INTERVIEW
once when we were featured on the ‘Country File’ programme
recently, and also for the Queen’s Christmas broadcast.
Other members of the community also watched the Royal
Wedding on television, but I actually watched it on a laptop.
It is the decision of the Prior, the head of the community, to
determine whether it is all right to watch the television, but to
be honest it isn’t a great attraction, more a distraction.”
Father Luke has written a number of books, five of which
have been published, and are available in the Quarr Abbey
Shop. Not surprisingly he is well versed on Abbey history,
explaining: “Monks from Solesmes in France came to the
Island in 1901 because religious life was being persecuted by
the Government there.
“They first lived at Appuldurcombe, and started building
the abbey 1907 which took until 1914. A whole community
came over here, but eventually things got better for monks in
France so they returned home, leaving a much smaller, English
speaking community at Quarr Abbey.”
But as Father Luke pointed out, there was an original
monastery, built in 1132. But that was part of the Cistercian
order, rather than Benedictine, so the site itself is the only
common factor. It is thought the original Quarr Abbey was
probably named after the quarries that surrounded the site
and provided stone from which the first abbey was built. But
in 1536, when King Henry VIII confiscated the property of
monasteries throughout the country, the abbey was dissolved,
even though remains of the original buildings can still be seen.
For the eight monks who live at the ‘new’ Quarr Abbey, the
day begins at 5.0am when the rising bell sounds, and they
prepare themselves for the first Service of Vigils in the church
at 5.30am. There are a further six church services throughout
the day, commencing with Mass at 9.0am.
Father Luke continued: “Before the Mass we have time to
reflect on the bible – the practice of spiritual reading – and
the prayer that is associated with it, which is very important
to us. Then throughout the day we have different kinds of
work to do.
“The ideal is to be self-sufficient, and although we are not
completely self-sufficient, we do grow a lot of our food,
including the rearing of pigs. Some people don’t seem to like
the fact that we eat them, but we do! We also grow fruit and
vegetables here, and there is also a lot of other work to do.
“The basic model for our life is an inward life, and
fundamentally we are seeking God in the depth of our
souls. But outwardly in terms of activity we work within
the monastery as much as we can. We don’t go out to work.
Obviously sometimes we leave the monastery to see a doctor
or dentist, and except for Lent we go out one afternoon a
week for recreation. But overall life is centred within the
monastery.”
There is much silence during a monk’s daily routine,
with Father Luke saying: “Silence is very important in the
monastery, and there are several places where we always keep
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