Monastic Mission
The mission of monastic life consists in making Christ present in the world.
Our monastic community life ‘continues the mission of Christ, with another feature specifically its own: fraternal life in community for the sake of mission’ (Pope John Paul II).
At Worth Abbey we are called to make Christ present in the world in four specific ways:
- the Welcome into community we offer to all who come here;
- the opportunities we share for participation in the personal and public Worship of God;
- the Wisdom we are all invited to receive by our attentive listening to God in prayer, reflective reading, through teaching, and mutual support; and
- the work of loving mutual service in community through which we Witness to the presence of Christ in our lives.
Welcome:
‘Let all guests be received as Christ’.
As a community, we live out the practice of Benedictine monastic hospitality, welcoming fellow Christians in liturgical worship through our Parish ministry and our monastic liturgy, including an online offering; our large Abbey Church is available for personal prayer and for liturgical gatherings; our extensive fields and woodland grounds offer natural space, walks and fresh air; our residential facilities in the monastery and a Retreat Centre provide a sanctuary for our guests, where they encounter God through community and through personal reflection.
Worship:
‘Let nothing be put before the Work of God’.
We place prayer at the foundation and centre of our lives through our community celebration of the daily liturgy of the Hours in our Abbey Church, and through our tradition of personal silent prayer; we share in the ministry of prayer with our parish community and daily congregations, through the 24-hour opening of our Abbey Church, through the live-streaming of our liturgy, as well as through the regular celebration of the sacraments & personal life-moments.
Wisdom:
Listen with the ear of the Heart’.
We seek to share the fruits of our lives together in Christ both with newcomers to our own community and with those who partner with us, as well as with retreatants, parishioners and guests, and with a wider community of fellow pilgrims; we maintain a library of books and periodicals which we endeavour to share with our guests, preach daily at Mass and offer a variety of talks and others modes of engagement with the Catholic spiritual tradition; share our personal practice of the lectio divina of scripture and the fruits of bible study, as well as spiritual reading and the writing of spiritual and theological books; the tradition of spiritual direction and guidance is shared, and support is offered to Worth School through formation of staff and liturgical ministry.
Witness:
‘The service of Christ, the true King’.
Through our monastic community life together and through our ministries both at Worth Abbey, East Brighton, and across the diocese we witness to Christ and work with our partners to serve others. Through the Worth Abbey Pilgrims network, we seek to broaden participation in the full range of our activities and discover fellow workers and new partners in these undertakings.
