Dear Friends,
Greetings from Fairacres.
They say that time passes more quickly as you get older and that certainly seems to be true! Once again, we are about to enter Advent and prepare for Christmas. A recent shopping trip made me aware that in the outside world Christmas is already in full swing with trees, decorations and enormous displays of potential gifts to buy. I returned to the peacefulness of the Convent with a sense of relief, and grateful that we have the privilege of keeping the season of Advent.
There is nothing wrong with Christmas festivities of course, but the extravagant displays in the shops seem especially hollow when we consider the ways in which many will be celebrating Christmas this year—in warzones, as refugees, homeless or in poverty. Delightful as Christmas gifts can be, they don’t fulfil our deepest needs for lasting love and security. That we only find in Our Lord Jesus, born for us in the stable.
We can easily miss the true meaning of Christmas amidst the tinsel and advertising, but the Advent and Christmas liturgies root us back into the reality of Love. As Christina Rosetti reminds us in her carol:
Love came down at Christmas,
Love all lovely, Love Divine;
Love was born at Christmas;
Star and angels gave the sign.
Worship we the Godhead,
Love incarnate, Love divine;
Worship we our Jesus,
But wherewith for sacred sign?
Love shall be our token;
Love be yours and love be mine;
Love to God and others,
Love for plea and gift and sign.
We were very glad to celebrate the clothing of Sr Michelle Barnabas of the Sacred Heart of Jesus on the eve of the Feast of St Bernard, 19 August. We were joined by a number of her friends, as well as by monks and nuns from Communities on the continent, staying at Fairacres on their way to take part in the International and Interconfessional Conference of Religious at Tymawr Convent in Wales. There was a sense of the religious life as something rather bigger than just our small community in Oxford, and it was good to share such a joyous occasion with them. Meanwhile we hope to welcome Carolyn as a Postulant at the beginning of next year and Jean as an alongsider later in 2026.
Oblate Sister Helen Margaret of the Divine Compassion was received into Life Promises as an Oblate on 4 September, the Feast of St Cuthbert, and Oblate Sister Rebecca of the Annunciation and Oblate Sister Judi of Christ made their first Promises on the Feast of St Michael and All Angels.
Sadly, there have also been several losses over the past year. Oblate Sister Vera of the Patience of God (Vera Silberberg) died in a car crash on Wednesday 10 July. Oblate Sister Kathlyn Joan of the Ascension (Joan Hindle) died on Friday 29 August. She was well into her 90s and had only just moved into a care home. Both Oblate Sisters will be greatly missed, but we give thanks for their faithfulness in living out their Oblate vocation.
SLG Press will be celebrating the sixtieth anniversary of its founding in 2026, and to celebrate will be publishing a set of sixty small books, the Diamond Edition, featuring titles and articles originally published by SLG in each year of the life of the Press. This includes many well-known SLG authors and is an opportunity to reflect on and celebrate the work of the Press and the Community over those years. The collection will be presented as a boxed set, and the Press would be very glad to accept any advance expressions of interest as they decide on the size of the first print run. Although we have not yet set the price for the full boxed set, it will be over £100. A full list of the titles and authors of the sixty books is printed at the back of the current issue of the Chronicle and will be available on the Press website in due course.
SLG Press will also be publishing The Spirituality of Gilbert Shaw in the coming months. Many of you will be aware of the importance of Fr Gilbert and his teaching for the life and spirituality of the Community (including the founding of SLG Press) and this collection of articles by Sisters and others who knew him, explores his life and legacy.
While on the subject of publications from the Press, Instruments of the Passion by Lucy McKitterick, has just been published and is a deeply moving meditation on Our Lord’s Passion and Crucifixion rooted in the reality of the author’s experience with the homeless in a night shelter. Those looking for a book which takes you into the depths of the Passion through an exploration of the lives of those living on the edges of society today will find this a powerful and thought-provoking read.
Next year there will be two retreats for Associates. Although they have been called ‘Associates Retreats’ for many years, we would like to remind you that they are open to all who would like to take part—there is no requirement to be an Associate! The first retreat will be held in October at Llangasty Retreat House in Wales; Llangasty is a very beautiful setting, and we are always very well cared for by the staff there. If you are seeking a silent retreat with input, set in very beautiful countryside, this might be just the opportunity. Dates and details for that retreat will be available in the New Year.
From Tuesday 20 October to Friday 23 October 2026, we will hold an Associates Retreat at Fairacres itself. Again, this is open to all, not just Associates, and also offers an opportunity for a silent retreat with input from leaders, supported by the regular worship of the Community.
This will be my final ‘Community Notes’, as I come out of Office at Pentecost next year. Please continue to pray for us as the Community prepares for the election of a new Reverend Mother next May. I wish you a very blessed and Christ-filled Christmas.
With prayers and best wishes from all at Fairacres,
SISTER CLARE-LOUISE SLG