Programme of Retreats & Events
To download a copy of our Programme leaflet, please click on the icon above, or read the information below.
To see a calendar of events, please click here.
A Place for Retreat and Reflection
Our guest area is integral to our convent home, creating an atmosphere which is relaxed, quiet and comfortable.
We hope that your stay with us will offer an opportunity to step back from the rush of life into a place of reflection and prayer.
You are welcome to join us in our daily worship and to enjoy our chapel, library and extensive garden.
DAY RETREATS AND WORKSHOPS 2010
Lent Quiet Day
Sr Annaliese 20 February £15
Preparing for the beginning of Lent with prayer and silence.
Labyrinth Quiet Day
Rev Catherine Wood 12 June £15
A day spent praying with the Labyrinth in our garden and learning the history of this mystical journey.
Painting & Prayer Day
Scilla Ansell & Sr Teresa Mary 2 July £15
Using art as therapy, expressing feelings and communicating with God. Art material provided; bring an apron.
DEEEP SEA* Saturday workshops once every 6 weeks.
£3.50 for half a day, £6 for whole day - booking essential.
Explore your creativity using batik. Enjoy tea, conversation and the garden. 10am-3pm. Come for a morning or afternoon or both.
Tel Hilary 07931503337, for workshop dates and to book.
*Dabble Experience Express Explore Play - Serious Entertaining Action
NO NEED TO BOOK FOR THE FOLLOWING:
Termly Lecture Programme Rev Dr June Boyce-Tillman
on “Unconventional Wisdom for Today” 4, 11, 18, 25 February. 10am-12noon. £3.50 per lecture.
Summer and Autumn details to be announced. Thursdays weekly.
Quiet Garden Days
Come and enjoy our beautiful garden
27 April, 18 May, 22 June, 27 July, 28 Sept £4.
Open Garden
in support of the National Gardens Scheme and their charities
Sunday 25 April 2 - 5pm £3 (children free).
EVENINGS 2010
Thursday Evening Liturgy
Eucharist with plainsong psalms.
On the 4th Thursday of each month different styles of worship are explored.
All are welcome to join the Community for supper afterwards. Please book by email or telephone. 6pm in Chapel. Donations welcomed.
St Michael’s Chorale 16th & 17th Century sacred music.
A joy for us to sing for you. A joy to hear. Come and enjoy!
No need to book. Wednesday 7 July. 8pm in the Chapel. Retiring collection.
Advent Meditation
Poetry, prose, music, sketch and song enabling us to meditate on the Advent of Christ. Led by the Sisters. Please apply in writing during October and November indicating which dates you would prefer and enclosing an SAE. Admission free by ticket only. Retiring collection for charity. 8pm in the Chapel. Wednesday 8, Thursday 9 and Friday 10 December.
RESIDENTIAL RETREATS 2010
First Time Retreat Sr Catherine 19 - 21 March £100
A weekend of reflection and quiet, suitable for those who have not previously been on retreat.
Holy Week and Easter 28 March - 5 April
£35 for each 24 hours. £15 per day, 10am - 4pm.
Our time together will include the liturgy of Maundy Thursday, including the foot washing ceremony. We enter into the deep silence of the Good Friday liturgy, and the quiet and waiting of Holy Saturday. We will gather on Sunday for the dawn Vigil, the lighting of the new fire and Paschal candle and the liturgy of Easter Day. Morning Office, Thursday, Friday and Saturday, is based on the ancient monastic rite of Tenebrae in which psalms and lessons are sung.
Self and Others
Will Parfitt 14-19 May £350
On this retreat through deep contemplation of our relationship with Self and others, we will restore inner balance and focus on the presence of the Self within.
[As of Dec 09 fully booked. If you would like to register an interest in future retreats please contact the hospitality team.]
Vocations Weekend
Sr Sue and team 4-6 June No donation required
Might God be calling you to the religious life? During this weekend we help you consider this question through discussion, prayer and participation in our daily worship and way of life. For some this has been a first step towards joining this Community as a Sister or as an Alongsider.
Explorations in Prayer for the under 40s
Sr Annaliese 16-18 July £100
This retreat will offer opportunities to experience different ways of praying: meditation, praying with art, engaging with scriptural passages with our imaginations, Lectio Divina & collage journalling.
6-day Individually Guided Retreat
Sr Aileen & team 24-31 July £270
Scripture based silent retreat, with one-to-one guidance.
Praying with the Saints
Sr Teresa Mary 24-26 September £100
A weekend to explore ways of praying with and through the Saints.
Love, Will and Acceptance
Will Parfitt 8-13 October £350
On this retreat we will focus not on passive resignation but active acceptance of what is, discovering love and will, and the underlying archetypes behind all the happenings in life.
[As of Dec 09 fully booked. If you would like to register an interest in further retreats please contact the hospitality team.]
TO APPLY FOR PROGRAMME EVENTS
For residential retreats, please send your name and contact details, together with any dietary requirements or anything else you feel it would be appropriate for us to know about you.
Residential retreats usually begin at 7pm with supper.
A 50% deposit is required as confirmation of your booking.
A bursary fund is available to help those unable to manage this amount (please contact the Hospitality Team). Any donations towards out bursary fund would be gratefully received.
For day retreats and workshops, please send your name and contact details, together with your payment for the day. Please bring a packed lunch. Tea and coffee are provided. Days usually begin at 10am. Unless otherwise indicated please apply in writing or by email hospitality@sistersofthechurch.org.uk
For events with no need to book, please pay on the day.
Any further donations will be gratefully received and will be used for our ministry of hospitality.
Please make cheques payable to the
‘Church Extension Association’,
registered charity no. 200240,
and enclose a stamped addressed envelope if confirmation and/or a receipt is required.
Early booking is advised on all retreats, day and residential, as numbers are limited.
About Us
The Sisters at St Michael’s Convent are members of the Community of the Sisters of the Church, a worldwide Anglican religious order with ministries as far afield as the Solomon Islands, Australia and Canada as well as those in the UK.
Hospitality is an important part of our ministry and we are building on our commitment to this aspect of our work. We have space for group and team meetings, and members of the house are available for spiritual accompaniment. We are committed to renewing interest in the religious life through development of an already successful Alongsider programme.
Our history is associated with education and social work. Today many who come here for a time of quiet reflection are themselves involved in outreach to others. We welcome groups and individuals of any faith. Our convent home offers space in which to rest and re-charge the spirit, find new directions or maybe confirm a present path. Pleasantly situated on Ham Common, close to the River Thames and Richmond Park, we think you will find this an ideal location for retreat and reflection. We are easy to get to as travel connections from London are good. Come and enjoy some God time!
SMALL RESIDENTIAL GROUPS
We are pleased to welcome small residential groups wishing to make a retreat. Our house is popular with cell groups and parish teams seeking a few days of reflection and renewal. A good group-size for us is between 3 and 8. A separate room is made available as a meeting space.
Suggested donation for small residential groups:
£35 for 24 hours for each person, and, £20 per day for use of a meeting room.
IN GENERAL
Suggested donation for guests.
£15 for the day with a meal
£10 for the day without a meal
£35 for 24 hours (residential guests)
Those who are unable to pay this amount may apply for help from a bursary fund resourced by those who are able to pay more - please contact the Hospitality Office. Additional donations for the Community’s work are always welcome!
Cheques: please make payable to the ‘Church Extension Association’.
Spiritual Accompaniment (sometimes called Spiritual Direction).
This is an important part of our ministry and we now have more spiritual directors available. Spiritual accompaniment is offered subject to reasonable notice and an appropriate person being available. We find that those coming for spiritual direction usually offer something between £10 and £30 per session depending on their means.
Counselling/Psychotherapy
A sister is available by appointment.
Please contact Sr Susan on 07846 591 764.
Household details. Most of our meals are taken in silence. Bedrooms are simply and comfortably furnished. Each has a wash hand basin. Bathroom and kitchenette facilities are located on guest corridors. The house is centrally heated. We are pleased to cater for vegetarian and special diets provided that we are given advance notice. Residential guests are asked to bring with them their own towel and soap; this helps us to keep costs down.
Access. A small lift gives access to the guest area and the large meeting room on the first floor. Two external doors can be accessed by ramps. Wheelchair access in the house is limited.
When we are open and closed. Unfortunately it is not possible for us to accommodate Guests or Groups on Mondays. Weekend guests normally leave by 3pm on Sunday. There are also times of the year when we are closed: usually the first part of January, immediately after Easter, and part of August.
HOW TO CONTACT US
Enquiries and bookings may be made by telephone between
10am and 2pm, Monday to Thursday (there is an answer phone which is checked regularly throughout the week), or by email to hospitality@sistersofthechurch.org.uk
Hospitality Team
St. Michael’s Convent
56 Ham Common
Richmond, Surrey
TW10 7JH
020 8940 8711 ext 102
http://www.sistersofthechurch.org/uk
HOW TO FIND US
By Public Transport from Central London:
District Line (London Underground) or train (from Waterloo or by the North London Line) to Richmond Station then Bus No. 65.
From Richmond:
Bus No. 65 (towards Kingston) from outside Richmond station to Ham Gate Avenue. Takes about 15 minutes and costs £2 (less with a Travel or Oyster card). There is also a taxi rank at Richmond Station: approximate cost to convent is £6-£8
From Kingston:
Bus No. 65 (towards Ealing Broadway or Brentford) from the centre of Kingston to Ham Gate Avenue. Takes about 10 minutes and costs £2 (less with a Travel or Oyster card).
By Car:
We are on the A307 between Richmond and Kingston-upon-Thames. We have ample parking.
