Services in the Abbey Church
Guests are welcome to join the monks for Office in the Abbey Church – times are set out below. The best entrance is from the North Transept, via the Narthex. If you wish to join the singing, we would ask you do so softly and follow the pace set by the monks. With the exception of Matins, all the Offices are usually sung, the cantors alternating with the choir. Guests are asked to arrive no earlier than 5 minutes before the start of an Office (when the bell goes and the lights go up) and to take their place in Choir quietly – the stalls nearest the High Altar are for guests. At the end of an Office, please allow the monks to leave first.
Guests are asked to follow the Community’s movements of kneeling, standing and sitting, but without the obligation of participating in the more complex rubrics of turning and bowing. Each guest will find the Office books in the stalls. There are separate books for Sunday Lauds, Midday Office (Prayer during the Day) and Compline and Vespers (Vesperale Monasticum).
| Term | Holidays | Sundays |
Matins | 6.00 am | 6.00 am | 6.45 am |
Quiet Prayer |
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Lauds | 7.30 am | 7.30 am | 8.00 am |
Breakfast | 8.00 am | 8.00 am | 8.30 am |
Office during the Day | 8.45 am | - | - |
Conventual Mass | 12.35 pm | 9.00 am | 10.00 am |
Office during the Day | - | 1.00 pm | 12.50 pm |
Lunch | 1.15 pm | 1.15 pm | 1.05 pm |
Vespers*** | 6.00 pm | 6.00 pm | 6.20 pm with Benediction |
Lectio / Quiet Prayer |
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Supper ** | 6.30 pm | 6.30 pm | 7.00 pm |
Tuesday Supper | 7.00pm |
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Compline* | 8.15 pm | 8.15 pm | 8.15 pm |
*** On most Tuesdays, Vespers is celebrated at 6.30pm. Please check with the
Hospitality staff
** Community supper is at 7.00 pm every evening
* On most Fridays during term, Compline is replaced by Schola Mass at 8.00 pm
A tour of the Abbey Church takes place most Thursdays at 2.15pm and takes approx 1 hour. Please ask in reception for further details. An Abbey guide book may be purchased at other times from reception, or from outside the Abbey Church.
For a list of term dates click here.
In the few days after Christmas Day and Easter Sunday, and also during Conventual Chapters, the times can be rather different. Please contact us if you are intending to pray with us then.