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00:02For generations, Benedictine monks and nuns have devoted themselves not just to prayer and work, but to centuries-old crafts
00:11too.
00:11I'm preparing this as if Jesus himself was going to come in here and have his meal with us today.
00:17These devout men and women are keeping these ancient traditions alive, especially during the busy build-up to Christmas.
00:24As bookbinders, brewers, potters, soap makers and chocolatiers.
00:30We can't live on fresh air at the end of the day. I'm not angels.
00:35And joining them on their heavenly production lines are local artisans.
00:40Your ideas and contribution is valued as well.
00:44Volunteers and laypeople.
00:46The habit for Matthew is finished.
00:49Come with us to Kylemore Abbey in Connemara, Ireland.
00:52The chocolate comes from God. It's one of his gifts to his children whom he loves dearly.
00:58St Augustine's Abbey, Chilworth, Surrey.
01:01If a rosary-making machine, maybe I should ask for commission.
01:04And Quar Abbey on the Isle of Wight.
01:07Many hands make light work. Go make some nice cider.
01:11At a special time of year, to meet devout Benedictine nuns and monks who are not only sharing the true
01:18meaning of Christmas with us.
01:19Jesus is given. That is the great present of Christmas.
01:24But custom-made creations.
01:27It smells so good.
01:29Gifts that are truly heaven-made.
01:41On Ireland's west coast, nestled within the rocky Connemara Mountains, lies a hidden gem.
01:50The magnificent Kylemore Castle.
01:53This grand Victorian estate was commissioned in 1867 as a family residence.
02:02And for the past hundred years, a small community of Irish Benedictine nuns have made this fairytale castle their home.
02:12Well, there are actually 37 bedrooms.
02:16Yeah, it's a grand house.
02:19One of the Abbey's longest-serving residents is 64-year-old sister Carol, who spent over 40 Christmases at Kylemore.
02:28Oh, the tree is looking very good this year, yeah.
02:31Lots of red and lots of light.
02:35This all-female Catholic community, founded in 1665, is inspired by an Italian monastic tradition rooted in the 6th century.
02:46These are all our old ebesses, from the time when we first had the monastery.
02:53Please don't ask me which one it is now.
02:56I get them all mixed up.
02:58They're all the same to me.
03:04Prayer, study and work are central to this Benedictine life, and work can take many forms.
03:12And at Kylemore, the nuns make handcrafted products sold in the estate shop.
03:19It's valuable income for the nuns, and helps to cement their place in the local community.
03:24Whether it's candles, or whether it's our gem, or our chocolate, they are made by the nuns, and I suppose
03:34we're pretty creative in that line.
03:36So we're heading now towards the chocolate kitchen.
03:42The on-site workshops where these unique creations come to life are a hive of activity.
03:49There are 13 or 14 nuns here at the moment, and I suppose we are like an international family.
03:59Even though we're a small community, we're very rich in talent.
04:04Every sister's talent is cultivated, and encouraged, and, you know, and nurtured, really.
04:16Christmas, a central event in the sisters' religious life, brings its own set of demands for the business.
04:25The Abbey is one of the largest employers in the area, with around 60 staff, drawn from the community.
04:33Christmas time would be really one of our busier times of year.
04:37And not just in this department, in all the different departments.
04:40Everybody's really, really busy with making stuff from scratch.
04:44You know, a lot of these products take hours and hours of work.
04:47You know, and they're special.
04:48They're special to us, and they're special to the customer that's buying them.
04:56This year, the very best of the nuns' creations will be gathered into a Christmas hamper.
05:02And its centrepiece will be 12 luxury handmade chocolates.
05:13I am picking mint. It is my contribution to the chocolate house.
05:20Overseeing the chocolate production is award-winning veteran chocolatier, Sister Genevieve.
05:28I'm not as active as I was, but I can pick mint and make honeycomb.
05:33That's my main contribution.
05:35And I have a certain nuisance value because I started it.
05:40I'm just there in the background, keeping an eye.
05:46Now aged 74, Sister Genevieve introduced the craft of chocolate to Kyle Moore some ten years ago.
05:53Ah, why chocolate? I thought it could be done.
05:57I had seen little newsreels on people making chocolate.
06:00And I thought, I bet we could make chocolate here.
06:03We could and we did, and we do, yes.
06:10There's a spirituality in the work.
06:15Benedict says if the conditions demand, the monks have to go out into the fields and bring in the crops,
06:22and then they will be truly monks by the work of their hands.
06:30The demand for Sister Genevieve's chocolates and her advancing years means that she can't operate alone.
06:37She's passing on her skills to the extended workforce who come from beyond the abbey walls.
06:48And in the chocolate house, pastry chef Veronica is the newest recruit.
06:59Okay, we're just going to prep some mint for the filling for the mint chocolate.
07:07Christmas time is very stressful for chocolate making because we have lots of work to do.
07:12There is a lot of pressure to get all the different chocolates ready for the hampers.
07:18Veronica has been given the task of creating some new flavours of chocolates that will be added to the shop's
07:24Christmas hampers.
07:26I've done all kinds of chefing, but I've only started making chocolates in the last couple of months.
07:36We're just trying to come up with the 12 new chocolates for the 12 days of Christmas.
07:42This one I'm just doing mint, which is picked from the garden.
07:45So I just introduced it with the cream and with the honey into it as well also.
07:49I don't really know what they're going to taste like, but I just want to see what they're going to
07:53be like.
07:56Now I'm just going to close them with chocolate again.
08:01When I first came here I was very, very nervous, but Sister Genevieve helped me with everything.
08:07Sister Genevieve is a chocolate master, so I need to live up to Sister Genevieve's ways of making chocolate.
08:14So I am nervous that they won't like them.
08:20Then I just have to leave them on this machine for 30 seconds to marinate them together, to vibrate them.
08:28The sisters hope that the kitchen will craft two and a half thousand individual chocolates to satisfy the appetites of
08:35those as far afield as America and Australia.
08:44Sister Genevieve, intent on keeping her traditional way of doing things alive, keeps a close eye on proceedings.
08:52What's this now?
08:53I'm going to try the ginger and honey just to see what it's like.
08:57All right, isn't it?
08:57I'll try the milk chocolate first to see.
09:00I'm just going to make the base first.
09:02Well, I'm of a mind that anything goes well with milk chocolate.
09:06Not everyone agrees, but that's my opinion.
09:10Yeah.
09:11We also have the passion fruit in the white chocolate.
09:15And also we've got the connemara gin, which I'm going to try with lime or lemon, so we'll see which
09:22flavour works the nicest.
09:23And then we also have the baileys.
09:26I think we limit the alcohol to a couple of chocolates only.
09:30Oh yeah, we'll just do the two. We'll just do the gin and the baileys.
09:32The new chocolates will need an additional seal of approval to be the stars of the show for the Christmas
09:38hampers.
09:40And then we will give the community a taster and see what they say.
09:45We're never short of volunteers to taste them, to test them, research and development, never.
09:54I'm feeling really nervous just in case the sisters don't like my chocolates.
09:57It's a new process for me to have new chocolates, which have to be tasted.
10:02So of course I'm nervous.
10:04Thanks, sister. I'll see you later.
10:06Thanks, sister. Bye.
10:07Bye.
10:08Bye.
10:31Off the south coast of England, on the Isle of Wight, in an area of outstanding natural beauty, stands the
10:38impressive Quaw Abbey.
10:43Designed over a century ago by a French monk, this red brick building towers over the remains of an old
10:49Cistercian medieval abbey and its extensive farmland.
10:56Look back. Light, wait.
11:00Farming has always been central to monastic life.
11:07And where once 90 Benedictines managed this 200-acre estate, today this task falls to just nine.
11:27eating for 12 is quite a full-time activity, I expect.
11:31Closing time. Last orders.
11:3876-year-old Father Gregory is the community's oldest member.
11:43A monk, and former farmer, he sometimes lends a helping hand
11:47You see, if you can find a few stones or acorns or something,
11:51you can bring them over.
11:55Cotch, cotch, cotch.
11:58And Father Gregory's devised his own special way of talking to the animals.
12:03Hello, piglets.
12:05There they are.
12:08I was six years working on the farm,
12:10and after a bit you begin to be able to see
12:14which animals are well and which animals aren't.
12:18That's a great skill because the animals can't speak,
12:22and good monks don't speak,
12:23but by looking at them you can tell how they are
12:26and either try to cheer them up with a kind word or whatever,
12:33and it's all helpful in community life.
12:37Being close to nature is being close to God, isn't it?
12:42Monks have traditionally grown their own crops and tended livestock
12:46to provide for their community.
12:49We've tried to produce as much of our own food as we can.
12:53With all the uncertainties in the world today,
12:56it's very important we should try to grow our own food
13:00and limit our needs more to what we can grow and get locally.
13:08And it's quite a task.
13:15With Christmas approaching,
13:17the wider team at Quar Abbey,
13:19made up of local chefs, bakers and waiting staff,
13:22are turning their attention to the seasonal festive menu for the tea room.
13:28And in keeping with Benedictine values,
13:30the food that's served here, where possible, is grown on site.
13:35The monks rely on workers from outside the Abbey
13:38to farm the land and livestock.
13:53Tenant farmer, Matt Legg, rents a part of the Abbey's estate
13:57to carry on the monks' centuries-old practices.
14:02We farm about 110 acres of Quar Abbey land.
14:07Father took the tenancy on about 20 years ago
14:09and then I took it on after he died back in 2009.
14:12So I'm very fortunate to have the farm here
14:15and it's a lovely place to work and to spend time.
14:18Welcome home.
14:22We keep pigs, sheep and cattle here
14:24and the main interest really is pedigree livestock production,
14:27particularly Angus cattle and Suffolk sheep.
14:30Fly down, Lou. Lay down.
14:33Good girl, stay there.
14:38Matt has his work cut out.
14:40With over 200 animals to be managed,
14:42he's already thinking ahead to spring.
14:45So we've just collected up the ewes,
14:48ready for the ram to go out with them now,
14:50ready for spring lambing.
14:53Come on, Romeo.
14:55Time to shine, fella.
15:02We pick out the best of the rams
15:04and we introduce them to the females
15:05and hopefully that gives us the best crop of lambs.
15:08Come on in, Romeo.
15:17I think anybody that works the land's got to have a bit of faith.
15:20We're very often praying for the weather,
15:22but yeah, faith is something that comes hand in hand
15:24with running the land.
15:27I think a romantic lifestyle is probably pretty accurate.
15:30It's a nice cycle to be part of.
15:32It's a great environment.
15:34I've got great landlords in effect
15:35with him on high and the monks in the abbey,
15:39so very, very lucky to work here.
15:43One down, 79 to go.
15:48And Farmer Matt has plenty more work ahead
15:51to ensure that the abbey kitchens are well stocked
15:54for the upcoming festive Christmas menu.
15:56And I'm going to pray.
16:19I'm going to pray.
16:27For Benedictines, the rhythm of daily life
16:30is set by the regular requirement to pray.
16:37And 60 miles away at Chilworth Abbey in Surrey,
16:40the small community of monks comes together eight times a day,
16:44with Christmas being an especially important time.
16:53Their prayers are often chanted,
16:55as set out by their founder, St Benedict,
16:58to deepen a relationship with God.
17:11When not at prayer, the ten monks of Chilworth
17:14also play their part in Christmas crafting,
17:17specialising in lip balms, skincare creams
17:20and furniture polish.
17:23Proceeds from their handcrafted creations
17:25help support the running of the community.
17:28The little ones.
17:30Their latest creations, made by newcomer brother Simon,
17:34are an aid to prayer, rosary beads.
17:38Best seller so far is this red, white and blue one,
17:43and also the black one.
17:45I suppose the black one is more traditional,
17:48and I use a black one.
17:50Kind of, you know, goes with the habit.
17:54He's especially busy in the run-up to Christmas.
17:58All the rosaries went, and I had to make,
18:01I think, maybe about 20,
18:03on top of the stock that we had.
18:06And then I had to make enough to restock everything.
18:09I was just sitting there,
18:12like a rosary-making machine.
18:16Although, you know,
18:17maybe I should ask for commission in that case, shouldn't I?
18:27Advent, a season of spiritual preparation,
18:31is the ideal time for newcomers
18:34to contemplate the religious life.
18:39At the age of 57,
18:41rosary-maker Simon is in his second year at Chilworth.
18:45He's a postulant, a monk in training.
18:51A postulant is somebody who comes to a monastery
18:55who feels that they were called to live the life of a monk.
18:58Yeah, I think I've always been a seeker.
19:02I've always been searching for what was true and what's right.
19:08I studied philosophy, but with theology,
19:11and I looked at Buddhism and Indian religious thought.
19:16I went into them, I studied them,
19:20and I came to, well, really what I think of as home.
19:28And this is my humble abode just here.
19:32So, very basic,
19:33just a chair to sit on,
19:36a bed to sleep on,
19:38a desk to work on.
19:42I've got a nice view there of the Garth,
19:45which is the enclosed garden.
19:48It's lovely, and it's facing inwards,
19:51which is, for me, it's quite symbolic, you know.
20:02I think my experience has been
20:04trying to look at your own heart
20:05and trying to see what's going on within yourself.
20:11And through that,
20:12what God is calling you to do and to be.
20:17It's quite a thing, really,
20:21to decide that you're called to live in a monastery
20:24and, you know,
20:25not to do all those usual things
20:27that people do in the world.
20:37Whether the community of monks
20:39will accept Brother Simon
20:41into the next stage of religious life
20:43is yet to be decided.
20:48If they say to me,
20:50you're going to be a posthumant
20:51for the next five years,
20:54I should, you know,
20:55I'd probably have to sit down
20:56and think about that,
20:57but hopefully I'll come to the conclusion
20:58that that is God's will
21:00and I submit myself to that,
21:04which is a lot less stressful
21:05than raging against it, you know.
21:32As Christmas preparations continue in England,
21:36560 miles away at Kylemore Abbey, Ireland,
21:39visitors are already browsing
21:41their handmade crafts.
21:46In the chocolate kitchen,
21:48pastry chef Veronica
21:49experiments with flavours.
21:51My chocolate is ready.
21:52It's set.
21:53This chocolate apprentice
21:55hopes her products
21:56will meet the nuns' standards.
22:02This is the best bit
22:03when you take them out of the moulds
22:04and you just leave them
22:05for a little while.
22:07Before you pack them,
22:07we usually leave them for a day
22:09so they mature
22:09and the flavour,
22:10there's more flavour in them.
22:12The mint inside infuses more
22:14into the chocolate in time.
22:16A bit of pride
22:17to make sure it's OK.
22:20Yeah, that's really good.
22:21Really, really minty.
22:23Lovely flavours.
22:28Also in full swing
22:30is another new production line
22:32with a Christmas message
22:33managed by 47-year-old
22:35sister Jeanne from Germany.
22:40Yeah, to have a bit of special
22:41Christmas product also
22:43that is different
22:44from what you usually buy
22:45in the supermarkets
22:46and it's absolutely handmade,
22:49like from beginning to end.
22:50that make people interested
22:52in our other products as well.
22:56A former mathematician,
22:58sister Jeanne
22:59has learnt the craft
23:00of chocolate making
23:01since joining this community
23:02full-time
23:03just ten months ago.
23:06I just need a good bit
23:07of patience
23:10because you see
23:10I have to get that chocolate
23:12into each point
23:13and in each corner
23:14like at the same time.
23:17These wouldn't be good
23:18for earning a living
23:19because they're just
23:20too time-intensive
23:21for making.
23:22Like in one day
23:23I make realistically
23:2512.100 I want to make.
23:28I'm glad it doesn't have
23:29six points
23:30because I wouldn't make it
23:31in the time.
23:35Keeping an eye
23:36on the clock
23:37she knows there's
23:38no cutting corners
23:39if she's to make
23:40a quality product.
23:43And the customers
23:44are waiting.
23:46I think the tourists
23:47sometimes think
23:48that it's really only fun
23:50to work in the chocolate kitchen
23:51because you have chocolate
23:52all around you.
23:54I like it all right
23:55but I'm not really tempted.
24:00Sister Jeanne's road
24:01to faith
24:01wasn't straightforward
24:02and just like the intricacies
24:04of chocolate making
24:05it too required patience.
24:09During the end
24:10of my mathematics studies
24:12I again thought
24:13a bit about religious life
24:14and the professor
24:15who accompanied me
24:16he asked me
24:17if I wouldn't do a PhD
24:18as well
24:19so after a while
24:20I thought
24:21okay
24:21I do a PhD
24:22and so that
24:23religious thing
24:24was postponed again.
24:27But then
24:28while I was
24:29working on my PhD
24:30like the question
24:31kept coming back
24:32do I want to continue
24:34at the university
24:35or maybe religious life
24:37after all
24:38I didn't know
24:39this way or that way.
24:44And I went there
24:45to the cross
24:45with the question
24:47you know
24:47God
24:47if you want me
24:48to join religious life
24:51please let me
24:52let me know
24:53somehow.
24:54and
24:57so when I prayed
24:58there
24:58I sort of just
25:00just felt
25:01that the answer
25:02was yes
25:02I can't say
25:03I mean
25:04I didn't hear a voice
25:05I didn't have
25:05any apparition
25:06or anything like that
25:07I just felt it
25:08inside me
25:09somehow.
25:12Today
25:1220 years on
25:13Sister Jeanne's
25:14newfound skill
25:15has a special significance
25:17at this time of year.
25:19These stars
25:20they're a bit special
25:21actually.
25:22The star
25:23that gave
25:24the Magi
25:25the directions
25:25to find
25:26the child
25:28then in the manger
25:28and so
25:30and of course
25:31stars are also
25:32beautiful
25:32at night
25:34they light
25:34up the dark skies
25:37and
25:38for this
25:39former mathematician
25:40and chemist
25:40her Christmas creations
25:42are about
25:43more than chocolate.
25:46So the idea
25:47is
25:47when they eat it
25:48they'll find
25:50inside the star
25:51this little envelope
25:54and in that envelope
25:55is a Christmas
25:56blessing
25:57like here
25:58this one says
25:59star of wonder
26:00star of night
26:01guide us to the
26:02perfect light
26:03for example
26:03and another one
26:05here is an Irish
26:05Christmas blessing
26:07the window candle
26:08burning bright
26:09and may the good
26:10Lord bless your heart
26:11and come to dwell
26:13their Christmas night.
26:17we decided to put a blessing
26:19in because
26:20it's something
26:20that can make people
26:21then think
26:22about what is
26:23behind Christmas
26:24really
26:26and so that star
26:27in a way
26:28can also show us
26:30again
26:30the secret
26:31of Christmas
26:33because that's
26:34really what Christmas
26:34is about
26:35that the Lord
26:36comes to dwell
26:37in our hearts
26:38really.
26:51during the festive season
26:53the artistic life
26:54of the Abbey
26:55comes into its own
26:56as the team
26:57of potters
26:58artisans
26:59and chocolatiers
27:00focus on creating
27:01handcrafted items
27:02for Christmas
27:04and for the sisters
27:06there's another
27:07important task
27:08in hand.
27:15Today music teacher
27:17Sister Carol
27:18leads rehearsals
27:19for a highlight
27:20of the ancient
27:20Advent liturgy.
27:28We're preparing
27:29now where the day
27:30is getting very
27:31near Christmas
27:31and this is the
27:32first of
27:33what they're
27:34known as
27:34the O-antiphons
27:35because each
27:36antiphon begins
27:36with O
27:37like O sapientia
27:39O adonai
27:40O rexgentium
27:42and O Immanuel
27:44and it's very
27:45interesting really
27:46because if you
27:46take those
27:47the first letter
27:49of each word
27:50that's after
27:51the O
27:51and if you
27:52write it backwards
27:54you have
27:55Eero Cress
27:56which means
27:56I'm coming soon
27:58and that's
27:59referring to
28:00the birth of Jesus
28:01it's beautiful really
28:02so the first one
28:04now that we're
28:04going to sing
28:05is O sapientia
28:06O wisdom
28:07so we'll see
28:08how it goes
28:24Advent is the most precious time of the year
28:28preparing for the coming of the birth of Jesus
28:36this new infant comes and lives within us
28:39and we have to start of preparing ourselves for the birth of Christ within ourselves
28:45I suppose that's the thing
28:51these sacred Latin texts
28:53focusing on the qualities of Christ
28:56have an extra power
28:58they're only performed once a year
29:04you go through this cycle
29:06year after year after year
29:08and every time you sing these O antifans
29:10they sort of become ingrained in your heart
29:13and it's almost like a mantra
29:16like you know
29:17you're going into meditation
29:29for the sisters of Kyle Moore
29:31like other Benedictines
29:33Advent is about preparing themselves
29:35for an encounter with God
29:37in the birth of Jesus
29:41there's a delicate relationship
29:43between the vocational life
29:45dedicated to God
29:46and the need to earn a living
29:48to support the community
30:14Back in Chilworth, Surrey
30:16trainee monk brother Simon
30:18is busy making the rosaries
30:20that are sold to visitors at the abbey
30:25I need to measure out
30:27a certain amount of this cord
30:28I'm not very good with measurements
30:30I'm not very scientific
30:32so using the arm span
30:34I've worked out that
30:35if you do three and a half
30:38of these
30:39you're there
30:40that's two
30:42Rosaries are traditionally made from beads
30:45but brother Simon creates them
30:47by knotting the cord
30:48so I cut that off at three and a half
30:50and then what I should do is
30:51as I'm getting on a bit
30:53I'm going to sit down
30:58I'll do the first knot
31:01the knots that we say the Hail Mary prayer on
31:05and then all of that has to come through
31:10most religions have some kind of system of keeping count of prayers on beads
31:17this is the Christian one
31:20when you have your first knot
31:24I'll be praying the prayers silently internally while I'm making the rosary
31:31so making the rosary for me becomes praying the rosary as well
31:40you've got this kind of knitting or something
31:44your mind just settles down and goes into neutral
31:51so you can even you know make one of these as a kind of therapy I suppose
31:57two four six seven
32:00seven down
32:0252 knots to go
32:03for this particular creation
32:09so right
32:10what we do in this case
32:11but we're changing colour
32:12this green
32:19so we kind of line them up
32:25yeah I can kind of see it hanging up over a fireplace on Christmas morning
32:31and then hopefully whoever gets it will then pray the rosary
32:35before they open all their other presents
32:37or maybe I'm just being naive
32:42there you go
32:43red and green rosary
32:46I've never seen a Christmas rosary that's for sure
32:48but why not
33:04while the crafting of Christmas gifts continues on the mainland
33:07on the Isle of Wight
33:09Father Gregory takes time away from prayer work and study
33:13to catch up with farmer Matt Legg
33:15and the piglets
33:19hello Matt
33:20isn't it a lovely morning
33:22lovely
33:23you must have said the right prayer this morning
33:26yes
33:27yes I get into trouble when I pray too much for rain
33:30but the fair weather one includes everything
33:33so we'll be saying that one in future
33:35good
33:35appreciate that
33:38aren't they beautiful
33:40yes
33:40a bit of sun on their back
33:42it's the best thing they can have
33:43yeah
33:44yeah
33:44they're doing well
33:48did you see that
33:50she wanted that bit of food
33:52yeah
33:52yeah
33:54mum's in charge
33:57I better be off
33:59bye bye
34:00surely Pip
34:00thank you guys
34:08Matt does his best to ensure the animals have a healthy life
34:14the ethical principles behind his farming practices
34:18chime with the Benedictine values of sustainability and care of the environment
34:23at Coral we're very mindful of the environment
34:26and I think food miles is a key feature of that
34:29and a key element of what we do
34:31we can produce good food in this country
34:33that's local to our consumer
34:34and keep a minimum carbon footprint on doing that
34:38then that's brilliant really
34:40I think that ticks all the boxes
34:48sustainable food is also a central part of the abbey's tea room
34:51which attracts some 65,000 visitors each year
34:55and Christmas is especially busy
35:01farm shop and tea room manager Lucy prepares for the Christmas rush
35:05with Christmas fast approaching
35:07we're just starting to put our decorations up now
35:09so the important part of that is our nativity
35:13which we put up every year
35:16generally really lovely atmosphere here at Christmas
35:19it's a special place anyway
35:20but at Christmas time it just feels even more special
35:26and in the kitchens
35:27chef Chris is preparing for a special tasting menu
35:32so we've just got some profiteroles
35:37the monks of Coral Abbey have agreed to sample this year's festive offering
35:42ahead of its public launch
35:47and Father Gregory has come for a sneak peek of what's in store
35:52this is the Christmas menu Father Gregory
35:54you'll be tasting it later
35:56so this is the selection of soups and desserts that Chris has been making
36:03it's lovely
36:04very good
36:06for my taste
36:07for my taste
36:08I think Kay could have got a little bit more fruit in it
36:11I shall let her know
36:12the flour is just for holding the fruit together
36:16as much fruit as possible then
36:18I will let her know
36:31Father Gregory may want to top up a fruit in the Christmas cake
36:35but he's more restrained when it comes to a festive tipple
36:42we have the mulled wine available for
36:45everyone coming for the Christmas dinners
36:47because it's one of their favourites
36:49I thought it was very delicious
36:50yes well I've made do Lucy with a hot chocolate
36:55because I'm off to drink myself at the moment
36:58the Lord gave us wine to bring joy to the heart
37:02it's his gift
37:03and we've just got to be careful to receive it in the right way
37:06absolutely
37:07and in the right quantity
37:08yes
37:10that's the vital part
37:36back at Kylemore Abbey
37:39the nuns' working lives are focused on delivering their Christmas crafts
37:44but in order to keep to the community's strict religious timetable
37:48everyone has a job to do
37:54I cook four days a week
37:57and the main today is rack of lamb
38:10you're always striving to make things better
38:13seeing the good and the beauty in the little things
38:17it's like for example
38:18it's like for example I'm dressing this lamb here
38:20I don't just throw the meat in the dish
38:23and not bother putting a dressing on it
38:25not bother putting seasoning on it
38:27like I'm preparing this
38:29as if Jesus himself was going to come in here
38:31and have his meal with us today
38:32you know it's that sort of thing
38:36I'd be expecting people to be writing in for the recipe of this now you know
38:44while the monastery is a hive of activity in the run-up to Christmas
38:48the daily requirement to eat together in silence
38:51serves a bigger purpose
38:56that's our pulse
38:58that's what keeps us together
39:01we value that time of silence
39:04and it's not silence to sort of
39:07be going through in your mind
39:09oh what am I doing now for the afternoon
39:11it's silence to go in in ourselves
39:18the world as it is at the moment
39:21isn't sort of still enough to hear a call
39:24you know because it's all go go go
39:29over the 12 days of Christmas
39:31the sisters are allowed to talk at dinner
39:34but for sister Carol
39:36silence is golden
39:39by the time it comes to the 6th of January
39:41we can't wait
39:43to get back to silent meals again
39:45because we're just all talked out
39:47we're like we're not talkers
39:49you know
39:50we just value that silence in our lives
39:53you know
40:10nearly 600 miles away off the south coast of England
40:13it's a special day for the monks of Quar Abbey
40:16as they get to taste the tea room's proposed Christmas menu
40:22and the star of the show is the Abbey's home reared pork
40:30hiya Matt
40:31morning Chrissie
40:31merry Christmas
40:32merry Christmas to you
40:34so we've got some pork
40:35we've got the pork as requested
40:37plenty there
40:38excellent
40:39all ready to go
40:39I've been very impressed with that
40:41all right
40:41thank you ever so much
40:42enjoy
40:47so we're just going to infuse some herbs around it
40:50today we're going to go with a bit of rosemary
40:52just to give it that general flavour
40:54especially in the crackling
40:56because that's really nice
40:57chef Chris is hoping to receive the seal of approval from the monks
41:01so that she can roll out her Christmas menu in the Abbey's tea room
41:06everything is from the island
41:07even down to the salt
41:08we'll be having roast pork
41:10with roasted vegetables
41:12from what the gardeners grow for us
41:14followed by a taster selection of all the different desserts and tea shop
41:20I'm sure they won't hold back
41:22if they don't like it they'll tell me
41:30the monks at Quar, as in many monasteries, eat three times a day
41:36St. Benedict's food regulations were more rigorous
41:39sometimes with just one daily meal allowed
41:43over time these rules, designed to encourage self-restraint
41:47have been relaxed by the Catholic Church
41:52the monks' diets in St. Benedict's time was meat-free
41:56only those who were sick or very recovering
41:59were allowed to have meat in his day
42:03but provision was made for eating meat four days in the week
42:07except in Advent and Lent
42:08when it's restricted to a Sunday
42:23we always say we know how to fast
42:25we know how to feast
42:26we would normally have turkey or goose
42:30for Christmas dinner
42:31and we would have Christmas pudding
42:37but for me, what's actually on the menu on Christmas Day
42:41is not the most important part of Christmas
42:46because what we're trying to do
42:48is live a life of solitude and prayer and silence
42:57as the monks finish up their tasting of the proposed Christmas menu
43:02Chef Chris awaits the all-important feedback
43:12I'm just going to take a few little bits and strengthen us and I'll walk
43:17with salty caramel
43:18salty caramel
43:20thank you
43:22yes, now I know why poor Abbey Tea Shop is so frequent
43:27thank you, I'll see you later
43:32see you soon
43:38nice to see you
43:39it's quite good when he puts it in a little tub and takes it on his adventure
43:45I think that went really well
43:48so it's not every day I get to cook for the monks
43:50and that goes well for the Christmas menu
43:53so hopefully all the customers will like it as well
43:56so it's all good
44:00it's compliments to the chef
44:02and a green light for the tea room's Christmas menu
44:27back at Chilworth Abbey, Surrey
44:29Father John and Brother Simon embark on one very important seasonal task
44:34that's the Bambino
44:35okay
44:36so perhaps get that done first
44:38without any instructions they need to construct the nativity scene
44:42that will take centre stage in the church's nave
44:45I've never put this together before
44:47I've just, it's just been there
44:49well I've never been a DIY man
44:51and I can remember making a very nice pencil box
44:56when it was for the woodwork class
44:58we're halfway there
44:59well then it's more like an Ikea thing
45:01but without instructions
45:03it's like Laurel and Hardy this isn't it
45:07that way or the odd, no it's the other way
45:08this is a roof support
45:09there must be an identical bit somewhere else
45:11here we are, look at this
45:13this is at the front you see
45:14yeah
45:14now presumably the other
45:16that's going to be at the back
45:17this one at the back
45:18yeah
45:19realising the scale of the job
45:20Father John decides to call for help
45:23please send the telephone voicemail server
45:25please leave your message after the turn
45:29hello Ruth this is Father John
45:30we've made a start on putting the crib up
45:33but we do need a bit of help from you
45:35look forward to seeing you
45:36bye for now
45:37well that almost fits
45:39I've just phoned her to come in and just see
45:41if she can throw any light on
45:42any pieces that are missing here
45:45I think these
45:47do these go
45:49they must be in there
45:50but there's no holes
45:52because in the past she's always helped to assemble the crib
45:57and she's also got an engineer's mind
46:00because she's a civil engineer
46:05Ruth is an oblate
46:07meaning that she's part of the order
46:09that lives outside the monastery walls
46:14I essentially live
46:17the same life as a monk or a nun
46:20but fitting it around
46:22my day-to-day life
46:24so my job
46:26and commitments I have to friends and family
46:33there are a few things that I think aren't right
46:35but now Ruth's at the door
46:37hopefully she'll
46:39she'll let us know where we're going wrong
46:41so Ruth, here we are
46:42this is what we've done so far
46:44oh, hi
46:46yes, can you see immediately where we've gone wrong?
46:50well I would have thought that goes on that side
46:52because would that be on the inside?
46:54I'd spend my day problem solving
46:55and so sometimes it comes in handy
46:59it must be that side
47:01yeah, so it must be
47:01swap it though
47:02whether it's expanded or something
47:04yeah, there you go
47:06I think this is the top bit
47:07and the top bit overlap
47:08that's right
47:11shall we try and put a few figures in?
47:14perhaps we'll put the shackles in
47:16very carefully
47:18so here we are
47:19putting
47:20putting the
47:20the important
47:23figure in last
47:25and we just lay him down
47:27and the light will be shining down
47:28on
47:29on the baby Jesus' head
47:31that's brilliant
47:32that's really illuminating his face
47:35beautiful
47:37it's good to go through this process
47:38and to get yourself into the mood
47:40for rejoicing
47:41and for appreciating what God's done for us
47:46as well as her engineering skills
47:48Ruth's other contribution to the advent preparations
47:51is to make the mincemeat filling
47:53for the community's mince pies
47:56so you've got currants here
47:57and mixed fruit
47:58all very Christmassy
48:01when would you have your first mince pie of Christmas?
48:04we have them with the Christmas Eve supper
48:07before midnight mass
48:09it's usually a long mass
48:10it goes on until about
48:11you know, quarter past one or something
48:13we bring mince pies out again
48:15they're warmed
48:16and we have mulled wine
48:18and we give that to the
48:20to the friends who've come along
48:22it's all very nice and very festive
48:24anyway, are you alright to continue now Ruth?
48:26I shall be
48:27it's been great to see you again
48:28and we'll see you on Sunday
48:30yes, see you on Sunday
48:32look forward to that
48:35the recipe I use now
48:38is
48:40one that I got
48:41from Stanbrook Abbey
48:43when I was living there
48:44in her past
48:46Ruth entered a convent herself
48:48I became a novice
48:50but soon realised that
48:52perhaps
48:53the
48:54that particular life
48:55at that time in my life
48:57or the community
48:58wasn't
48:59wasn't where my future lay
49:01ooh
49:02smell that
49:03smells of Christmas
49:06mince pies
49:07have been a yuletide treat
49:09since the 16th century
49:10originally filled with ground mutton
49:13they were once oval shaped
49:15to represent Jesus' manger
49:18there are some people
49:19that are bar humbugs
49:20but you know
49:21I actually love Christmas
49:23you know
49:24mince pies
49:25and everything
49:26all the peripherals
49:27around Christmas
49:28but without losing the meaning
49:29of what Christmas actually means
49:31that's the important thing
49:33yeah
49:38the brandy
49:40the best bit
49:46and I'll get it
49:48in about three weeks time
49:49when it's ready
49:50and then it could be
49:51mince pies
50:13for brother Simon
50:14as a second Christmas
50:16at Chilworth Abbey approaches
50:17it's time for him
50:19to reflect upon
50:19the next stages
50:20of his religious training
50:26I'm very happy that
50:27you know
50:28things are going
50:28okay
50:29and to go up
50:31to the next stage
50:32which is to enter
50:32the novitiate
50:34officially
50:35I'm looking forward to it
50:43to rediscover
50:45God's love
50:46for me
50:47and for all of us
50:48I suppose that
50:49that kind of stops
50:50all of that
50:51restlessness
50:52because you think
50:52you've finally learned
50:53just to trust in God
50:57and just to
50:58to go along with it
50:59you know
51:09I feel very blessed
51:11and very fortunate
51:12to be part of this
51:13Benedictine community
51:16an ancient kind of lineage
51:22you know
51:23it's a very
51:24fulfilling
51:25way to live
51:45back at Kylemore Abbey
51:48Christmas preparations
51:49are coming together
51:53as everyone
51:55whether a sister
51:56or an employee
51:57puts the finishing touches
51:59to their Christmas crafts
52:02Kylemore's Christmas hamper
52:04is designed
52:05to showcase
52:06the very best
52:06of the Abbey's handicrafts
52:08and in the chocolate house
52:11pastry chef Veronica
52:12is finalising
52:14the centrepiece
52:14for the hamper
52:15her new
52:17luxury box of chocolates
52:24it's a big day
52:25it's tasting day
52:26so I am nervous
52:27it has to be
52:28100% right
52:30it's been like
52:31being back in school
52:31the night before
52:32an exam
52:32you're just so wound up
52:33your stomach is churning
52:35you're like
52:35oh God
52:36your hands
52:36or palms
52:38are sweaty
52:38you're just so nervous
52:44the proof of the pudding
52:46is in the tasting
52:47and these heavenly delights
52:49will be judged
52:50by Sister Carol
52:51Abbes Mora
52:52and Sister Magdalena
52:55this looks very cosy
52:57our chocolates
53:00new variety
53:02new variety
53:03for our new
53:04Christmas luxury box
53:06Sister Genevieve
53:07who first introduced
53:08chocolate making
53:09to Kylemore
53:10presents the new flavours
53:12try a mint
53:13and a ginger and honey
53:14there's the
53:16lime
53:17basil
53:18coconut
53:19they're Veronica specials
53:22this is a particularly
53:24important time
53:25for our chocolatier
53:27Veronica
53:27she is working
53:29very hard
53:30raspberry
53:32passion fruit
53:33gin and lime
53:35I'm going to try
53:36gin and lime
53:37that's that one
53:38isn't it
53:38yes
53:39I should take two
53:40take one
53:41we'll try two
53:42but make sure
53:43they're different
53:44well
53:44I thank you
53:46thank you
53:46Sister Magdalena
53:48Sister Carol
53:51I'll always
53:52willingly be there
53:53as a taster
53:54I'd have a good
53:55palate for chocolate
53:56now
53:59and finally
54:00Sister Genevieve
54:02who's guided
54:02Chef Veronica
54:03through the process
54:04gets to enjoy
54:05the taste of success
54:08that's beautiful
54:09that's delicious
54:10Sister Genevieve
54:11it's lovely
54:12it is lovely
54:12if there were
54:13prizes going now
54:14I'd have to say
54:15for the mint
54:16chocolate
54:16for the mint
54:17it's absolutely
54:18it will get a gold medal
54:20it's gorgeous
54:21that mint one
54:23the hard work
54:25has paid off
54:25as the chocolates
54:27receive approval
54:28all round
54:30these are going to be
54:31put into the
54:33hampers
54:33there's no excuse
54:35at all
54:35the whole country
54:37is going to be full
54:38of chocolate mint
54:42everything good
54:43comes from God
54:44and chocolate
54:45is very good
54:46so of course
54:47chocolate comes
54:48from God
54:48it's one of his
54:49gifts to his
54:50children
54:51whom he loves
54:51dearly
54:56the mint was a
54:57big hit
54:58the honey and ginger
55:00they loved that
55:00as well
55:01which is great
55:02I feel so much
55:03better
55:03it's like a relief
55:04has been lifted
55:07but the chef's work
55:08is never finished
55:16the nuns
55:17and employees
55:18shared efforts
55:19are rewarded
55:20as the handmade crafts
55:22are packaged up in time
55:23for Christmas deliveries
55:25and the sisters
55:27continue to take joy
55:28in what for them
55:29is the true meaning
55:30of Christmas
55:34every time we go to work
55:35everything is done
55:37with care
55:38and with patience
55:41just preparing our hearts
55:43really to receive
55:44the newborn Jesus
55:45that's our life
55:48it's just wonderful
55:50it's such a great life
55:57next time on Heaven Made
55:59at Christmas
56:00one, two, three
56:02Sister Genevieve
56:03turns her hand
56:04to the traditional
56:04craft of soap making
56:06just in time
56:07for the Christmas shoppers
56:09it's made with
56:10love and enthusiasm
56:11it's very much
56:13a spiritual enterprise
56:14the whole thing
56:15is that about right?
56:17that's perfect
56:18yeah
56:19Father Gregory
56:20and estate manager
56:21Matt
56:22forage for the
56:23signature ingredient
56:24of the Abbey's Ale
56:25I think they've been
56:26using this for centuries
56:27in some beers
56:28tie those two together
56:29and Father Nicholas
56:30is parting on
56:31the ancient tradition
56:32of bookbinding
56:34it's not on properly
56:35is it?
56:35oh
56:38oh
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