How Benedictine monks celebrate Advent and Christmas in the heart of Surrey

Hidden among the wooded hills just south of Guildford lies a place where time moves to the rhythm of prayer - St Augustine’s Abbey, Chilworth, a Roman Catholic Benedictine monastery that welcomes members of the public of all faiths an none. As the first frosts dust the forest paths and Advent candles are lit, the Benedictine monks begin this most sacred and beautiful season of the year.

Here, the celebration of Christmas unfolds not in noise or haste, but in deep silence, timeless ritual and ancient Latin song. It is a place where, as one monk says, “Heaven quietly touches earth.”

A Season of Silence, Prayer and Song

Advent at the Abbey is a season of stillness. Each dawn until after dusk, the monks gather seven times in the candlelit abbey church to sing the Divine Office - the daily round of prayer in Latin and Gregorian Chant, as it has been sung for over fifteen hundred years.

The haunting beauty of the chant rising and falling like the breathing of the Church itself fills the stone arches of the Abbey church. Its words are ancient, its melodies drawn from Scripture and its rhythm shaped by silence. Throughout Advent, the monks chant the psalms, readings and prayers of expectation preparing, not only for a feast but for the birth of Christ.

“Gregorian Chant is prayer made music,” says one monk. “It carries us beyond words into the mystery of God.”

Ancient Wisdom Alive Today

The life of the monks of Chilworth is rooted in the Rule of St Benedict, written in the sixth century, a spiritual guide whose 1,500 year old wisdom still speaks powerfully to the modern world. It teaches balance, humility, hospitality and prayer: a life both human and divine. 

At St Augustine’s Abbey, Chilworth, visitors can still glimpse this living tradition - monks all dressed in their black habits moving silently to the choir stalls, the tolling of the bell calling to prayer, the rhythm of ora et labora (work and prayer).

To witness the monks chanting the Divine Office in Latin is to stand within a living thread of continuity unbroken since the early centuries of the Church with more and more people wanting to experience this ancient wisdom in an ever challenging outside modern world. 

Gifts from the Abbey Workshop

Hidden behind the cloister walls, the monks’ life of prayer is balanced with simple manual work - labora. In their small monastic workshop, the Community handcrafts natural beeswax skin creams and lip balms, made from beeswax and blended with pure essential oils.

These soothing, natural products are sold all over the world through the Abbey website and select local partners, including Natural Light Wellness Spa at the Holiday Inn, Guildford, and make ideal Christmas gifts - simple, sustainable and made with prayerful care. Each container carries something of the peace and purity of monastic life. Purchasing them helps support the monks’ life of prayer and the upkeep of the historic Abbey.  Have a browse in our shop here.

The Beauty of Advent and Christmas – diary dates for 2025

Advent Carol Service - Sunday 14 December, 3.30pm 

The highlight of the season for many visitors is the Advent Carol Service, when the Abbey church is filled with the sound of Gregorian Chant and traditional carols sung in Latin and English. The candlelit service evokes the mystery and hope of Advent, followed by a rare glimpse of the enclosed monastery cloister with warm refreshments and a Monastic Produce stall offering handmade beeswax creams, balms and gifts made by the monks.

The Midnight Mass - Christmas Eve 11.30pm 

On Christmas Eve, the Abbey bells ring out across the valley. From 11.30 pm, carols are sung before the Midnight Mass, when the monks and congregation gather to celebrate the birth of Christ. The church glows with candlelight, the chant of Gloria in excelsis Deo filling the air - timeless, reverent and radiant with joy.

“For us,” a monk reflects, “Christmas is not about noise or decoration. It is about waiting, listening and discovering again that God is near - in stillness, in humility and in love.”

The Abbey Calendar - Advent & Christmas 2025

St Augustine’s Abbey, Chilworth

Sunday 30 November – 10 am Mass
First Sunday of Advent

14th Anniversary of the arrival of the Benedictines at Chilworth

Saturday 6 December – 10.30 am–12.20 pm | Assisi Room
Catholicism Study Morning

The Mystery of God: Who God Is and Why He Matters by Bishop Robert Barron
Presentation by Fr John Seddon OSB
£10 per person – advance booking essential via TicketSource

Sunday 7 December – 10 am Mass
Second Sunday of Advent

Monday 8 December – 9 am Mass
Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary

Sunday 14 December – 10 am Mass
Third Sunday of Advent

Advent Carol Service with Gregorian Chant – 3.30 pm

Followed by Refreshments in the Cloister and Monastic Produce Stall

Sunday 21 December – 10 am Mass
Fourth Sunday of Advent

Wednesday 24 December – Christmas Eve

Midnight Mass (Carols from 11.30 pm)

Thursday 25 December – 10 am Mass
Solemnity of the Nativity of the Lord – Christmas Day (Holy Day of Obligation)

All are warmly welcome to join us for the beauty, peace and prayer of Advent and Christmas at St Augustine’s Abbey, Chilworth.

Did You Know? - The Abbey All Year Round

• Daily Mass is celebrated at 9am (Sunday at 10am followed by coffee with the monks) - members of the public are welcome.
• The monks pray the Divine Office seven times daily, often sung in Latin Gregorian Chant, open to all who wish to join them.
• Confession is available regularly and the Abbey offers study days, public talks and retreats throughout the year.
• Guests are invited to stay on retreat in the peaceful monastic guesthouse, sharing in the quiet rhythm of prayer, rest and renewal.
• To discover more, visit www.chilworthbenedictines.com.

A Place of Peace and Welcome

Beyond Christmas, the Abbey remains a sanctuary of stillness and spiritual renewal - a place where ancient chant continues to rise daily from the Surrey Hills, carrying the prayers of the monks and their guests. Many who visit St Augustine’s Abbey, Chilworth find not only beauty and history, but something far more precious: peace that modern life struggles to give.

Visit St Augustine’s Abbey, Chilworth

Address: St Augustine’s Abbey, Sample Oak Lane, Chilworth, Guildford, Surrey GU4 8QR
Website: www.chilworthbenedictines.com
Guests & Visitors: All are welcome for Mass, quiet time and overnight stays on retreat.
Vocation Enquiries: Those discerning a call to monastic life are invited to explore the Abbey’s online quiz.