In December Jane Marett retired from the Bursary after 11 years of service and Naomi Miles joined as the new Bursary Clerk.
Jane had been a thread of continuity through much change in the Bursary and the administration of the Convent generally, and her farewell reception was marked by heartfelt thanks and good wishes from everyone present. She will be greatly missed.
At her retirement party, Jane read out a poem written about her time working with the Sisters:
I’ve been at St Mary’s Convent for eleven and a half years;
The thought of leaving after all this time, truly brings me close to tears.
I’ll miss the swifts arriving and their screaming as loud as ever,
And I’ll miss seeing the Sisters living their lives, so closely, altogether.
We walk quite a distance, through corridors and rooms too;
With the changes in the Convent, it‘s different to the place I knew.
But these changes are exciting and we agree that once all done;
For this old holy building, the future has amazing things to come!
It’s such a pleasure working here, in this magnificent, special place;
I’m going to miss my peace and calm, in this marvellous old space.
Leaving my colleagues and the Sisters is definitely the saddest part,
But the Convent and all its beauty will always remain in my heart.