Welcome
We invite you to draw near to our community and learn something of its soul. Founded in 1848 by the 29 year old vicar of Wantage, William John Butler, it is one of the earliest traditional Church of England Religious Communities. It is dedicated to Mary the Mother of Jesus, the pondering one. Like Mary we want to draw closer to God:
• through our daily five-fold Office and in the Eucharist
• through waiting on God in our personal prayer
• in listening to God in our relationships with our Sisters
• by looking outwards to God’s presence in our guests and neighbours and in the joys and sufferings of contemporary society.
We invite you to visit or come and stay on our Guest Wing for quiet and reflection, to share, as you wish, in our worship in Chapel. We offer spiritual guidance and we host groups for quiet days and retreats.
There may be an opportunity to be with the Community for an extended time as an Alongsider.
NEWS
An extract from our latest news items is shown here, click on the headline to read the full story or visit our news archive on the News page …
EVENTS
Support for the Community of St Frideswide
Sister Elizabeth Jane and Sister Stella shared in the Eucharist at St Frideswide Church, Osney, Oxford on Sunday 9 September for the inauguration of the Community of St Frideswide (stfrideswidecommunity.org), involving an emerging network for living by a common rule...
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Real joy for Oblate in Residence
The Revd Barbara Mapley recently spent 12 days at St Mary’s Convent as Oblate in Residence. As an Oblate of 24 years standing, Barbara was one of the first people to take up an invitation of the Sisters to spend an extended period of time with the Community in this...
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