THE P RTAL


May 2012


Here am I Lord THE PORTAL talks to


Mother Damian and Sister Juliana of the Ty Mam Duw Poor Clares


HERE AT THE PORTAL we receive lots of post. Some of it is welcome, some is not. But when the package from the Poor Clares in North Wales landed on the desk, we were intrigued. It contained a DVD. Naturally, we watched the DVD, before contacting Reverend Mother Damian. A contemplative and enclosed Order, it seems they offer Vespers every Monday evening for the Ordinariate. We had to delve deeper.


Te Poor Clares


were founded in 1212 by Saint Clare, obviously, and by Saint Francis of Assisi. Tus the Poor Clares are celebrating eighth


their centenary!


Saint Clare died in 1253, but this branch of the Order was reformed by Saint Collette in the early fiſteenth century. Henry VII was an enthusiastic supporter of the Order, but it was not until 1853 that the Collettine Poor Clares came to London from Bruges at the invitation of Mgr (later Cardinal) Manning.


Ty Mam Duw Ty Mam Duw means “House of the Mother of God”


and was founded in London in 1928 by Mother Felix Clare Vaughan (niece of Cardinal Vaughan) before transferring to Hawarden in North Wales. Hawarden is just twelve miles from Chester and eighteen miles from Wrexham, the Monastery is in a beautiful setting. Strangely the road reminds one of many a suburban street. But there, about half-way down is the gate and the sign to the Poor Clare Monastery. Tere is a Guest House, and a beautiful Chapel of course.Te first Abbess was Mother Cherubina Clare de Morla, who was born in Ecuador. Te international element of the Community continues to this day.


At present there are thirteen in the Order. Coming


from various backgrounds and places of origin, more than half of them are converts to Catholicism. Two have Jewish b ac k g r o un d s and two have been


members


of the Anglican Communion; most emerged from post-modern non- belief.


The


Ordinariate is wonderful


Mother Damian


thinks the Ordinariate is wonderful. “My Mother was a Catholic, but Father was not, so there was many a ruction over the Catholic Faith. Could Te Ordinariate be the re-birth of the Catholic Faith in the UK? When the Holy Father spoke in Westminster Hall, it was so moving, we felt the Anglicans and the Catholic Church were getting together at their roots. Ten the Holy Father at Lambeth Palace and in Westminster Abbey with the Archbishop of Canterbury; they seemed at one.”


Te Order was clearly impressed with Benedict


XVI’s visit. Sister Juliana said, “We sat in front of the television and watched the lot. We lived on sandwiches for three days!”


Mother Damian considered the historical context


when Pope Benedict XVI spoke in Westminster Hall. “It was where all the splits had come, in that Hall. But


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