Nuns get new convent in East Anglia

The Community of Our Lady of Walsingham, who used to be based at Abbotswick in Brentwood and more recently moved to the Shrine of Our Lady at Walsingham, have announced that they have obtained a new home.

The new house will be called the House of the Divine Will and is proposed to provide formation for novices, accompany young people discerning their vocation and support married couples and young families in the vocation they are already living, sharing with them the rich spirituality of Walsingham.

The community are still fundraising to pay off a loan from the Carmelites and also to finish renovating the house so that a suitable library and chapel can be built.

The community was entrusted with a Carmelite library and this will be available for members of the public to access.

They will continue their work in Walsingham running the Dowry House Retreat Centre which opened last year and at the Catholic National Shrine.

As one of the new forms of consecration recognised by the church, an ecclesial family of consecrated life, they welcome women and men.

Dedicated to Our Lady of Walsingham they pray and work for the re-evangelisation of England and the western world.

The community is also looking for a volunteer office administrator at the Dereham base so that they are freer to welcome visitors to the shrine and retreatants at Dowry House for further information visit www.walsinghamcommunity.org or call 01328 801019.

The community posted this on their Facebook page:

After an amazing year of fundraising, COLW was able to secure its very first convent. Up until now, we have lived and worked in accommodation provided by the Diocese of Brentwood and the RC National Shrine of Our Lady, Walsingham (we are now all based in Walsingham, having all moved here). So we've always had a roof over our head and had a stipend to supply for our needs. Now though, we finally have our own home, a place in which we have the space to grow as community, to form new members and to accompany those discerning a vocation to our community. And so we have great hope for the future as our community develops and is able to reach out to more people, both by our prayer and apostolate. 2017 has truly been a blessed year!

On the 5th September 2018, our new convent was blessed by Bishop Alan Hopes of the Diocese of East Anglia and on the 3rd October we welcomed around 130 people to an open day. The 8th December 2018 marked one year since we acquired the property so we have lots to be grateful for!

In 2019, we aim to plant an orchard and build two hermitages in the grounds, surrounding them with prayer gardens. Hence, the fund-raising continues for these projects and to repay the loan that enabled the purchase of the property. Donations are still gratefully received via this page:

http://www.walsinghamcommunity.org/donate/become-a-founding-benefactor-of-colw