It is a long time since anyone has made their vows in the Community of All Hallows, so it was with joy that we celebrated Sr Jackie’s first Profession last Monday. It took place in the Chapel of our house in Bungay, where Sr Sheila and Sr Elizabeth live, and we were joined by friends of Sr Jackie’s, plus an Oblate and two Associates who live locally. The Profession took place in the context of the Eucharist, which celebrated the visit of Mary to Elizabeth (found in Luke 1), w

There are several Sisters who have spent only a few years in the Community. For some, such as Sr Martha, this was due to an early death, but others, such as Sr Philippa, left. It is often difficult to follow through the lives of these Sisters after they left, and to know what happened. There will be something in the Minutes of the Community Chapter about the fact of their leaving, but very seldom are any reasons given, although the Sisters may have been aware of them at the t

Jesus had been killed, cruelly and painfully. The disciples were scared, upset and disorientated. They had upended their entire lives for this man, whom they believed to be God’s Messiah, the one who was to come. They hid together, in a locked room, hiding away from those who might identify them as Jesus’ followers, and subject them to his fate. They did not know where to go next, or where to turn. Could they just go back to the lives they living before? What would that even

A lawyer asks Jesus how he can inherit eternal life and Jesus responds by asking him what is written in the law. The answer given is love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, mind and strength and love your neighbour as yourself, which Jesus agrees with. Wanting to justify himself, the lawyer pushes Jesus further: but who is my neighbour? It would be so much easier to keep the law if my neighbour is the one who is like me, who lives in my neighbourhood, and with whom

Finding the background of our Sisters can be complicated, and this is especially true for our Third Order, for whom we do not have a record of surnames. Established for those women who had been at the House of Mercy and wished to dedicate their lives to God through the Community, each Third Order Sister took ‘Faith’ as their second name. Thankfully, most used their birth names, and they appear in the census, which means I have managed to identify them. Sr Ellen Faith is first

Context is vital. In the case of any Biblical passage, taking it out of context can vastly change the meaning. We need to know the context in which is it set in the book, the book itself, and then the wider themes of both Old and New Testaments. It is probably also helpful if we know something of the original background. Obviously, most of us are not biblical scholars, and cannot know all this, but a practice of wider reading, exploring books about the bible, and ensuring we

They had decided to go home. It was all over, and there was no point in remaining in Jerusalem any longer – but they couldn’t let it go that easily. Over and over as they walked to their village, they discussed and talked over the events of the last few days. Why had Jesus died, when they had thought and believed that he would be the one who would redeem Israel? What was this story that the women had told them about the tomb being empty? Could they be believed about the visio

Electoral Registers can give us a more detailed picture of where an individual was living in between census years, which is particularly true in the case of Sr Elizabeth Margaret, who was a member of the Community in the early twentieth century. Professed on the festival of St John Baptist in 1901, she probably joined the Community around 1899. Born in Ramsgate, Kent, in 1871, Elizabeth Margaret Maxted was the daughter of Thomas Gibson Maxted and his wife, Mary Margaret Maxte

He is known as the penitent thief. No-one knows his original name; we cannot even be certain what his crime was. Both Matthew and Mark refer to him, and to the other man crucified alongside Jesus, as robbers; Luke and John just refer to them as criminals. Luke is the only gospel to record the exchange that has made this anonymous man remembered throughout the ages. Jesus is being mocked by some of those around him, and one of the criminals joins in, but is rebuked by the othe

The motives of Judas in betraying Jesus are not clear. In both Matthew and Mark, he goes to the Chief Priests with his offer to hand Jesus over directly after the anointing at Bethany, implying that there might have been a link; in John, the first indication we have is at the Last Supper, where Satan enters into him, and he goes out into the dark. (Matthew 26:6-16; Mark 14:3-11; John 13:21-30). Whether there was a direct connection between Jesus’ reaction to the anointing and

I studied books 1 and 2 of Paradise Lost by John Milton for A-level English, and have always loved them, however rarely I read them. They are very visual descriptions of Satan and his cohorts awaking in Hell, having been thrown out of Heaven for rebelling against God. I think it is the picture they bring to my mind that attracts me. Years ago, I read the rest of the book, and did not like it as much. Recently, I decided to give it another try; again I really appreciated book

Simeon makes it clear that Jesus will be a controversial figure (see Luke 2:34-5). He will be a sign that is spoken against, and the thoughts of many will be laid bare. I suspect that many sermons and academic papers could be written exploring these words in the context of Jesus’ life, but I want to focus on the last point: that the thoughts of many will be laid bare. Whatever is meant in the original context, these words seem appropriate as we reach the midpoint of our Lente

There are some people linked with the Community, whose names we shall never know; others will be names in a census, whom I may be able to find out more about; other names resonate, with a vague memory, or are more well-known. Nora Kirkbride was one of these, as was Marguerite Miller. Both appear in the 1911 Census as Embroidery pupils at the Community House; their fellow pupil, Gertrude Creed, I have never heard of. I am fairly sure that Marguerite Miller appears on a photo,

It is easy to pick out individual verses from the bible, and some verses are inspirational, but it is important not to quote them out of context. It can change the meaning and, if it doesn’t, the surrounding verses can deepen and expand the verse. Take John 3:16, for example; a verse so well-known that often only the reference is used, rather than the actual verse. Read it, if you’re not aware of it. It is an amazing verse. But, still, it should not be isolated from the verse

After Jesus was baptised by John, the Spirit descended upon him, and a voice from heaven proclaimed him God’s beloved Son … following which he is led straight into the wilderness. (see Matthew 3:13 – 4:11). We know that he fasted for forty days and nights, and Matthew records that after this he was hungry. This might seem obvious, why exactly would Matthew note this? I think it is crucial for what follows. The tempter uses that hunger to try to persuade him to turn stones int

My research into our past Sisters was initially meant to focus on their lives in Community, but I became increasingly interested in their family backgrounds, and have unearthed some interesting information and connections. I’m never quite sure how much I should be exploring that background, but sometimes, after writing about a Sister, I start to research some more about their siblings and families. I find this research fascinating, so it always tempting to do more than needed

Unlike many of our Sisters, Sr Eliza came from a local family. Originally from Bungay, her parents were living in Ditchingham by the time she was born in 1856, and it is here she was brought up. In 1851 Abraham Bull (born Bungay) and his wife Harriet (born Beccles), were living at Factory Cottages, Ditchingham, with their six children: Abraham (age 14), Sarah Ann (age 12?) and Eliza (age 10), all of whom were born in Bungay, and Mary Ann (age 3), Edward (age 2) and Charles (a

Anna was the daughter of Phanuel of the tribe of Asher. She had been married for seven years, although we do not know who her husband was. Now, in old age, she spent her time in the temple, in fasting and prayer, and was a prophetess. Like Simeon, she sees Jesus in the temple with his parents; unlike Simeon, she does not say anything directly, but Luke reports her as giving thanks to God, and speaking of Jesus. (Luke 2: 25-40). We know so little about her, and she takes up no

I sometimes wonder whether we are so used to common interpretations of some parables that we no longer read them properly. We think we know what this means, therefore we miss other, possibly deeper, meanings. Take the Parable of the Talents, for example. It is easy to see this as about our talents, and how we do (or don’t) use them, and I’m not saying it’s not there. But I think there is more to it than that. Found in Matthew 25:14 -30 and, slightly differently, in Luke 19:

When I joined the Community, I was told that most Sisters were either teachers or nurses; I’m not sure that was entirely true, but we have had a number of Sisters from both occupations. One of the latter was Sr Augusta, Sister-in-Charge at All Hallows Hospital for many years. Our Hospital was built in 1873, although the work started earlier in a cottage in the village of Ditchingham. The Hospital is based in the village itself, unlike the Convent which is slightly outside. Sr