Autumn Sewing Retreat: report

 Lucy writes: This year's Autumn Sewing Retreat, held at St Joseph's Centre, Ashurst between 8th-10th November, was a huge success, one of the best we've had. The numbers were the highest ever, and I was quite apprehensive about how we would manage, especially as the rooms we use for sewing aren't all that large. However, by deploying the collapsible tables used by the Walsingham Pilgrimage Cooking Team, we managed to provide enough space for everyone. 

There were 25 participants (including our chaplain, Fr Stephen Morrison OPraem and our server). Four of the retreatants were children, and it was very edifying to see them joining in wholeheartedly with the vestment mending. Two babies also accompanied their mothers. 

We dealt with a wide variety of repairs including replacing braid on a beautiful goldwork chasuble belonging to Fr Gabriel Diaz, re-attaching the hood to a black Cope belonging to the LMS, fixing the clasps on the morse of a second black Cope, putting a new orphrey into a green chasuble of Fr Vipers' of St Mary Moorfields, re-lining some pieces from a really fabulous gold lamé High Mass set, and replacing the front panel on a white chasuble belonging to the Guild of St Clare. We also had a number of new things to make, such as kneeler covers for Corpus Christi, Maiden Lane, a curtain and valance for the shrine of St Edmund at Withermarsh Green, and various small pieces for Low Mass sets.

Fr Stephen gave us three spiritual conferences concerning the Sequences, of which for the traditional Latin rite there are five left, the Dies Irae from the Requiem, and Lauda Sion from Corpus Christi, Veni Sancte Spiritus from Pentecost and the Victimae paschali laudes for Easter, as well as the Stabat Mater. In the Premonstratensian Rite, however, the Christmas one, Laetabundus, has also been retained, and Fr Stephen illustrated his reflections on it with a beautiful rendering of some of the chant. This was an unusual but very helpful way of exploring a part of the liturgy that we rarely see, and I was very struck by the remarkably devotional yet simultaneously catechetical nature of these beautiful prayers.

The liturgical highlight of the weekend was Compline in front of the Blessed Sacrament exposed, followed by Benediction. We were fortunate to have the use of a lovely red and gold Cope, property of the LMS, for the occasion; we repaired this Cope at our first ever Sewing Retreat in 2017 and it was wonderful to see it in use in this setting.

Our next Retreat is on 21-23 February at the same venue (St Joseph's Centre, Ashurst) and online registration is now open. Early booking is recommended to be sure of your place.