Former Students reunion

The Bernardines of Hyning and Brownshill invite you to attend a joint reunion for Slough and Wycombe former students at St. Bernard's Catholic Grammar School on Saturday 25th  April 2015.  This includes:

A tour of the school 1 pm 

Mass of Thanksgiving for the life of Sheila McGovern  2 pm

Picnics can be brought from 12:30 pm onwards and the official Reunion is from 2 pm onward in the school Hall

News of the Bernardine Sisters 3:30 pm 

Contact Sr Mary Bernard for more details hyningbookings@yahoo.co.uk

Talk on the Camino

For anyone in the Morecambe and Lancaster area Elizabeth and Sr. Michaela will be at St. Bernardette's church, Lancaster at 7pm Thursday 29th January for a talk on the Camino. ( Elizabeth is doing the holy bit and I am operating the PowerPoints and reflections!)

Video reflections updated

Video reflections page has just been updated.   Feel free to have a look and use them for prayer, retreats etc.  

Hyning community 2015

Taken January 28th 2015

Re-opening!

After several weeks of closed time we are about to re-open.  The house has been cleaned, some basic maintenance done and there has been peace and quiet in the guesthouse!  However, we are looking forward to the guests coming back and life returning to normal.  Check our programme page for the up-coming events....

Life is a Litany - Still in the Beginning of the Year

In the midst of windy and cloudy weather, perhaps it might be a good thing to have a minute or two, contemplating about how life works generally and how we react upon it. Surely some of us might agree that life is like a litany.

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Life is a litany

Some are repetitions, some changes

Life is a litany

Some are routines, some developments

Life is a litany

Some which are repeated are passed by, some which are changed are contemplated

Life is a litany

Some routines are gone through, some developments are observed

Life is a litany

Some which are similar are considered ordinary, some which are distinct are considered extraordinary

Life is a litany

Some are searched, some are discovered

Life is a litany

some stayed, some went

Happy New Year

Only 5 days late but Happy New year!  We are now enjoying a few weeks of 'closed time' but we don't forget to pray for you and all your intentions.  Times of Mass and Office may vary so it is worth ringing up and checking to be sure over the coming weeks.  Mass is at 9 am, Tues - Friday this week.  

Gloria in Excelsis Deo!

Merry Christmas every one! We are grateful to have all of you. Thank you for bringing and sharing Christ into our monastery. Thank you for making his presence known by your presence among us.

This year we have the privilege to receive and share our Christmas blessings with around 30 guests. Along with the friendly and cheerful gesture from each other, the house maintained its prayerful atmosphere which brings more blessings for those in and around the house. At the moment, we are still welcoming several guests who will be spending the New Year with us.

We invite you to pray with us for peace in the world as you scroll down and take a look at our cribs around Hyning. We hope that all of you will have a great and blessed New Year to come.

"Gloria in Excelsis Deo, et in terra pax hominibus, bonae voluntatis!"

Crib in the Novitiate

Crib in the Community Area

Crib in the Little Sitting Room

Crib in the Front Door

Crib in the Church

O Emmanuel

December 23

O EMMANUEL, God with us, Our King and Lawgiver, the expected of the nations and their Saviour: COME to save us, O Lord our God. Amen. "O Emmanuel..."

Isaiah 7:14: "Therefore the Lord himself will give you this sign: the virgin shall be with child, and bear a son, and shall name him Emmanuel".

Isaiah 33:22: "Indeed the Lord will be there with us, majestic.  Yes, the Lord our judge, the Lord our lawgiver, the Lord our king, he it is who will save us".    

The Almighty God and creator became one of us.  He loves us so much he took our humanity into his Godhood.  It’s mind-blowing really how much we take that for granted. Christ came into our world as a baby.  He will come back at the end of time but we also need to let Jesus come into our hearts.  Sometimes if we are angry or ashamed or hurting we don’t let him.  That’s the danger of this season. We can focus so much on the material side, the events the cards, the invitation but we don’t concentrate on letting Christ come into our inner lives.  This is an invitation to let Christ come and to look at areas of our life that stop us letting God in.  In our inability to forgive ourselves for a previous incident or when we feel shame; we have to let God in, remembering that nothing can make God love us more than he does already. 

O King of the Gentiles

December 22

O KING OF THE GENTILES and their desired One, the Cornerstone that makes both one: COME, and deliver man, whom you formed out of the dust of the earth. Amen. "O Rex..."

O King of the Gentiles and the Desired of all, you are the cornerstone that binds two into one. Come, and save humanity whom you fashioned out of clay.
Isaiah 28:16: "Therefore, thus says the Lord God: See, I am laying a stone in Zion, a stone that has been tested, a precious cornerstone as a sure foundation".
This is the universal antiphon. It reminds us that God is not only the God of the Jews but the God of all, the God of the universe. Jesus came to save all humanity and this sixth antiphon clearly addresses the Saviour as the King of the gentiles (Jer.10:7) and the Desired One of the nations. It’s an invitation for Christ to become the Cornerstone of our lives.

O Dayspring...

O DAWN OF THE EAST, brightness of light eternal, and Sun of Justice: COME, and enlighten those who sit in darkness and in the shadow of death. Amen. "O Oriens..."

Isaiah 9:1: "The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light. Upon those who dwelt in the land of gloom a light has shone".
Malachi 3:20: "For you who fear my name, there will arise the sun of justice with its healing rays".
2 Peter 1:19: "Keep your attention closely fixed on it, as you would on a lamp shining in a dark place, until the first streaks of dawn appear and the morning star rises in your heart".

This title is variously translated "morning star", "Dayspring", "rising sun", "radiant dawn", "and orient".  It develops the previous antiphon.  It’s my favourite one I think because it expresses beautifully the idea of light shattering the darkness of night, of sin and death, of sickness and despair, with its brightness bringing healing and warmth to cold hearts.  Jesus is indeed the true light in our darkness but sometimes we seem to prefer the dark! 

More on the O antiphons...

The O Antiphons, those in the Roman Catholic tradition that I am familiar with, are sung words using images from the OT and recited at Vespers from December 17 to December 23 inclusive.  They are the introduction to Mary’s prayer which we now sing daily in our evening prayer service. I think the Church of England has the same tradition; they have traditionally been used as antiphons to the Magnificat at Evening Prayer.  I think the first letters of the titles taken backwards form a Latin acrostic of "Ero Cras" which translates in common language to "I will be there tomorrow", which mirrors the theme of the antiphons.  It’s also seen as a response of Christ himself to the heartfelt prayer of his people: "Tomorrow I will be there".  The idea of them is possibly that we have prepared for the Advent of Christ with these seven Messianic titles, and now we are preparing for Christ to come. "Tomorrow, I will come." God has seen our sin and shame, he has heard our cries and condemnations, our trials and tortures and answers them with the promise, and I will be there very soon.

O Key of David

December 20

O KEY OF DAVID, and Sceptre of the House of Israel, who opens and no man shuts, who shuts and no man opens: COME, and bring forth the captive from his prison, he who sits in darkness and in the shadow of death. Amen. "O Clavis David..."

O Radix Jesse

December 19

O ROOT OF JESSE, that stands for an ensign of the people, before whom the kings keep silence and unto whom the Gentiles shall make supplication: COME, to deliver us, and tarry not. Amen. "O Radix Jesse..."

O Adonai

December 18

O LORD AND RULER of the House of Israel, who appeared to Moses in the flame of the burning bush and gave him the law on Sinai: COME, and redeem us with outstretched arms. Amen. "O Adonai..."