North Wales: Sisters go visiting

Mother Damian, Sr Bakhita & 'Sr Josephine' with Sr Anezka holding a model of the monastery chapel for children to put prayer intentions in

When Mother Damian of the Poor Clare Colettines in Hawarden, North Wales realised that many people in the area, even fellow Catholics, knew virtually nothing about the community - she decided go visiting. The response has been very enthusiastic! Sister Maria writes:

Waiting in Accident and Emergency to collect a sister with a damaged ankle, Mother Damain met a local Catholic, who told her: "I've lived in the village for years, and I know there's a monastery - or whatever-you-call-it, round the corner. I go to Mass most Sundays, but I haven't a clue what you do!"

Members of seriously cloistered communities can hear such comments quite frequently when they make their rare appearances in public. The Poor Clare Colettines of Ty Mam Duw in Hawarden, North Wales, felt that they had heard it too often. An extensive and even entertaining website may make you friends from Cebu to Kentucky but it does not compete with meeting a real person.

Encouraged by Bishop Brignall, Mother Damian set out to share the sisters' life and their prayer for the world with some of the nearby parishes. The first was St Mary's Flint where she was greeted enthusiastically on the doorstep by Ann, the local Traid Craft representative, in words comparable to the Visitation: "I've been to your house often - and now you have come to mine! Wow!"

Soon, parishes that had met Mother and her team were inviting her to their schools. The first of these was St Mary's Primary, in Newtown. Armed with a home made cut-out of a Nun-to-be, called Sister Josephine the sisters took the kids through a scaled-down clothing ceremony, ran round the 24 hour clock in mime (including getting up for prayers at midnight) and illustrated the lives of Francis Clare and Colette with a giant book called "The Jester, the Lady and the Saint".

From this has come a new under-twelves section on their website -- called 'Claresite for Kids'. This is for the younger members of society who are doing school projects, it includes 'Kid’s Cloister' with a keyhole view round the monastery, 'Franscript '- a junior guide to reading scripture and 'Tony’s Tales', the adventures of a completely unchurched ten-year old who lands up at St Charity’s RC primary school down Parable Lane. There is also a Blog for younger readers who would like to put questions to a real live nun!

On October 25 from 11am - 1pm, the Sisters are having their Autumn Fair. They do a big line in useful knitwear: woolly ponchos, crochet blankets, waistcoats, hats, kid's wear, cribs, cards, jams & preserves and numerous other things handmade by the sisters, not to mention Clarita Herbal preparations. As well as nearly new clothing and almost old antiques, tea, chips and refreshments......

To visit the Ty Mam Duw website and find out more go to: www.poorclarestmd.org