The bells in the Buckfast Abbey Tower were given by Sir Robert Harvey. Emma Oxford, one of his relatives was present for the festival. In the photographs she is seen in the tower and in the Abbey Library where there is a bronze bust of Sir Robert. There are 15 bells in the tower with a full peal of 12 bells, 2 semitones and a Bourden bell. The Bourden bell is 7 and a half tonnes. During the ringing there was a live feed from both the ringing chamber and the bell chamber so that visitors did not have to climb the 192 steps to see the action!
Summer Food Fair. Live cookery demonstrations with John Hughes, Ethan Clarke, David Beazley, Jim Fisher from Exeter Cookery School, Richard Hunt and with Fun Kitchen cookery workshops for children!
Students from the Plymouth Catholic Senior Schools were entertained by 4Front Theatre Group with a presentation of the Fisherman's Tail. On the Sea of Galilee, Local fishermen Simon, Andrew, James & John tell a tale to beat them all, it involves a fishing competition, wherein a strange man appears .... The students also had an opportunity to explore the new interactive Monastic Way that offers an understanding of the monastic way of life.
To celebrate the Abbey’s Millennium, the Education Department hosted the second ever Buckfast Abbey Storytelling Festival. It was a 4-day festival from the 5th-8th July 2018.The 5th and 6th were School Days when we welcomed around 700 children a day from schools across Devon who took part in workshops with extremely talented storytellers and performers. The 7th and 8th were Family Days with activities going on across the site and sessions with storytellers and performers throughout the day. Sunday the 8th featured a full length play “The First King of England…in a Dress!” from theatre company Snail Tales about King Cnut (who gave the foundation charter to Buckfast Abbey).
Solemn Vespers to celebrate the Millennium of the Foundation Charter with Civic and Ecumenical guests.
Service in the Abbey Church for the 25th Anniversary of Families for Children and also to mark the retirement of Caroline Davis, Chief Executive Officer for the last 25th years.
Run to the Son "I will put my spirit in you and you shall live". A weekend for Transformation and Mission - A night vigil of prayer with an outdoor midnight procession of the Blessed Sacrament. Followed by a dawn Mass in the Blessed Sacrament Chapel celebrated by Bishop Mark O'Toole.
We were delighted to welcome Bishop Mark to Buckfast on Sunday 10th June 2018 to confer the Sacrament of Confirmation on six of our young people. Here are some photos of a really joyous occasion for the whole parish.
Bishop Mark O'Toole of Plymouth officiated at Evening Prayer for the Solemnity of Corpus Christi and the Outdoor Procession.
A number of photographs from the beginning of the Solemn Mass.
The garden created by the Gardens Department at Buckfast was first displayed at the Royal Horticultural Society 2017 - Malvern Spring Festival - it won the RHS Show Garden SILVER MEDAL and also the BEST IN SHOW from the public vote. It has been rebuilt at Buckfast and was blessed by Father Prior on Saturday 2nd June, at the start of the Garden Fayre.
The garden created by the Gardens Department at Buckfast was first displayed at the Royal Horticultural Society 2017 - Malvern Spring Festival - it won the RHS Show Garden SILVER MEDAL and also the BEST IN SHOW from the public vote. It has been rebuilt at Buckfast and was blessed by Father Prior on Saturday 2nd June, at the start of the Garden Fayre.
Holy Mass celebrated by His Eminence Cardinal Francis Arinze in the presence of the Papal Legate, His Eminence Cardinal Anders Arborelius O.C.D. The photographs show the reception of Our Holy Father Pope Francis' Extraordinary Envoy at the West Doors of the Abbey Church. Abbot David of Buckfast offered the crucifix and Bishop Mark of Plymouth offered the holy water to the Legate, who was then led into the church while the Abbey Choir sang 'Ecce Sacerdos magnus' by Anton Bruckner. Following the welcome by Abbot David and the reading of the letter from Pope Francis, Cardinal Arinze proceeded with the Mass of Thanksgiving.
The Grand Opening Organ Recital of the Ruffatti Organs by Martin Baker, Master of Music, Westminster Cathedral.
The Abbey Choir performed four new compositions of the first line of Psalm 41 'Sicut cervus', 'Like the deer that yearns for running streams, so my soul is yearning for you, my God'. This is the Abbey motto. (Buckfast Abbey lies in the valley of the River Dart and the name Buckfast comes from the Anglo Saxon for land of the deer. Deer still roam in the lands around the Abbey.) The four finalists were Sarah Cattley, David Lewis, Llian Lundbery and Jack Oades. The winner of the 'Young Composers' Competition' was Jack Oades.
The Monastic Way is an interactive presentation of the Benedictine way of life and how it is lived at Buckfast.
Two group photographs of those involved with Monastic Hospitality at many of the monasteries of the British Isles and some photos of the demonstration of the new organ by Philip Arkwright, Master of the Music at Buckfast.
