You might be suprised to learn that there are still monks living in England today. You will just not find any at Abingdon Abbey which was demolished following Henry VIII’s dissolution of the monasteries.

A 21st Century monk will be visiting Abingdon and giving a talk at 7:30pm on Friday at St Nicolas Church as part of our medieval-themed Heritage Weekend. He will talk about how the Benedictine monks of Abingdon Abbey would have lived and how their successors live today.

Saint Benedict wrote that a monk should prefer nothing to the work of God. The monastic day is therefore built around set times of prayer. The day begins with the rising bell when the monks gather in the church for the first prayers of the day, Matins. This is followed by a period of quiet prayer before Lauds (Morning Prayer). and then breakfast. Mass is celebrated before a morning of work followed by Midday Prayer and then lunch. More work in the afternoon is followed by the celebration of Vespers. There follows a time for spiritual reading then supper. Compline, or Night Prayer is followed by silence and sleep.

‘The Hope Within Us’ events took place last week – organised by the churches of the Parish of Abingdon-on-Thames.

On Saturday there were two tours of St Helen’s Church.

Many Abingdon people, from generation to generation, have made their first visit to the church on being baptised at the font.

The present building began as a one aisle church, with tower, in the early thirteenth century. Four more aisles were then added to the south – the fifth and final aisle in 1539. The central aisle was subsequently made higher in Victorian times to let in more light.

The west door though the central aisle is used for other important life events. It is through this door that couples enter to be married, and from this door people are carried on their final goodbye.

Over that door St Helen is seen carrying a model of the St Helen’s Church in one hand, and a cross in the other. The Fraternity of the Holy Cross was based at St Helen’s church until being dissolved by royal decree in 1547.

At Trinity Church this morning Revd. Ian Griffiths had put up a large banner, one he made more than a decade ago. It looked amazing to people coming into the church who had not seen it before.

It was to celebrate Pentecost, the birth of the church.

At St Helens Church this afternoon there was a rehearsal.

Mendelssohn’s Elijah, will be performed tonight by the Cranford Choral Society and the Southern Sinfonia.

Last week I went to St Helen’s for a Sunday morning service, and Jane Baun, Associate Priest, spoke on the story shown in the river facing windows – all created in the 1890s. Each tells a different story of Jesus after the resurrection.

In particular she spoke on the story where Jesus appeared to the disciples when they had been fishing, and end up cooking them fish for breakfast.

Jane will be leading tours of the church as part of The Hope within us week which happens in a months time. There will be lots of events, and at the end of the week former Arch Bishop Rowan Williams will lead a morning service. Details are on the Hope within us page.