Dom Aidan Murray
Dom Aidan was born in Newcastle upon Tyne in 1948. He entered Worth Abbey in 1978, took Final Vows in 1982 and was ordained to the priesthood in 1983.
Before Worth he had worked as an industrial research Chemist in the plastics industry and then on development of wood preservatives.
He has held a number of roles in the Worth Community including Bursar, Guestmaster and Parish Priest. Most recently he held the position of Prior. Fr Aidan was also a member of the Community of St Peter, an earlier Worth venture with monks in the city, spending seven years in East Dulwich, SE London.
In the Brighton community he has a particular concern to balance the books (!) and he is responsible for the practical aspects of running the house. He has an interest in ecology and sustainability.
In whatever leisure time monastic life affords he enjoys walking and trekking, having completed the Caminho Portuguese just before lockdown. Proximity to the Downs and the south coast are a distinct advantage.
Dom Roderick Jones
Dom Roderick grew up in St Albans, Hertfordshire, moving to Brighton in the seventies to study architecture at Brighton University. It was through his involvement with the Catholic Chaplaincy that he first visited Worth Abbey. It was to be an experience that began a spiritual journey that would eventually lead him to seek admission to the monastic community. After qualifying as an architect, he joined Worth Abbey in September 1980.
Over the past 40 years of monastic life, he has had a number of pastoral roles, including responsibility for a community for young adults based at Worth; teaching and chaplaincy work in the Worth School, serving as Parish Priest and in more recent years, director of the Open Cloister retreat centre.
In September 2019 he was asked to take up the post of Catholic Chaplain at Sussex University. This appointment has brought him back to the chaplaincy where his own vocation to the priesthood and monastic life developed. There is something fascinating and wonderful here about the ‘spiritual symmetry’ of God’s loving providence!
Dom Anthony Brockman
Dom Anthony was born and grew up in Epsom, Surrey. Having studied Human Biology at Loughborough University he spent a year at the Community of St Peter’s East Dulwich, as a member of the small community of monks and laymen. It was here that his attraction to monastic life was kindled. He then worked in the caring field supporting adults with various disabilities and infirmities which eventually led him to train as an Occupational Therapist working in East London before joining the monastery in 2004.
As a monk at Worth he undertook his theological studies at Wonersh Seminary before taking up the various roles of Sacristan, School House Chaplain, Infirmarian and Cantor. In the Brighton Community he has responsibility for supporting the singing of the monastic office and overseeing the catering. In the parish he is involved in the music ministry as well as coordinating the visiting of those now unable to get to church. At St John the Baptist Catholic Primary School he shares the role of Chaplain with Fr Gabriel. Through his participation in the Parish Well Being Group he is seeking to raise awareness and support for those affected by mental health issues.
Dom Gabriel Dobson
Dom Gabriel was born in Edinburgh before moving eventually to Buxton where he grew up. After a year out working at SPEC, the Westminster diocesan youth retreat centre, he studied Computer Science at the University of Aberdeen with a specialty in AI (artificial intelligence). Having realised that while he had enjoyed his studies, he did not want to pursue a carrier in that field he started asking himself questions about what he should be doing with his life. This led him to entering the monastery in 2005. He was ordained to the priesthood in 2015.
He has held a number of roles at Worth, primarily as one of the chaplains to Worth School but also as the Fencing Master. In the monastery he has been the Director of the Open Cloister (Worth’s retreat centre), as well as being the Master of Ceremonies for monastic liturgies.
In the Brighton community he has found himself becoming involved in the Catholic Chaplaincy to the Universities in Brighton as well as the Young Adult provision in the Catholic parish of East Brighton, and is currently providing maternity cover as the Catholic Faith and Spirituality Advisor to the University of Brighton. He is also, along with Dom Anthony Chaplain to the Primary School of St John the Baptist’s. As part of his parish responsibilities he is also involved in the Hospital Chaplaincy.