ST BEUNO'S NEWSLETTER

Internship - Bees - New Retreats - Fronshade - Grounds - New Bus - Big Silence DVD

Numbers on Retreats: 2011 has seen an increase in the number of people who came on retreat to St Beuno's. A lot of people have come in response to the TV series, "The Big Silence", many of them being unattached to any church. In fact 2011 is the first year at St Beuno's when Roman Catholics were outnumbered by those of other denominations and none. This has been a very steady trend over the last 15 years.

THE HOUSE

Fronshade Cottages

As you can see from the two photos below we have given Fronshade Cottage a lick of paint and new windows.

We had hoped to redevelop the site with two new cottages in traditional style, but the Council Planning Department decided to play semantic games with us and refused.

So we replaced the rotten windows and repaired the render and painted the two houses. Those who are living in the house tell us the new windows make a big difference in keeping the rooms warm. (Which was needed in the chilly August we had this year.)

Now that the double glazed units with the broken seals have been removed the full glory of the view over Snowdonia is available in all the Fronshade Bedrooms.

HONEY BEES

After fund raising for the last 12 months two hives of bees have arrived in the grounds at St Beuno's. The bees are settling down for winter now, dumping the drones and collecting the last nectar to stock up for the cold months ahead.

Some honey has been taken, rather light and thin.  I'm sure the taste will improve when the wild garlic comes into flower.

It is hoped that next summer the bees can be hived-off with a new queen to form new communities.

Playing hide and seek with the queen.

NEW RETREATS FOR 2012

Sky at Night Retreat - Look up at the Skies.

Many of the retreats and programmes of 2012 are similar to those offered this year, but there are some new additions:

A music retreat makes a welcome return this time for a weekend. 

We are praying for a couple of cloudless nights in January for a weekend of star-gazing - "Look, look up at the Skies!" considering the marvels of creation. (Sorry its now full!)

Taking advantage of our location in rural North Wales we are offering a retreat which will involve a daily visit to a local sacred spaces.
For the most part we shall walk to places within reach - caves, pools, stone circles, cathedral holy-wells. These are places which have for centuries called people to sit and pray.  At each place we shall have at least an hour for quiet contemplation.  Pilgrims to Sacred Places will be held from September 10-19

Book Early
Last year many people were disappointed finding the retreat they wanted was full, even early in the year.

We already have one 2012 retreat full, so we do advise early booking this year.

2012 retreat dates

Booking Form

The 2012 printed programme is now available contact us if you need a copy. 

---

THE GROUNDS

The Rock Chapel

Knot Garden

Steve the Gardener is in the process of planting a 'knot garden' - a formal garden with raised beds, popular in Elizabethan times.

This has brought back into use an area that has long been a wilderness. The knot garden has been planted with many herbs (and a rainbow windmill!)

Any financial help with this would be most welcome.

BURSARY FUND

Thanks to all who have donated to our Bursary Fund or for the Wish List.

This year we spent about as much on the bursary fund as we received from your donations, which is just how it should be.  We would like to extend our June offer of very cheap retreats for students and young people to other times of year.  We would like to reserve two Bursary Funded places for each retreat for those young people who cannot afford our full offering.  If this gets taken up then we shall need £800 per 8-day retreat from the Bursary Fund, so your help will be much appreciated. 

If you are in need of a retreat, but also in need of money, then see our Young Persons Page. We also have a number of new items on the Wish List including new benches for the grounds and hymn books.  The latter are doubly needed as the old ones are getting tatty and with the new Mass translation we need books with the new wording in.

If you have found your retreat a valuable experience you may like to help others who can't really afford a retreat by remembering our busary fund in your will.

INTERNSHIP

We put an advertisment in the Tablet recently for a person to spend 2012 in St Beuno's getting retreat-giving experience.  For the last two years we have employed a person who has some training in Ignatian Spirituality, but who would like more experience.  We are looking for another person this year.  Although there are no specific age guidelines (illegal these days) we need someone with a degree of life-experience but who also is likely to be able to use the skills they obtain for a good few years after leaving St Beuno's. 

If you know of anyone who might be interested, do ask them to contact Fr David Birchall at St Beuno's after taking a look at our web page on the topic.