Join the monks in prayer during St Benedict Week (5-13 July 2025)

Inviting you to join Chilworth's Benedictine monks in prayer, Rt Rev Dom Paulinus Greenwood OSB, Abbot of St Augustine’s Abbey Chilworth, says:

"As we join Benedictine monasteries in celebrating St Benedict Week (5-13 July 2025), we give thanks for 1,500 years of the Rule of St Benedict—a living tradition of prayer, hospitality and stability that continues to speak powerfully to our restless and distracted age. Here at St Augustine’s Abbey, Chilworth near Guildford, our doors are open every day of the year, from before dawn to after dusk, for members of the public who wish to share in the beauty of Divine Office often sung in Latin, attend Holy Mass or simply find stillness in sacred space.

"In the silence of the cloister and the unceasing rhythm of prayer, something extraordinary happens: the heart begins to listen. Monastic silence is not an escape from the world, but an opening to God. In the stillness, distractions fall away, and the soul learns once more how to seek Him who is beyond all noise. We believe this is one of the great treasures of the Benedictine life—a silence that is not empty, but full of presence.

"Whether you come for a moment of peace or a longer retreat in our guesthouse, we warmly invite you to encounter the depth and beauty of this ancient way of life. Let the rhythm of prayer and sacred silence draw you into another world—a world where God is at the centre and the soul finds rest.

"With very sincere thanks to the Lay Community of St Benedict for its tremendous support and work.”