Where we are in the UK
Today our presence is felt in two centres within the UK, at Iver Heath and Holywell.
Iver Heath
The house at Iver Heath, located just outside London in Buckinghamshire, was established as a convent in 1931 when a group of five sisters were sent to England from the house of St Bridget in Rome to a property offered to the Order by a lifelong married friend of St Elizabeth Hesseblad, Marie Cisneros Potter. It was a small but elegant Tudor-style property that stood near woodlands and by a country lane, close to the small, historic town of Fulmer. Over the years the house was enlarged, including the addition of a beautiful chapel.
The first Abbess of the new convent was Mother Katherine Flanagan, who had been working alongside St Elizabeth and had been in charge of the Bridgettine convent in Lugano, Italy. The first years of the foundation were tough, including times of real poverty and privation. Nonetheless, trust in God's Providence, and the generosity of local people, helped see the sisters through. Under Mother Katherine's prudent guidance, Iver Heath became well established, and its chapel became in effect the parish church of the area as there was no other Catholic church in the vicinity. Today the Sisters' chapel continues to serve the needs of the local parish.
Holywell
The convent at Holywell provides hospitality and accomodation for pilgrims to the Welsh medieval place of pilgrimage, St. Winifride's Well, Holywell. The Sisters took over and remodelled two properties with their own histories - the old hospice known as St Winefride's Pilgrims Rest and the adjoining Ave Maria Hall. The former is now the new Guest House known as St Winefride's House, the latter is the Convent proper. Both were opened in 2008.
St Winefride's Well
St Winefride's Well is the most famous 'healing' well in Great Britain, and is the only such shrine to survive the Reformation as a place of public pilgrimage throughout Penal times. It has thus a continuous history of public pilgrimage for over 13 centuries and is popularly known as the "Lourdes of Wales." It is located in Holywell, Flintshire in North Wales.
According to legend, St Winefride's Well first sprung up on the spot where the Saint was assaulted and struck down by the sword of a certain Caradog. Restored to life as a result of the prayers of her uncle St Beuno, Winefride lived as a nun thereafter for another 22 years. The extraordinary and enduring personality of this 7th-century Welsh lady has meant that she has been venerated as a saint ever since the moment of her death.
To read more about the history of the Well, please visit www.saintwinefrideswell.com.
History of Hospitality - House for Pilgrims
Historically, pilgrims including the sick would stay at whatever accommodation they could find in the vicinity of the well, usually at one of the numerous inns in and around the town of Holywell. It was long recognised, however, that a special place of welcome should be made available for the sick. In more modern times a hospice for the sick and poor was opened in 1870 and was run by the Sisters of Charity of St Paul the Apostle (whose main house was in Birmingham). In still more recent times it transformed into a Catholic guest house, and became known as "St Winefride's Pilgrims Rest". When the Sisters of Charity could no longer provide the personnel to run the house, it was given to the Bridgettine sisters after the house had been modernised and made suitable for 21st century pilgrims. It was opened for guests in 2008.
Iver Heath
The house at Iver Heath, located just outside London in Buckinghamshire, was established as a convent in 1931 when a group of five sisters were sent to England from the house of St Bridget in Rome to a property offered to the Order by a lifelong married friend of St Elizabeth Hesseblad, Marie Cisneros Potter. It was a small but elegant Tudor-style property that stood near woodlands and by a country lane, close to the small, historic town of Fulmer. Over the years the house was enlarged, including the addition of a beautiful chapel.
The first Abbess of the new convent was Mother Katherine Flanagan, who had been working alongside St Elizabeth and had been in charge of the Bridgettine convent in Lugano, Italy. The first years of the foundation were tough, including times of real poverty and privation. Nonetheless, trust in God's Providence, and the generosity of local people, helped see the sisters through. Under Mother Katherine's prudent guidance, Iver Heath became well established, and its chapel became in effect the parish church of the area as there was no other Catholic church in the vicinity. Today the Sisters' chapel continues to serve the needs of the local parish.
Holywell
The convent at Holywell provides hospitality and accomodation for pilgrims to the Welsh medieval place of pilgrimage, St. Winifride's Well, Holywell. The Sisters took over and remodelled two properties with their own histories - the old hospice known as St Winefride's Pilgrims Rest and the adjoining Ave Maria Hall. The former is now the new Guest House known as St Winefride's House, the latter is the Convent proper. Both were opened in 2008.
St Winefride's Well
St Winefride's Well is the most famous 'healing' well in Great Britain, and is the only such shrine to survive the Reformation as a place of public pilgrimage throughout Penal times. It has thus a continuous history of public pilgrimage for over 13 centuries and is popularly known as the "Lourdes of Wales." It is located in Holywell, Flintshire in North Wales.
According to legend, St Winefride's Well first sprung up on the spot where the Saint was assaulted and struck down by the sword of a certain Caradog. Restored to life as a result of the prayers of her uncle St Beuno, Winefride lived as a nun thereafter for another 22 years. The extraordinary and enduring personality of this 7th-century Welsh lady has meant that she has been venerated as a saint ever since the moment of her death.
To read more about the history of the Well, please visit www.saintwinefrideswell.com.
History of Hospitality - House for Pilgrims
Historically, pilgrims including the sick would stay at whatever accommodation they could find in the vicinity of the well, usually at one of the numerous inns in and around the town of Holywell. It was long recognised, however, that a special place of welcome should be made available for the sick. In more modern times a hospice for the sick and poor was opened in 1870 and was run by the Sisters of Charity of St Paul the Apostle (whose main house was in Birmingham). In still more recent times it transformed into a Catholic guest house, and became known as "St Winefride's Pilgrims Rest". When the Sisters of Charity could no longer provide the personnel to run the house, it was given to the Bridgettine sisters after the house had been modernised and made suitable for 21st century pilgrims. It was opened for guests in 2008.
