Monks in the City

02/06/2026

A Benedictine Guide to the Future

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qzji53W6bPs

The 2026 Charles Gore Lecture: ‘Lord, we do not know where you are going’: A Benedictine Guide to the Future, with Abbot Christopher Jamison OSB. (former Abbot of Worth Abbey, to which the Monks in the City belong, and Abbot President of the English Benedictine Congregation).

The desire for stability in an uncertain world is as strong as ever. The difficulty of conversations between opposing factions is getting harder. In a culture of self-fulfilment, obedience is no longer seen as a virtue. Yet for 1,500 years Benedictine monks and nuns have been taking vows of stability, conversation and obedience, and their monasteries have outlasted powerful dynasties and regimes. In this lecture, Abbot Christopher explored what this tradition offers people today as they experience not simply ‘an era of change but a change of era’ (Pope Francis).

Abbot Chrisopher Jamison is a monk and currently serves as Abbot President of the English Benedictine Congregation to which Westminster Abbey once belonged. He has worked as a theology teacher and a head teacher, and was Abbot of Worth Abbey. He is best known for his work in media and is a trustee of CTVC, a company specialising in religious and ethical media production. His books include Finding Sanctuary, Finding Happiness, and Finding the Language of Grace.

Charles Gore Lectures

Charles Gore (1853-1932) was a Canon of Westminster between 1894 and 1902. As a memorial to him an endowment fund for a series of annual lectures was established and since 1935 a lecture has been held at the Abbey almost every year.

The 2026 Charles Gore Lecture: 'Lord, we do not know where you are going': A Benedictine Guide to the Future, with Abbot Christopher Jamison OSB.The desire f...

22/05/2026

Our next Saturday Sanctuary, a morning of fellowship, reflection, prayer and silence, takes place on 6th June.
Take time out to reflect and pray with the monks. Led by Fr Peter.

Gather in the Fitzherbert Community Hub, (adjacent to St John the Baptist’s Church, Kemptown BN2 1AP)​.

11:00am Refreshments and Fellowship.

11:15am Lectio Divina, time for reflection, time of prayer.

12:45pm Concludes with Monastic Midday Prayer in church.

22/05/2026

Fr Aidan (right) took an active part in the ‘Thy Kingdom Come’ prayer gathering on Thursday, May 21st, at St. Peter’s Church in Brighton, together with the other Monks in the City and representatives from many local churches around Brighton and Hove.
Thy Kingdom Come (TKC) is a global ecumenical prayer movement that invites Christians around the world to pray from Ascension to Pentecost for more people to come to know Jesus.
https://www.churchofengland.org/resources/thy-kingdom-come

20/05/2026

Yesterday's Monk Talk by Fr Peter on 'Contemplative Prayer - The Way of Humility' was a great success with over 30 people attending and experiencing how to pray in the way of contemplation.
The second in the series of three talks on Contemplative Prayer is on 16th June: The Way of Wholeness.

14/05/2026

Another horse drawn hearse for a funeral Mass in our church today...

14/05/2026

Milan reimagines a Monastery in the City:

The new Ambrosian Monastery emerges from a broader reflection within the Diocese of Milan about how the church can inhabit contemporary urban transformations. The Ambrosian Monastery places itself within MIND’s world of technology and research, opening space for conversations around care, ethics, coexistence, and what progress should actually mean for society.

During the presentation of the project, Archbishop Mario Delpini described MIND as a place where ‘knowledge, research, talent, business, entertainment, nature and life’ converge, arguing that spaces for reflection and transcendence remain essential within rapidly changing cities.

For Stefano Boeri (architect), the project ultimately aims to translate openness into architectural form. ‘We intended to shape the new Ambrosian Monastery with a unified and open architecture,’ the architect explains, ‘whose spatiality would represent the embrace of the new church, the transparent prism of the Library of Religions, and the triangular cloister of the Garden of Faiths.’

Rising from the cloister is the new trigonal-plan church, designed to host between 300 and 350 worshippers. Its ascending roofline recalls the verticality of Milan Cathedral, transforming the structure into what the architects describe as a large sail-like form embracing the entire complex. The church is accompanied by community spaces and residences for a small pastoral group that will maintain the liturgical rhythm and daily activities of the monastery.

Stefano Boeri’s design for milan’s future knowledge district At the center of Milan’s rapidly evolving MIND Milano Innovation District, Stefano Boeri Architetti proposes a different kind of civic infrastructure through the Ambrosian Monastery, conceived as a place where a single architectural...

13/05/2026

News reached us this morning about the bodies of three young women pulled from sea off our part of Brighton beach:
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c0e29n94ze4o
At Mass and Vespers today, we prayed for the repose of their souls and for divine consolation for their bereaved relations and friends. May they rest in peace.

Brighton beach is closed after police launch inquiry into what they describe as a "tragic incident".

13/05/2026

A very pleasant afternoon above Rottingdean Village. The Monks in the City spent a pleasant day in St Martha's Convent Retreat House https://stmarthasconvent.org.uk/ earlier this week.
The view from Beacon Hill Nature Reserve above the Village was impressive...

13/05/2026

A dramatic downpour of rain and hail this morning had clients of our Junk Food Café scurrying inside...

08/05/2026

Following a recent silent retreat at Worth Abbey, a retreatant gives an enthusiastic encouragement to go on a monastic retreat...

https://www.instagram.com/p/DX913GqIe5l/

Note that the Monks in the City are inviting participants form Brighton on a Day Retreat at Worth Abbey on Saturday 20th June. Check out the relevant post or look on our website.