THE
P RTAL
December 2015
Monastery of Caldy and that enabled the community
to move somewhere else. Then a benefactor came
along and gave them Prinknash in Gloucestershire. It
is now Prinknash Abbey.
Page 8
metal working in a shipbuilder’s yard in Glasgow. He
was put in charge of the vegetable garden! He was
strict. After Mass, he expected you to be straight into
the garden.
“In 1948 we were
“Not all the monks are priests.
offered the chance to
The historians disagree whether
come here. I would add
Saint Benedict was a priest of
a footnote that you won’t
not.
find in the books. People
accused Carlyle of being
“We are still reliant on
extravagant and said that
benefactors. We have a building
was part of the reason
project at the moment but that
Caldy went bust, but
will definitely involve a lot
here’s another fact about
of financial input; more than
Pluscarden Abbey - Photograph: Pawel Rokicki
his life. Most of it was
we could rustle up through
spent in Canada doing pastoral work and he ended his commercial work. We grow most of our own vegetables.
days as a monk back at Prinknash in the community At present, we don’t have any livestock apart from four
he founded. So, if it wasn’t for the extravagance we cockerels that don’t do anything apart from go cock-awouldn’t be here.
doodle-do! There are lots of pheasants about but they
belong to the Estate and at the slightest chance they
“In 1948 five monks arrived here. One of them, the eat our vegetables, and then there are the rabbits - but
last one, died 10 years ago. He disappeared. He was no one around here seems to go for pheasant or rabbit
94 years old, physically fit but his memory had gone. pie!
He would very often go out walking, which he did one
day and has never been seen since. He came here as
“The plan is that there will be a new refectory. The
the kitchen master, as the cook for the community. He building scheme is a long story but the intention is that
was never Abbot, never Prior, but he had been almost women would be able to have the same experience of
everything else.
being on retreat here as
men. At the moment the
“In 1948 this was a
men get to eat with the
ruin, no building to live
monks and they’ve only to
in. When they first came
make their breakfast, but
here, the monks lived
the ladies have to bring all
down by the burn in a
their own provisions with
sort of wooden and metal
them and cook all their
construction. They had
meals, so if there are ten of
to build from scratch.
them there, all ten of them
Today we are about 20
could be trying to make
monks, with three pretheir meals in one little
postulants who are here Thursday 5th November 2015 was a day kitchen at the same time.
for a month. We call them of great blessing for the Pluscarden community
‘Nibblers’. One is Polish, when Bishop, Dom Hugh Gilbert, a former Abbot.
“With regards to the
one is Egyptian and one presided at the Solemn Liturgy of Re-Dedication Ordinariate, Fr Len Black
is American. We’ve been of the Abbey Church. Around three hundred was ordained deacon here
steady numerically, thanks people attended the Mass, including Fr Len Black, and your Ordinary, Mgr
be to God. We haven’t representing the Personal Ordinariate of Our Keith Newton, came here
been galloping ahead but Lady of Walsingham.
for his pre-ordination
we have been holding our
retreat. There is quite a
own, which has been in some degree against the tide close relationship between us and the Ordinariate.
in our part of the world.
You’re welcome to come here on retreat and be well
known here. I think I said there are about 20 in the
“People of all different ages and all backgrounds community and I’m sure at least 50% are converts.”
come here. When I first came, I was in the vegetable
We thanked Fr Martin for his time and hospitality.
garden for about fourteen and a half years full time
with Brother Mungo. His background was skilled
Find out more at www.pluscardenabbey.org
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