It is with great sadness that we announce the death of Pushkin, one of our longest serving team members who has been a much-loved part of St Beuno's for about 18 years.
The story goes that she was found as a kitten, under a hedge near Fronshade and had been with us ever since.
Her quiet presence over the years has been a source of great comfort and joy to so many retreatants. She seemed to have had a knack of knowing when someone needed a little bit of feline attention or company and has played a significant part in the spiritual lives of many. Her human colleagues have more than once had to swallow their pride when she has been cited as ‘my best ever spiritual director’ on evaluation forms.
In her younger years she could mostly be found prowling the grounds, diving into bushes after rodents (and the occasional squirrel) and acting as a very efficient chief mouse catcher. In more recent years she had enjoyed a ‘retirement’ of sorts and moved more firmly into the role of chief trip hazard, spending maximum time recumbent in the warmest possible spot, inside or out (although mice were still in danger up to her last summer).
Retreatants and team were quickly trained by her to meet every need, from opening doors to opening packets of food, and she would patiently allow head rubs and petting as payment! She had also developed a more devotional nature with age and was frequently to be found in the chapel, doing a passable imitation of a chair cushion and occasionally positioning herself firmly under the altar.
She was such a unique and essential part of St Beuno's that we are not looking to fill the feline hole that she leaves but to honour her memory with gratitude and appreciation for all she has given. She will be much missed.
‘How she enters, I know it not
how she leaves, I know it not
suffice the comfort of her presence
granted by divine a plot’
By an anonymous retreatant.