A much-loved group of nuns have been forced out of their Bulwell home, and will leave Nottingham altogether after failing to raise enough money to replace their dilapidated premises.
The Poor Clare Sisters have been fundraising for a new home for many years, to replace their current monastery, next to Our Lady's Church on Brooklyn Road.
In May 2021, the 14 sisters revealed they had raised £20,000 in a matter of weeks to help with repairs to the roof, a water pipe and mouldy ceilings. Mother Damian said at the time that the future of the monastery - founded in 1927 - was somewhat in God's hands and that the sisters had a "mission to pray for people, that is what we do".
"We have just got to get on with life, we don't think about being safe or not safe.
"We are grateful we have still got part of the house that is not leaking, we have got a roof over our head and we have a dinner each day. We are grateful for those sorts of things.," she said.
However, it appears the situation has deteriorated to such an extent that the nuns have now been forced to move out of the city completely.
The Church of Good Shepherd in Woodthorpe posted an update from the Poor Clare Sisters on Facebook on April 22, which read: "It is with great joy that we, your Poor Clare Sisters of Nottingham, write to you to say that after much searching we have finally found a new home.
"Unfortunately, nothing could be found for us in the Diocese of Nottingham nor could we raise enough money to build a monastery in the Diocese. We have had to look further afield and have purchased the Poor Clare Convent in Hereford with the money we received from the sale of Hawarden.”
The post added that the funds raised would go towards refurbishing the infirmary and other structural adjustments in the new monastery.
Sister Deed from the Convent of Poor Clares Gravelines in Hereford confirmed the nuns from Bulwell’s Poor Clare monastery would be joining them. She said: “We are happy to see more nuns here, we’re sorry Nottingham are losing them. So far we have nine nuns from Nottingham with us with more coming to this new monastery which is brand new from 1995.”
It is believed that most of the nuns moved out of Nottingham on May 1 2023. The email address for the monastery: community@marianhouseoftheholyspiritpcc.org will remain the same.
Signs remain up for the Poor Clares Monastery. People in the area have expressed their sadness at the news.
Eloise Gardener, 33 has lived in Bulwell her whole life. The sales assistant would sometimes see members of the Poor Monastery.
She said: “I hadn’t seen them [the nuns] in ages but they were lovely, they would smile and wave at you and always say ‘good day.’ I think it's a shame that they’ve had to leave.
“I'm not particularly religious but I understand how important religion is and they’ve dedicated their lives to living the way they do. They at least deserved a building worth living in.”
Steve Witts, 60, also lives in Bulwell. He was sad to hear the nuns had to leave.
Steve said: “I think they should have stayed, surely they could have got funding from the council. I haven’t seen a nun for a while but I’m sure they’re upset they’ve had to leave.”
Nurse Jo Lowley, 43, from Bulwell, said: “They were lovely the nuns, I remember walking past a bunch of Sisters with my daughter once and it was like she was in awe, of them because obviously, you don’t see a nun everyday but its awful they’ve had to move out, they were there for so long.”
The Diocese of Nottingham said: “We have been truly blessed to have this 'Power House' of prayer within our Diocese, and it is with both sadness and immense gratitude that we say farewell and give thanks to God for the mission and spiritual life of the Poor Clare Sisters here in Nottingham. As the Sisters now move to Hereford, we ask you to join us all in praying for a smooth and safe transition, and for the community, that it may flourish in its new location.
“The Poor Clares were the only Enclosed Contemplative Community of Sisters in the Diocese of Nottingham and have, since their arrival here, been a well-known and loved part of our diocesan family. The Sisters have always been involved in the life of the parish community in Bulwell, with their monastery, founded in 1927, pre-dating the building of Our Lady of Perpetual Succour Catholic Church on Brooklyn Road.”
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