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
Sculpture of Mary and the Christ Child installed
The sculpture of Mary and the Christ Child by Nicholas Mynheer has arrived, ready to welcome visitors to the Convent. The installation was a skilful operation involving both heavy lifting and absolute precision. The video telling the story of the installation can...
Vespers Recording
Here is a recording of a shortened Eastertide Vespers that we were invited to contribute for the Anglican Religious Communities Zoom conference on Saturday 24th April 2021. It was shared as the evening Office to conclude the conference. Click here for the recording
