“Whoever writes [M. Lavinia’s] life, I shall be very glad to lend my letters from her to be published in part” writes Lucy Hansell to M. Adele. “Of course some are of too private a nature for the eyes of the public”. It may be that the idea to write a life of M. Lavinia is why we have a collection of her letters, including four to Lucy herself. M. Lavinia had known the Hansell family for some time, having been friends with an aunt of Lucy’s before founding the Community. Lucy

Do you recognise them? Are you aware of the moment to come before you? Are you ready and waiting? That person coming down the street that...

Nearly a year ago, I wrote about Sr Laura, who was Professed on the day M. Lavinia, our foundress, died (see Committed, 6th March 2023)....

She was an “Associate and benefactress who gave gifts for the work in this place”, says a memorial in the Convent Chapel, on the wooden panels behind the altar (although I may not have remembered the words exactly). The only other fact we knew about Theophila Coyte was that she died in 1907. There was quite a lot of work done in the Sanctuary in 1906/7, including a black reredos (later removed), a new red velvet dossal and curtains (also later removed), and the panels mention

Jesus had been pondering the question for some time; he knew who he was, and what his call was, but what of others? What of his...

Listening to the book of Ruth being read at Morning Prayer recently, I was struck by how vulnerable Ruth and Naomi were. To start with,...

I included a little information about Sr Patience’s probable background last week, but I want to start this week by introducing the...

We have very few facts about Sr Patience, who I think is the Sister pictured. We know the basics that we have about each Sister. Her surname was Boddington, she was professed on St James’ day in 1877 and died on the 2nd January 1919, in her 60s, after 47 years in religion. This dates from her clothing, not her profession, and gives her a long Novitiate, which supports the fact that she was a lay Sister, not a choir Sister. But five years is a long Novitiate, even for a lay Si

Anyperson had previously realised that just because they didn’t like themselves, it didn’t mean they weren’t likeable. They realised...

News about our ability to destroy is much in the news at present; stories about hurt and harm also predominate. I suspect most of us know...

Some names of Sisters recur throughout our history: Mary, Rosamund, Margaret, Elizabeth, Catherine … I wrote about one Sr Catherine back...

I’ve been wondering about the mother in the parable of the prodigal son. She is noticeable by her absence; there must have been a mother...

The oldest child is the conformer and the second is the rebel, so I read somewhere (so long ago, I’ve no idea where or when, I’m afraid). But it strikes me that this scenario is played out exactly in the parable of the prodigal son (Luke 15). The second son, the rebel, demands his share of the inheritance, and leaves for a far-off country, where he spends it all having a good time. A good time that would be far from how his family and his village back home would describe as ‘

There was a narrow gate in the hedge, with a path leading away from it on the other side. Some people were going straight through;...

‘Do you know that poor Sr Helen has 2 internal tumours & if able to bear it, has to be operated upon? Her mother is paralysed – one sister has tumours & consumption & things are poor. We let her go to nurse her mother last July – she was not then aware of her tumours.’ So writes M. Lavinia. We do not know the circumstances, nor the year it was written, but Sr Helen must have come through the operations, as M. Lavinia died in 1890, and Sr Helen not until 1904. Helen Martha Noa

It is a highlight; a major event in one’s life; a moment we can look back on as the start of our faith; or a day when we can say our...

Losses can be problematic; whether it is a person we love, a possession or something more nebulous, there is a grief process to work...

Two of the earliest Sisters I researched had not only the same surname, but also the same birthplace. Surely that must be more than co-incidence? Both Sr Mary Rose (pictured, in the black veil, I think) and Sr Alice were born in Debenham, Suffolk, and further investigation showed that they were birth sisters, daughters of Mark and Louisa Wade of White Hall, Debenham. By 1851, the family had moved to Boughton [Broughton?] Hall, Stonham Aspall, Suffolk, where Mark was the owner

Ezra the priest, one of the exiles from Judah living in Babylon, was a scholar, well versed in the Law of Moses. He was also a man of...

Many years ago, my grandparents gave me a ‘Bible through the year’, where passages from the Old and New Testaments, together with a...