Help a convent in trouble

As I understand things, this convent in England is in trouble and needs help.

Franciscan Sisters of the Immaculate in Cornwall.

A reader writes:

This convent once belonged to the Earl of Arundel. St. Cuthbert Mayne, one of the first martyr priests during the Reformation, used to celebrate Mass there, and his skull is kept there. It is a grade 1 (one) listed building, and the fear is that if it is sold, it will be converted to secular use.

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As fare as I can tell, friends, these poor sisters haven’t set up a website or a way to take contributions online.   It’s the snail mail for them, it seems, though there is some email address at the end of the video.

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14 Comments

  1. don Jeffry says:

    These people are the real thing folks. It’s as simple as that. don Jeffry

  2. Joseph-Mary says:

    Thank you very much for posting this! They only celebrate the extraordinary form of the Mass there, by the way.

    More can be learned at http://airmaria.com/2010/08/01/the-sisters-of-the-immaculate-in-cornwall/

    Ave Maria!

  3. sea the stars says:

    This is the address as provided in the video:

    Mother Superior
    Franciscan Sisters of the Immaculate
    Monastery of Our Lady of Mount Carmel
    Lanherne-St. Mawgan
    Newquay, Cornwall TR8 4ER
    England, United Kingdom

    Telephone 01637 860423
    Email fsi.lanherne@talktalk.net

  4. tealady24 says:

    Oh if only all of Catholicism was like that! Just what is it they are chanting?

  5. GirlCanChant says:

    From Joseph-Mary’s link:

    “THEY HOPE TO DRAW OTHERS CLOSER TO HIM.”

    What more can any of us do? I hope that the sisters are able to find the help they need. I was surprised to see a Franciscan house named after Our Lady of Mt. Carmel. Their convent used to be a Carmel until they had to move out. Hope the Franciscans have better luck sustaining it. They will be in my prayers.

  6. KevinSymonds says:

    That statue is the “Rosa Mistica.” I heard that devotion in the form proposed by an alleged apparition was condemned?

  7. emilyclare says:

    Does anyone know who we should make a cheque out to?

  8. Fr. A.M. says:

    Please pray that the nuns can purchase the buildings they live and pray in – I think they are still owned by the Carmelite nuns who used to live there, but am not sure. If any good Catholic millionaires have seen this video, please help the sisters. If you know any good Catholic millionaires, or individuals in a position to financially help the sisters, then please pass the message on. They are a beacon of light, not only for the Catholic Church in Cornwall, but for the whole of England. We need their prayers and their presence. It is the only convent of sisters who use the Extraordinary Use of the Roman Rite in England, as far as I’m aware. Above all, pray.

  9. Fr. A.M. says:

    PS. Thank you for this post Father.

  10. nanetteclaret says:

    From the video, it appears they were making vestments. Is this how they sustain themselves? Their singing is beautiful! They should make a CD and offer it for sale. How can we here in the US help? Will a regular bank check be able to be converted easily from dollars to pounds, or should we send a cashier’s check? It seems like it would be easier if they had a website set up to accept credit cards, so the conversion from dollars to pounds would be instantaneous.

    The monastery looks beautiful! (I love Cornwall.) I will keep them in my prayers.

  11. jlmorrell says:

    They very much need to set up a website, even if it is very simple in the beginning. The internet is the only efficient way for tradition minded Catholics to reach out and support one another.

    Also, does anyone know if the sisters make vestments as a way of supporting themselves? If so, I’d gladly order at least one set. Our local Latin Mass Society is about to make some orders in the coming weeks.

    John M.

  12. irishgirl says:

    If I could hit a big lottery prize [fat chance, considering my ‘luck’] I would definitely help these Sisters!
    It would be a shame if they had to leave-this is the oldest continuously-functioning convent in the whole UK, it seems.

  13. berenike says:

    You could email or phone or write to the sisters and ask if they have a bank account, or if you can make a bank transfer to someone who will pass the money on to them. Not much more effort than clicking a paypal button. The chaps planning to build an enormous neo-Gothic monastery in Wyoming aren’t about to be thrown out of their house.

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