Abbot Paulinus' chosen charity appeal 2026
Supporting young men from poorer parts of South America to discern a Benedictine vocation through accompaniment, travel and pastoral care
In 2026, the monks of St Augustine’s Abbey, Chilworth near Guildford in Surrey mark a year of thanksgiving shaped by both community and continuity.
At its heart are several significant milestones in the life of the current Abbot, Abbot Paulinus Greenwood OSB: the 30th anniversary of his monastic profession and the Silver Jubilee of his priestly ordination. These coincide with 15 years since Benedictine monks returned to Chilworth, restoring a living tradition of prayer, stability and hospitality that now touches several hundred people each year.
For Abbot Paulinus and the Monastic Community, these anniversaries are not occasions for personal celebration. Instead, they have become an opportunity to give thanks by looking forward, not back.
Over recent years, Abbot Paulinus has been closely involved in accompanying young men in poorer parts of South America who feel drawn to Benedictine life. Their faith is often strong and their desire sincere, but for many, the practical realities of poverty make discernment impossible. Travel costs, distance from families and the absence of pastoral accompaniment mean that genuine vocations can simply fade away.
This project exists to change that.
The appeal supports the accompaniment of vocations: funding travel, pastoral visits and practical support so that young men and their families can explore a possible calling with care, freedom and dignity. It allows time for listening, prayer and discernment - the Roman Catholic Benedictine way - without poverty being the deciding factor.
This Year of Thanksgiving therefore becomes an act of hope. It is a way of honouring Abbot Paulinus’s milestones by supporting what has always mattered most to him: the future of monastic life and the careful nurturing of vocation.
All who support this work do so freely and without pressure and are remembered daily in the prayer of the monks of St Augustine’s Abbey, Chilworth.
Our hope is to raise £6,000 to support six months of vocation accompaniment. Thank you if you feel able to help.
At the heart of the appeal is a simple conviction:
A genuine calling should never be lost to poverty.
