St Alban’s Student Received into Full Communion
May 28, 2025
Cathedral Lifts Hearts for Ascension of the Lord
May 30, 2025
Bishop Peter Collins was joined by 37 priests from across the Diocese of East Anglia for this year’s annual clergy retreat — a five-day period of prayer, study and fraternity.
The retreat was held at the peaceful High Leigh Christian Conference Centre in Hoddesdon, Hertfordshire, a historic retreat venue set in beautiful grounds that provided the perfect setting for rest and reflection.
Leading the retreat was Fr Richard Ounsworth OP, a Dominican Friar and biblical scholar. Currently serving as parish priest in Leicester, Fr Richard has taught for many years at Oxford University and brought both theological depth and pastoral sensitivity to the retreat. Each day, his talks invited clergy to revisit and meditate on key passages of Scripture, drawing fresh connections between the Old and New Testaments. He encouraged participants to deepen their understanding of how Christ is revealed throughout the whole of the Bible, and to read the Old Testament through the lens of the New.
The converted barn chapel at High Leigh became the spiritual heart of the retreat, where clergy gathered daily for morning and evening prayer, celebrated Mass, and concluded each day with a holy hour, Compline and Benediction.
In addition to the spiritual nourishment, the retreat offered ample opportunity for priests to enjoy one another’s company, relax in the serene surroundings, and strengthen the bonds of fraternity. The fine weather and natural beauty of the setting added to the grace-filled atmosphere of the week.
The retreat was a blessed time of renewal — spiritually rich, prayerfully reflective, and deeply supportive of the pastoral mission shared by our diocesan clergy.
