February Sewing Retreat: report

 Lucy writes: Our February Sewing Retreat took place on the last weekend of the month, and the first signs of spring were visible in the gardens of St Joseph's Centre, despite the torrential rain that fell on Friday night. We were delighted to welcome Fr John Saward, the well-known theologian and translator of Pope Benedict, as our chaplain. 

He is the earliest patron of the Guild of St Clare, having given us our very first commissions, and entrusted us with valuable vestments from his sacristy in need of repair. He gave us a series of talks on the Mulier Fortis of Proverbs, dwelling especially on Our Lady's embodiment of this ideal during the Passion of Christ. 

We had an impressive stack of vestments to mend, and did our best to meet the challenge. We re-lined a chasuble and a matching chalice veil, repaired fraying embroidered orphreys, patched the edges of two chasubles where the silk was rotting away, and did the same for a dalmatic.

With sadness, we remembered dear Evelyn Watkin, who participated in last year's Retreat and who tragically died of bone cancer, aged 16, last November. Her memory will always be precious to the Guild of St Clare, and we will continue to be grateful for her participation in our work. Requiem aeternam dona ei Domine, et lux perpetua luceat ei.

Her mother, Olga, a long-standing friend of the Guild, who has often given us the benefit of her skills, courageously returned to the Retreat this year, to complete the repairs that she and Evelyn had begun together. This was the re-mounting of an exquisite eighteenth century embroidered orphrey belonging to the Dominicans of Oxford on to a new chasuble.

The Retreat was overshadowed by two grave pieces of news: first of all, the illness and hospitalisation of Pope Francis, who was reported to be in his last hours, and secondly, the dismissal of the Friars and Sisters of the Immaculate from Dunkeld diocese by Bishop Andrew McKenzie. The bishop, who has only just been appointed, replaces Bishop Robson who had invited the Franciscan Family in, and offered them the convent of St Joseph's at Lawside. We were glad to be able to offer our united prayers for both these intentions during the Retreat.

Our next Retreat takes place at the Carmelite Retreat Centre, Boars Hill, 8th-10th November 2025, and our chaplain will be Fr Rupert Allen Cong. Orat., of the Oxford Oratory. Online booking will open shortly.