Madonna House
Robin Hood’s Bay, North Yorkshire, England
In the 1950's, the Catholic Diocese of Middlesbrough purchased land containing a Victorian house in Robin Hood's Bay, a coastal fishing village and tourist destination in North Yorkshire. A room of the house was converted into a chapel used by the local people and cared for by a priest from Whitby.
In the mid 1980's, Bishop Augustine Harris wished to have a pastoral centre here. Having heard about Madonna House, he contacted us, and in 1985, we were given responsibility for the chapel. Madonna House is fortunate to have the use of this house as our home in England. Usually one of our priests is in residence to serve the parish.
Our communal way of life is lived in an atmosphere where the symbols of our faith are prominent, and our lives are nourished with prayer, study and daily tasks done in the spirit of the Gospel.
When Madonna House comes to another country such as England, learning about that land's Christian traditions and being enriched by them is part of our apostolate. We have a lending library and books are available for people to borrow. In our chapel we honour, with carvings, some saints of the North: St. Bede, St. Margaret Clitheroe and Blessed Nicholas Postage. We hope our home will also be a place where we can share our rich traditions.
The emphasis of this house is on hospitality and also on prayer, with rooms available for poustinias. Father Bob Wild, the Madonna House priest who opened the house, put it in a local context:
“By praying, you are entering into a very ancient and holy tradition. You are in the land of Hilda and Cuthbert and Bede. Countless forest and mountain and isle dwellers of England are praying here with you. I don't believe any lasting renewal of our world can be effected without a return to our interior depths, to meet again there Jesus, the source of all Truth and Wisdom and Life.
“All around you — in Whitby, Rievaulx, Mt. Grace, Fountains, Byland, Guisborough — lay the seeds of renewal. They were planted by your ancestors and they are still here. Your faith and love can make a whole new Christian culture spring up again. The spark must come from your own heart — contact with Christ: your heart rubbing up against his and producing new fire. Isn't that why you have come?”
Poustinia is only one of the reasons people come to Madonna House. Many also drop in to share a cup of tea and meet in the heart of Christ. They come to talk about the things that matter to them, and to ask for prayers.
Catherine Doherty often used the term “hospitality of the heart.” We hope it is not presumptuous on our part to want to offer just that.
Our house has attracted many groups who come for days of recollection which include Mass, adoration of the Blessed Sacrament, talks and quiet time. A bag lunch and walk to the beautiful sea and the quaint village of Robin Hood's Bay often completes the day. (There is no charge, but donations are gratefully accepted, as we try to live on the providence of God.)
Any group interested in such a day can contact us, but people are welcome to drop in any time for a cup of tea, to spend time in our chapel, talk about the Lord or some personal aspect of their lives, or simply share in our community life.
We also accept invitations for speaking engagements elsewhere, but in the end, our most important work remains that of loving one another. Our community life here is simple. We see ourselves as being called to live a Nazareth type of life, which is a hidden life.
