Prinknash Abbey
Abbey of Our Lady & Saint Peter
GLOUCESTER
England
Foundation
1896 – Anglican church
1913 – Catholic church
Administrator Abbot
d. Cutberth Brogan
Abbot of St. Michael’s Abbey, Farnborough
Prinknash Abbey
Cranham
Gloucester
GL4 8EX England UK
Official website
Characteristics
Community of Prinknash
The Monastery
Set in the beautiful English Cotswolds (South West Midlands) the monastery occupies a medieval house built by the Abbot of Gloucester in 1520.
Once very numerous, the community now numbers 8 members, with the possibility of some young vocations.
The monastery is situated within the Catholic Diocese of Clifton (Bristol).
The History
Founded in the Anglican Communion in 1896, the community moved to various places, eventually settling on Caldey Island, off Tenby, South Wales, in 1906.
Difficulties with the Anglican Church led to almost the whole community becoming Catholic in 1913 with the help of Blessed Abbot Columba Marmion of the Abbey of Maredsous.
The community entered the Subiaco Congregation definitively in 1933. It became an Abbey in 1937.
A large monastery was built in the 1960’s to accommodate what was then a growing community. But this was abandoned in 2008 and the monks returned to the old monastery on the same site.
It has made three foundations: St Michael’s Abbey, Farnborough (1947); Pluscarden Abbey, Elgin, Scotland (1948); Kristo Buase Monastery, Ghana, West Africa (1989).
The Activities
The community manufactures the world famous Prinknash Incense.
Male guests are received.
The monastery has a visitors centre for day guests. In this place, various spiritual talks are given by the monks and others.
There is an Art Studio and one of the monks give painting lessons.
A flourishing community of lay oblates meets once a month. Practising Christians of other ecclesial communities are allowed to join the oblates, provided they observe the Catholic rules about intercommunion.