Jubilee of Ordination will be on 18th December.

Mother Abbess wrote up outside the Choir: We are at war. The Holy Father had pleaded for negotiations to continue. Our M.P. David Kidney (Labour, Stafford) had voted in the House of Commons against going to war without a clear United Nations mandate. One of the first casualties was David Clarke (19) of Stafford. We pray for all who died in war or violence, and for peace in the world.

Unlike Chelsea the dog, the cats Tabby and Thomas do not live inside the Abbey. They call for meals and warm themselves in the laundry. Thomas, who is old now, had a bad tooth this year. So we sent him to the vet for an extraction, which required an overnight stay. He came back fighting fit!

Sister Benedict writes "Twelve of us, monks, two nuns and some others visited the former Abbey of Lamspringe near Hanover in Germany from 28th to 31st August. English Benedictine monks lived there from 1643, until the government closed it in 1803.
We celebrated this centenary by singing Lauds in Latin in the old abbey choir, now a parish church.
We also joined in the annual pilgrimage in honour of Saint Oliver Plunkett, Irish archbishop martyred in London. His relics were taken to Lamspringe Abbey in 1683 by Abbot Maurus Corker who had been in prison with him. Corker was a great friend of our community in Paris."

We had a bumper crop of strawberries this summer. We ate them, froze them and sold strawberry jam. There were also plenty of pears and runner beans this year.