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00:03For generations, Benedictine monks and nuns have devoted themselves not just to
00:09worship but to centuries-old crafts too.
00:12It's a good idea to thread your needle.
00:15The monk is truly a monk when he lives by the labour of his hands.
00:19These devout men and women carefully balance a life of prayer with keeping ancient traditions alive.
00:27As beekeepers, brewers, potters, soap makers and chocolatiers.
00:35It's made with love and enthusiasm. It's very much a spiritual enterprise, the whole thing.
00:42We go behind the cloister walls of Kylemore Abbey in Connemara on the west coast of Ireland.
00:48There's only one bad thing about Connemara and that's the midges.
00:52St Augustine's Abbey, Chilworth, Surrey.
00:55A lot of people come here, they're exploring spirituality.
01:01And Quar Abbey on the Isle of Wight.
01:04The habit for Matthew is finished.
01:07To discover how contemplation and creativity, combined with an ancient spiritual way of life,
01:15can provide something truly heaven-made.
01:19This is now liquid gold.
01:46This is now liquid gold.
01:49This is now liquid gold.
01:49This is in 1968 for a wealthy family of industrialists.
01:52But since 1920, it's been home to another industrious family, 12 Benedictine nuns.
02:02Over the years, the nuns have restored the building and the gardens back to their former glory.
02:11And now it's one of Ireland's most visited tourist attractions.
02:17One of the main draws for visitors...
02:20Come on, guys.
02:21...is to see Ireland's only native pony.
02:24Come on.
02:25Good girl.
02:25Good girl.
02:26Shut up.
02:26But these are Connemara ponies.
02:29They're ponies that were originally bred up in the hills of Connemara.
02:32And they're suited to this climate.
02:35The Benedictine ethos is to educate.
02:38And that's why this herd of Connemara ponies were introduced to Kyle Moore.
02:43To increase the awareness of this special pony.
02:47And first thing every morning, like, I feed them.
02:50And they, you know, they, it's a great way to start off today.
02:53And they're, like, they're faithful.
02:54They're always, they're always there at the bucket.
02:56You know, they seem, they get into the routine.
02:59Yeah.
02:59Very good.
03:03Like, you're close to God when you're close to animals.
03:06They teach us an awful lot.
03:08Originally from County Cork in Southern Ireland,
03:11Sister Carol moved nearly 120 miles to join the abbey.
03:15What about up here now?
03:18I've been here, um, I entered in, in July 1978.
03:24Like, I actually entered on my 22nd birthday.
03:27And I was 64 yesterday.
03:31So, I've been doing that now, like, for nearly 50 years.
03:35And it's, like, 50 days.
03:37You know, it's...
03:39It's all empty.
03:41All empty.
03:42Well, you ate most of it.
03:44I don't know why you're surprised.
03:46You think he never got a bit.
03:49It's all empty.
03:50It's all empty.
03:50It's all empty.
03:51It's all empty.
03:52Having been inspired by the beauty of Kylemore Abbey's natural setting
03:56and being committed to developing the estate in an ecologically sustainable way,
04:01the nuns turned to ancient crafts to create a variety of products
04:06that would help support their monastic way of life.
04:11These are our sheep.
04:13Here they are.
04:14Oh, yeah.
04:16Oh, yeah.
04:16They're the sheep.
04:17Finished and painted, yeah.
04:19Beautiful.
04:20I'm sure they sell very well.
04:22The tourists are always looking for things that are made by the nuns.
04:26I suppose it makes the visit to Kylemore a little bit more special.
04:33Recently, the nuns introduced another ancient craft to the Abbey, beekeeping.
04:39Now we have already a new enterprise, a colony of honeybees.
04:45We have some 12 beehives and we've had a wonderful harvest from them.
04:50We have had about 800 pots of honey and then it will be incorporated into our shop.
04:56for selling.
04:57So it's another enterprise we're very pleased with.
05:00The ancient origins of beekeeping among holy orders dates back to medieval times.
05:06Abbey's were centres of beekeeping, since beeswax was highly prized for candles
05:11and fermented honey was used to make alcoholic mead in areas of Europe where vines would not grow.
05:19At Kylemore, the sisters themselves don't have the specialist skills,
05:23so they rely on the expertise of beekeeper Martin Curran.
05:29It is wonderful as a local enterprise with local people to help us and we work together in harmony.
05:35And it is an extraordinary, extraordinary enterprise for us and for the entire region.
05:43The bees are the native black bees here in Ireland.
05:46They've been around here for the last 10,000 years.
05:49They were thought of being extinct in the 1920s by the Isle of Wight disease.
05:55But there was still a strain left in the wild here in Ireland and they're ideal for this kind of
05:59climate.
06:00So they can fly in very windy weather, which other foreign bees cannot.
06:07They're an emotional strain, like ourselves.
06:11Some days they're very, very happy and some days they're not so.
06:16It's a joke with the nuns here.
06:18If they came here they might be attacked by the bees.
06:21In that they were the black habit.
06:24The bees, they have a long disdain for black.
06:33Here on the west coast of Ireland we get very little spring honey.
06:37The honey really starts to come in when the blackberry starts to flower.
06:41And it has loads of nectar.
06:45At the height of the summer the colony will grow to about a million bees.
06:51One worker bee visits around 2,000 flowers a day.
06:55But it will take 12 bees to produce just one teaspoon of honey in their lifetime.
07:06And all that hard work to harvest honey used to be done by hand.
07:11But these days beekeepers like Martin use modern machinery to help them.
07:17This is to take the wax from the corn.
07:29Now the honey is ready to be removed.
07:37Martin's next job is to remove the honey from the comb.
07:40And he'll do that by forcing it out when it's spun in this extractor.
07:53This coming here now is liquid gold.
07:56And this is after many millions of trips to the Connemara wild flowers.
08:02That's created this final product.
08:18MUSIC PLAYS
08:20Hidden in the Surry Hills, just thirty miles from central London,
08:26lies St. Augustine's Abbey in Chilworth.
08:34It's home to nine Catholic monks
08:37who live according to a monastic tradition
08:39founded in the 6th century.
08:50The roots of Benedictine spirituality
08:53are as meaningful today as they were
08:56over 1,500 years ago.
08:58And the monastic life of a monk
09:00is still a balance of prayer, work and study.
09:10I worked in libraries before I entered the monastery.
09:13It was a natural process that I became the librarian.
09:18Father John joined the Benedictine monks 38 years ago.
09:24I love the smell of books.
09:27It tends to give you this sort of musty smell,
09:29which is rather pleasant.
09:31It encourages study, I think, you know.
09:35Monasteries have always had libraries
09:37and monks have always spent vast quantities of money
09:43on establishing a collection,
09:45all because monks were incredibly aware
09:49of the power of the word of God
09:51and the power of the word of God to feed prayer.
09:55And it's a source of knowledge,
09:58of increasing your knowledge.
09:59I mean, when you open a book,
10:00you go into another world, I suppose.
10:05Libraries have been the beating heart
10:07of monastic communities for centuries.
10:10There's a stability about this, isn't there?
10:14Which reflects one of the vows of the monastic life,
10:16which is stability.
10:21The library may provide the monks with knowledge,
10:23but they've turned to an ancient craft
10:26to help support their life of prayer and worship.
10:30The key to a successful monastic life
10:33is that you've got to balance prayer,
10:36study and work.
10:39This is very much work with your hands.
10:43It's like a three-legged stool.
10:46And if all those are working well,
10:49then you sit on the stool firmly.
10:51But if they're not, you fall off.
10:56So this is aniseed.
10:58Monks have always believed
11:00that idleness is the enemy of the soul.
11:03St Benedict says that a monk is truly a monk
11:05when he lives by the labour of his hands.
11:08Father John decided to create
11:10his own line of beauty products 15 years ago,
11:13making everything from honey and rose skin cream
11:16to lip balm.
11:24So all this is very much a part of monastic life.
11:28And in the days before medicine
11:30and any sort of really developed sense of health care,
11:33it was to the monasteries that many people came
11:36when they were feeling ill
11:37and would ask a wise monk
11:40what they should do to regain their health.
11:44St Benedict says,
11:46nothing should be put before the care of the sick
11:48because when we serve the sick,
11:50we're serving Christ.
11:52I just need two of these.
11:56Today, he's making a batch
11:57of over 50 peppermint lip balms.
12:02This is the beeswax going in.
12:05We need 120 grams of this.
12:10My mother always used to instill on me,
12:12waste not want not.
12:13So these little bits are very useful
12:15for bringing it up to the exact amount.
12:19Everything is always used.
12:23Everything's God-given,
12:25and so we want to get the best out of it.
12:27We have to work against the throwaway society.
12:32We need shea butter,
12:34which is a very rich emollient on the skin.
12:39It's natural as well, obviously,
12:42because it's coming from the shea tree.
12:45Now we need to add the sweet almond oil.
12:50You just rub that on your skin
12:52to do it a lot of good.
12:53But with the richness of the shea butter
12:55and the beeswax,
12:58you've got a wonderful combination.
13:01So these are the heaters.
13:03We're going to heat this up now.
13:05So we just put one in each.
13:14Yeah, that looks all right.
13:16Everything's melted now.
13:19The shea butter and the wax in, first of all.
13:25To this, we add the sweet almond oil.
13:29This is the peppermint.
13:31Because this is very intense, this essential oil.
13:34So you only need one teaspoon.
13:37And I stir all that together.
13:44It's this lovely golden colour
13:46which just breathes health, doesn't it?
13:51The skin is the largest organ of the body.
13:56And it does a huge amount of work
13:58in terms of keeping us free from infection,
14:01regulating our temperature.
14:04And so it's well to look after it.
14:08We've made 10, 20, 30, 40, 50, 52.
14:14We've made 53, so it isn't bad.
14:18It's more or less solid now.
14:20And it's got a beautiful pearly finish to it.
14:25Father John decided to become a monk
14:28in his early 20s
14:29after the death of a much-loved uncle.
14:33I was leading quite a worldly life then.
14:38And I was going out every Saturday
14:40and Sunday night with my friends
14:43and getting back late
14:44and going to nightclubs
14:45and going to pubs
14:46and having girlfriends.
14:47All the usual things.
14:49And I got back late one night.
14:51It was about 1 or 2 o'clock in the morning
14:53and I'd just got into bed
14:55and then the phone rang
14:59and it was my auntie on the phone
15:01and she said,
15:01oh, your uncle's had a stroke
15:03and he's very severe
15:05and he's in hospital.
15:07And I was very fond of him.
15:10Anyway, within a few days
15:13he'd just given up
15:14and he died.
15:18And it was such a shock.
15:20It was the first dead person
15:21I'd seen in a coffin.
15:23And it really made me think
15:25about mortality
15:26and that my life's going to...
15:30You know, I'm going to be there one day.
15:33And that's when I began thinking seriously
15:35about the religious life.
15:37That was the beginning of it.
15:43When I entered the monastery door
15:44the first time
15:45I just got this overwhelming sense
15:46that this was going to be my home
15:48for the rest of my life.
15:58Not content with just stocking up
16:00with his current products
16:01Father John is planning
16:03a brand new offering.
16:07Any good enterprise
16:09is going to start thinking
16:10about new products
16:11in order to keep people's interest
16:12and to get them to keep coming back.
16:15At present we're hoping
16:16to develop a new lip balm
16:20as another product
16:21to add to the range
16:21that we've got.
16:32Off the south coast of England
16:34lies the Isle of Wight.
16:40For over a century
16:41the island has been home
16:43to the magnificent Kaur Abbey.
16:53Here, a community
16:55of nine Benedictine monks
16:56lead a monastic life
16:58of prayer and worship
16:59behind its cloistered walls.
17:04Ready to rock and roll?
17:06Go for it.
17:06Let's do it.
17:09Father Gregory
17:10joined the Abbey
17:1157 years ago.
17:13OK, good.
17:14While Brother Matthew
17:15is a recent addition
17:16to the Brethren.
17:19I am the youngest monk here
17:21but I don't find that
17:23a particularly difficult thing
17:24to live through.
17:26How's that?
17:26Is that all right?
17:27I can't see.
17:28It doesn't change
17:29the fact that I'm on
17:30a monastic journey
17:31which is the same
17:32in this year
17:33as it was
17:34500 or 1,000 years ago.
17:36I think that'll probably
17:37be all right.
17:38Good.
17:38Good, good, good.
17:40Brother Matthew
17:41is a postulant monk.
17:42A monk in training.
17:44Now, this one
17:45this one's quite special.
17:48This goes under the scones.
17:50Under the candlestick holder?
17:52Yeah, yeah.
17:52OK.
17:53What's it called, a scones?
17:54Scones.
17:55Scones.
17:57Postulant, I believe,
17:58comes from the word
17:59postulare in Latin
18:00which means to question.
18:02So it's the very initial step
18:03of becoming a monk.
18:10It kind of happened
18:11in God's providence.
18:12My whole vocation
18:13seemed to have just come about
18:14during the time
18:15of the pandemic.
18:16Everything was just
18:17taken away anyway
18:18so I kind of was left
18:19thinking like,
18:20well, what I had left
18:21was my faith
18:22and it kind of made me
18:22question like,
18:23what I'm going to do
18:23with my future.
18:25This is my seventh month now.
18:27There's so much to learn.
18:29It never runs dry
18:30the well of monastic knowledge.
18:35You've not stopped learning,
18:36have you, Father Gregory?
18:38No.
18:38That's the end of the game,
18:40really, isn't it?
18:40If you stop learning.
18:42Lovely.
18:43Is that all right?
18:43Don't breathe.
18:44Don't breathe.
18:46Today, they are preparing
18:47the church
18:48for a special celebration.
18:51Each year,
18:51we celebrate
18:52the dedication of the church
18:53and this is how we do it.
18:56Right, I'm coming down.
18:57Mind your teeth.
19:01Matthew and I made the wreaths.
19:02We clipped the box
19:04off some hedges we've got.
19:05They were fairly easy
19:06to make, weren't they?
19:07Yeah, yeah.
19:09Transforms the church,
19:10really, doesn't it?
19:11Yeah, it looks amazing.
19:11I can't wait for later
19:13when it's darker
19:13and we can really see the candles.
19:16That one's a bit lean-y,
19:17isn't it?
19:17Hmm.
19:18The wonky candles.
19:21Do you think we can do better?
19:23Also, it'll tip wax
19:24on Father Abbott's head,
19:25which would be a bit unfortunate.
19:26That would be, yeah,
19:27that would not be good, would it?
19:28Who knew that putting up candles
19:29could be so challenging?
19:39The monastic life of a monk
19:41is one of balance.
19:47When the monks are not praying,
19:49studying or working,
19:51they do have a few hours a week
19:53for leisure.
19:55However, there are times
19:56when seamstress Julia
19:58commandeers their ping-pong table
20:00for more pressing matters.
20:02I think they want their ping-pong table back.
20:05They were warned
20:05that it was going to be
20:06a long time this time
20:08because I had a lot of jobs to do.
20:09And they're all very patient.
20:11They know this is important work.
20:21Julia is trying to learn Irish.
20:23Trying.
20:25Julia Traher is a layperson
20:27who has been a part of Abbey life
20:29for the last eight years.
20:30And today,
20:31Father Brian has an important job for her.
20:34Julia has been tasked
20:36to make a habit for Brother Matthew.
20:38Receiving his habit
20:39will be a significant step
20:41on his journey as a trainee monk.
20:43Oh, there is a wooden V.
20:45Because it will symbolise
20:47that he is now part of the community.
20:51These are the Salem patterns
20:52that you had sent over.
20:54What's the two-piece sleeve
20:56which gives it a curve?
20:57Oh, right.
20:58The habit is a holy garment
21:00and historically,
21:01those who die clothed in it
21:03are looked upon favourably by God.
21:14The habit Julia is making
21:16for Brother Matthew
21:17is a Salem habit.
21:23The same style
21:24found in all French Salem monasteries.
21:28The Salem French habit
21:30is probably one of my favourite monastic habits.
21:33It's such a striking image,
21:34you know,
21:34all in black with the hood.
21:38Cour Abbey was originally built
21:40for the French Benedictine monks of Salem.
21:43So this style is unique to them.
21:46I'm a bit apprehensive.
21:47You're meant to wear it
21:47when you go to the pharmacy
21:49or to the dentist
21:50and for general errands.
21:51So that's going to be
21:53a big hurdle to overcome,
21:55I think,
21:55because people are going to look at you.
21:57Something that I'm going to have
21:58to get used to.
22:06That's the facing for the front
22:08and then the collar goes on.
22:10So that's ready to cut now.
22:16I have these wonderful scissors
22:18that my son gave me
22:19that have gone plated.
22:27One of the first jobs
22:29the monks had for Julia
22:30when she came to the Abbey
22:32was to create brand new habits
22:34for the entire community.
22:39I didn't want to hand them out piecemeal.
22:41I wanted them all
22:42to have them on the same day.
22:43So I kept them all here
22:44as they were finished
22:45and I handed them all out together.
22:47And they wore them that evening
22:49to Vespas.
22:50All of them came in
22:51wearing the habits
22:52I had made for them
22:52and I was so overcome.
22:55It took me a whole psalm
22:56to get myself under control.
22:57It was lovely to see them
22:58because I thought
22:59because I thought
23:00these are important to them.
23:04Julia will need to complete
23:06this centuries-old traditional garb
23:08in time for Brother Matthew's
23:10clothing ceremony
23:11where he'll finally receive
23:13his very first habit.
23:33Back in the Surrey hills of England
23:35Father John is preparing
23:37to leave the Abbey
23:38to go on a buying trip
23:39for a new beauty product
23:41he is developing.
23:45I wouldn't say that I'm
23:46in any sense an expert
23:47at producing lip balm
23:48but it's something
23:49that I'm growing
23:50and understanding of.
23:51But it's something
23:52that I certainly need
23:53the advice of other people
23:54to get the best product
23:55that we can.
23:56I'm going to take these with me.
23:59Toothbrush.
24:01So I've decided
24:02to go up to Bristol
24:03to ask the advisor
24:05of a particular shop
24:06to formulate
24:07this new lip balm.
24:09This is a rare trip
24:11outside the Abbey
24:12for Father John.
24:17We're permitted to go away
24:18for 30 days every year
24:20and we can take that
24:22whenever we want.
24:24When you're in the monastery
24:25all the time
24:25having a trip out
24:26is obviously a big treat.
24:30But I've taken
24:31the crucifix with me
24:32just to protect me.
24:35Now have I got everything?
24:37That's the question.
24:40Before monks
24:41can leave the sanctuary
24:42of the Abbey
24:43they must be prepared
24:45for the outside world.
24:48Father I'm off
24:49to Bristol for the day.
24:51Could you bless me?
24:54The blessing
24:55is always given
24:56to anybody
24:56that's going out
24:57to give them protection
24:59because we're consecrated
25:00to God
25:00and we're going
25:01into the world.
25:03Thank you very much
25:04Father Abbott.
25:06See you later.
25:07Because he holds
25:08the place of Christ
25:09in the community.
25:10The Abbey blesses us
25:11and gives us
25:12that protection.
25:29It is good
25:30to get away
25:32but a monk
25:33is always like
25:34a fish out of water
25:35when he's not
25:35in his monastery
25:39because we're in
25:40this sort of warfare
25:41this sort of
25:41spiritual warfare
25:42the whole time.
25:46When you go out
25:47into the world
25:49you're confronted
25:50by distractions.
25:54By travelling
25:55to a particular place
25:57and seeing particular
25:58things
25:58and distracted
25:59from yourself
26:00and the battle
26:01within
26:02which is raging
26:03between your will
26:05and God's will.
26:12So that's why
26:12we don't go out
26:13to the monastery
26:13that much
26:14because we want
26:15to get on
26:16with the battle.
26:16We want to get on
26:17with becoming
26:18the holy people
26:19that God wants us
26:20to be.
26:27When monks
26:28take their solemn
26:29vows
26:30they give up
26:31all personal
26:31property
26:32including
26:33their bank
26:33accounts.
26:35But Father John
26:36has some expenses
26:37and the Abbey's
26:38credit card
26:39for today's trip.
26:40The money
26:41that I spend
26:42is always checked
26:43every month
26:43by the Abbot
26:44and the Bursar.
26:45Whenever I use it
26:46I have to think
26:47do I need this
26:48or do I want it?
26:51Is it necessary?
26:52Is it within
26:53the bounds
26:53of my vows
26:54as a monk?
27:00It's a big
27:01responsibility
27:02and Father John
27:03knows that he
27:04must spend
27:04the money wisely.
27:08My aim
27:09is to get something
27:10that is really
27:10going to sell well.
27:12The whole aim
27:13of doing this
27:13is to help
27:14fundraise
27:15for the community
27:15for the church
27:17so that we
27:18can proclaim
27:19the gospel
27:19and praise
27:20God every day
27:21and continue
27:22to live
27:22at Chilwet
27:23and so it's
27:24in a good cause.
27:35Hello.
27:36Choosing the right
27:37ingredient on his
27:38research trip
27:39will be crucial
27:40to the success
27:41of his latest
27:41lip balm product
27:42and ultimately
27:44help support
27:44the abbey.
27:46I've come for
27:47some inspiration
27:47basically because
27:48we've been selling
27:49these lip balms
27:50these six lip balms
27:51for about 15 years
27:52now but we thought
27:53this year it would be
27:54nice to have another
27:55one.
27:56I just wonder if you
27:57can help us
27:57give us some inspiration.
27:59I would definitely
28:00go for the likes
28:01of like clothe
28:02or a clary sage.
28:04Clary sage?
28:05Clary sage, yeah.
28:06I've never heard
28:07of that before.
28:08Clary sage is a
28:09really good essential
28:10oil so it's
28:11part of a flower.
28:14Interesting
28:14but I'm not really
28:15taking that.
28:15It's got a sort
28:16of a
28:18like weeds
28:19isn't it?
28:20Can I try the clothe?
28:27Mandarin is a
28:28really good one
28:28and it's also
28:29really good for
28:30restoring skin
28:31properties as well.
28:32Beautiful.
28:33Yeah it's a really
28:33lovely smell.
28:34But the thing is
28:34it's very similar
28:35to our orange.
28:36Okay.
28:37Okay.
28:38We've not had
28:39cinnamon have we?
28:40No we haven't.
28:40What about that?
28:42Okay.
28:46Woody but floral
28:47a lot of people
28:48send.
28:48Woody but floral
28:49yeah.
28:50Yeah.
28:52I'd definitely
28:53suggest something
28:53like frankincense
28:54because it's
28:55really good for
28:56purifying and
28:56helping with
28:57skin blemishes.
29:01That's a
29:01wonderful
29:02it's an
29:03interesting
29:03it's a really
29:04interesting scent
29:05isn't it?
29:05Earthy isn't it?
29:06It's quite earthy
29:07but it's very
29:09uplifting isn't it?
29:10Yeah it's a
29:11really lovely smell.
29:12It's a fresh
29:12very freshing.
29:14Almost like
29:14fresh air but
29:15you've got this
29:15earthiness and this
29:17tangy quality to
29:19it as well isn't
29:19there?
29:20You could smell it
29:20all afternoon and
29:21still find new
29:22things in it I
29:22think.
29:23Yes.
29:24Right so I
29:25think we're going
29:28to take cinnamon
29:28and frankincense.
29:30Brilliant.
29:32Are you paying
29:33with card or cash?
29:34Card please.
29:38All done.
29:39Here's your bag and
29:41your receipt.
29:42Good luck with
29:42everything.
29:43Thank you so much.
29:43No problem at all.
29:44Sopra.
29:46It was quite clear
29:48to me as soon as I
29:49started smelling
29:50them which ones I
29:51wanted.
29:52The next step is to
29:53make some as soon as I
29:54get back on Saturday
29:55in preparation for the
29:56mass that we're going
29:57to be having on Sunday
29:58and hopefully we'll get
30:00quite a few sales
30:00because we can't live
30:02on fresh air at the end
30:03of the day.
30:04I'm not angels.
30:14Back on the Isle of
30:15Wight at Quar Abbey
30:16seamstress Julia has
30:18been putting the
30:19finishing touches to
30:20Brother Matthew's very
30:22first habit.
30:31Right.
30:32Let's just check that.
30:35Yeah, that's great.
30:40The habit for Matthew
30:42is finished.
30:44Father Brian has come
30:46along to inspect the
30:47finished garment.
30:49You can see the
30:49whole of it.
30:51There we are.
30:52He's quite pleased with
30:53it actually.
30:54Julia, she's been with
30:56me for the past month
30:57or so just measuring me
30:58up.
30:58That will last longer.
31:00Several fitting
31:00sessions, trying it on.
31:02She's great, really
31:03talented.
31:05And we've done the
31:06inside pocket as he's
31:07right-handed.
31:08The inside pocket's on
31:09the left.
31:10This is a new one.
31:11This is the new one, yes.
31:13And the second one, we
31:15altered one.
31:16This is Petrach's old
31:17habit.
31:19We get one which is
31:20secondhand and we get
31:21one that's brand new and
31:22that's been tailored.
31:23You're meant to really
31:24wash it like once a month.
31:25I've patched all the
31:27holes.
31:27You can spill food on it
31:29and not have to worry
31:30that it's made much of a
31:31stain because it's just a
31:32thick black piece of
31:33wool.
31:34Double pocket with a slit
31:36to get into the trouser
31:37pocket underneath.
31:38It's also very smart and to
31:40know that I'm going to be so
31:40smartly dressed every day
31:41quite effortlessly, that's
31:43something which I'm really
31:44looking forward to.
31:47Surprisingly, although
31:48Petrach was so much bigger
31:49than Matthew, it's little
31:50difference in the actual
31:52size because they are so
31:53voluminous.
31:54So all I've done is take
31:55two big darts in the front
31:58to pull it in a little bit.
31:59Well, I must be admitted
32:00that they were actually a
32:01bit small for Father
32:02Petrach.
32:03Yes.
32:08Julia's latest creation
32:09will be given to brother
32:10Matthew by the abbot at his
32:12clothing ceremony, a private
32:14religious occasion.
32:16I'm from quite a
32:17traditional Irish Catholic
32:18family, youngest of seven.
32:21Given the fact that we were
32:22brought up in a strong
32:23Catholic tradition, everyone's
32:25really excited, proud, and
32:26they're just, yeah, rooting
32:27for me.
32:29As a postulant monk, one of
32:31the milestones for brother
32:32Matthew on his journey is
32:34receiving his habit.
32:36It's an outward sign to the
32:38world that he has given his
32:39life to God.
32:42The habit is quite a big
32:45step.
32:46In my mind, one of the
32:47biggest steps because it's a
32:48visual interpretation of how
32:50you've been feeling inside and
32:52the whole world can see you're
32:54going through that seismic
32:55change in your life.
33:01The clothing ceremony is an
33:04intimate occasion that will be
33:06held later in the abbey's
33:07chapter house, with only the
33:09brethren and lay people of the
33:10abbey in attendance.
33:31Had the clothing ceremony
33:33yesterday evening.
33:34I feel great.
33:35I feel like it's the natural thing,
33:37really.
33:37I mean, everything's gone
33:38according to plan.
33:40Nothing was rushed.
33:41So, it feels like the right
33:43step to take.
33:44I feel quite comfortable.
33:47The ancient garb of the
33:48Benedictine monks has not
33:50changed for centuries, and now
33:52young brother Matthew will
33:54continue this long tradition.
33:56This is the scapula.
33:58This is the tunic.
33:59And this is the belt.
34:00So, this is unique to the
34:03Selem congregation.
34:05It's symbolic in the sense that
34:07it shows how we've just
34:08completely died to the world.
34:10You know, it's all black.
34:11We've just given our lives to God
34:12completely.
34:18To be able to just relax and to
34:19just think, okay, I'm just
34:21myself now.
34:22Like, this is who I am.
34:23I've given myself over to God.
34:26Will mentally take a while to
34:27adjust, but taking it day by day
34:29and step by step, so far so
34:31good.
34:34Hooray!
34:35Let it go.
34:51On the west coast of Ireland, at
34:53Kylemore Abbey, the nuns are
34:55having a special blessing to
34:57celebrate the feast day of
34:59St. Francis of Assisi.
35:01Come on, Aggie.
35:03Come on, horseys.
35:05Come on, horseys.
35:07Come on, horseys.
35:09It's a tradition, well, around
35:11these parts anyway, that
35:12all animals would be blessed
35:14today.
35:15Now, like, our dogs and cats
35:17would be taken to the church,
35:19but obviously, we can't bring
35:20all the horses into the church,
35:22so we're just going to have a
35:23little blessing here now.
35:25In the name of the Father,
35:26under the Son, under the
35:27Holy Spirit.
35:28Amen.
35:29The Lord bless you.
35:30And with your spirit.
35:34We can learn from animals as
35:36well.
35:36Like, we look out the window
35:38here every day and we see
35:39these animals and they're just
35:40so loving and they're so
35:42calm and they, you know,
35:44it's just like some days
35:45they're there and they're all
35:46they're all just still, you
35:48know.
35:49They're just lovely creatures.
35:51I mean, God's creatures, you
35:53know, and we're just
35:54delighted to have them, you
35:55know.
35:56You're a beauty.
35:57You are.
35:58You're a beauty.
36:00Yeah.
36:01Since 2019, the Benedictine
36:04community here has almost
36:06doubled in size, with sisters
36:08coming from India, China,
36:10Germany, Italy, Ireland and
36:13beyond.
36:14A hundred years after they
36:16arrived in Kylemore and ten
36:18years since they left the
36:19original castle building, the
36:21nuns are still in their
36:22temporary accommodation,
36:24dispersed in three locations
36:26across the estate and
36:28travelling one mile four times
36:29a day to pray in their church.
36:31But the sisters have a plan to
36:34build a new monastery.
36:38The new monastery, please God,
36:41like it would be just wonderful
36:42for all of us to be living
36:44under the same roof again.
36:47Sister Magdalena is leading the
36:49way on this ambitious project
36:50to build Ireland's first female
36:53monastery in 400 years.
36:57One will come in here and
36:59there will be a reception
37:00area here.
37:01It will be at this level.
37:02So it's very, very
37:03interesting with a lovely
37:04archway.
37:05It's quite splendid, the
37:07design of it.
37:08And then one can look out
37:09onto the lake.
37:10Right in the front here will
37:11be the retreat area here
37:13for education.
37:15Of course, the cloister,
37:16which we so much look forward
37:18to having here at Kylemore,
37:20which we've never had a
37:21cloister.
37:22We've always lived in various
37:24parts of the abbey of the
37:25castle.
37:26And which was quite
37:27uncomfortable, really, in
37:28terms of living the daily
37:30monastic way of life and
37:32community life.
37:35Sister Magdalena's dreams of
37:37a new place for faith and
37:38worship are on pause as
37:41construction work has been
37:42brought to a complete
37:43standstill.
37:46Unfortunately, the pandemic
37:48came upon us very suddenly
37:49and we had to cease the
37:51building immediately, almost.
37:54Hospitality ceased.
37:55and our visitors ceased to be at
37:57Kylemore when we closed down.
37:59And therefore, of course, we
38:00lost an income and our
38:02profits.
38:04Sister Magdalena is determined
38:06to make the new monastery a
38:07reality because she believes it's
38:10an important addition to the lives
38:11of the nuns and the wider
38:13community.
38:17Monasteries of peace, of quiet, of
38:19reflection, and I think people need
38:21that more than ever today, and
38:23particularly following the pandemic.
38:25I think this can be a space for
38:27healing, for wonderment, for beauty,
38:31for contemplation.
38:33We already have a 400-year tradition.
38:36God willing, there will be another
38:37for a hundred years.
38:41Kylemore in general has all been
38:43about the future and generations to
38:45come, and this will be our legacy.
38:48We're very hopeful that we will
38:50continue this building in the very
38:53near future, God willing.
39:03In England, at St. Augustine's
39:06Abbey, Father John is finessing his
39:08new scented lip balm to add to his
39:11range of beauty products.
39:12The beeswax and the shea butter.
39:17I'm only going to put a quarter of a
39:18teaspoon of cinnamon in, so it'll be
39:21frankincense and cinnamon lip balm.
39:23He has the key ingredients, but as
39:26with all good products, marketing is
39:28crucial, and Father John needs to
39:30hit on the right name.
39:32Frank cinnamon.
39:35Cinefrank.
39:36Cinefrank lip balm.
39:39Or Cineincense.
39:40Frank Sinatra.
39:44Frankenment, yeah.
39:45But then you're getting into
39:46Frankenstein, aren't you?
39:49Cinemonk Incense.
39:51Yeah.
39:53It's going to be a bit tricky,
39:54that, I think.
39:57Before it's stocked on the shelves,
40:00Father John needs to test that his
40:02research and hard work have paid off.
40:04Hmm.
40:05You get that, um...
40:07It's definitely a sort of a mulled
40:09wine...
40:12..um...
40:12..feeling when you get it onto your lips.
40:17I think that could go.
40:18It's very pleasant.
40:19Very pleasant indeed.
40:26Father John has a stall to sell his products in the room where people gather after Mass.
40:33That bell was for Vespers, but the abbot said, well, you're free from all commitments this evening,
40:40so you can get the shop in a decent state before tomorrow, which I think is very good of him,
40:48because it would have meant I'd have been up till midnight doing this tonight, if you haven't said that.
40:54And then when you're up early the next morning to sing the praise of the Lord at seven o'clock,
40:59it's perhaps not a good idea.
41:02So that's the frankincense and cinnamon ready.
41:06I think I'm a natural salesman.
41:09People have always said, Father John, you've missed your way, you should have been a salesman.
41:15I feel really cheerful when I make, you know, a good sale,
41:19or, you know, I make a lot of money on a particular day or whatever.
41:25And when that happens, when I'm feeling like that,
41:28I've got to sort of step back from myself and say, look, hey,
41:31are you as happy going into choir praising God seven times a day as you are doing this?
41:38Just to remind you what the priorities are,
41:46that you're here to, first of all, to praise God and not to make an idol out of money.
41:56Right, I think that'll do now for that.
41:58That looks pretty good.
42:11Next morning, the Mass is celebrated for both the monks and the local community.
42:36The time after Mass is very important because during the week,
42:39we get very few people coming to the community.
42:42But every Sunday, we'll have about 30 or 40 people.
42:48The peace of the Lord be with you always.
42:50And with your spirit.
42:57And it's a good window of opportunity to sell.
43:00And usually, I can make quite a lot during that half hour,
43:04with people sipping their coffee and chatting to me and then buying something.
43:08And it's a good time to do it.
43:21After Mass, Father John wastes no time in showcasing his latest lip balm.
43:27Thank you, John.
43:28Thank you, John.
43:30Thank you, John.
43:30Thank you, John.
43:31Oh, I'm John.
43:32Hello.
43:34Very well.
43:35Would you be interested in testing it?
43:39Yes.
43:39I'd like you to think what's in it.
43:41Yes, if it was spicy.
43:43Nothing.
43:44Fruity, fruity, spicy.
43:45Yes, yes.
43:45What is it?
43:46It's got a teaspoon of frankincense in it.
43:48And cinnamon.
43:49Do you like it?
43:50I do like it.
43:51Yes.
43:52I like it.
43:52It's amazing.
43:54No, did you like that?
43:55It's got cinnamon and frankincense in it.
43:57It's when you get it on your actual lips that you begin to smell what it's like.
44:02It is.
44:03It smells nice, but I can't...
44:04I'm trying to detect what it is.
44:06It's very frank.
44:08Have you ever tried our lip balms before?
44:10Good.
44:11Oh, good, good, good.
44:12I come back here.
44:13Come back again.
44:14I will make you.
44:15People now are not carrying cash at all.
44:18They carry a credit card.
44:19I think I might have a serious discussion with the abs about the need to get a credit card machine.
44:24You like it?
44:24I love it, yes.
44:25Oh, right.
44:26Okay, good.
44:27Everybody was very positive about it.
44:29Nobody disliked it.
44:30Generally, I'm very encouraged by the response.
44:34I think it's been a success.
44:50In the shadows of the magnificent Quar Abbey on the Isle of Wight lies the ancient, now-ruined Cistercian Abbey
44:57of St. Mary's at Quar.
44:59The ruins of this medieval monastery are a national treasure, and work to save it is now a matter of
45:07urgency for the abbey's operations and fundraising director, Tracy Osborne.
45:13We're down at the abbey ruins, the oldest part of the monastery estate, being 900 years old, in 10 years'
45:22time, so it's coming up for a big anniversary.
45:27The ancient abbey was founded in 1132.
45:31During this period, nearly 100 monks lived here.
45:35Some were doctors who tended to the islanders, while many of them farmed the land.
45:40But in 1536, that all changed, when King Henry VIII closed it down.
45:49So the old monastery was actually really vast.
45:52You can see, in the next field, the wall that's being propped is one that needs some restoration on it,
46:00as a matter of urgency.
46:02This is one of our major standing walls that we have left.
46:06So you can see the detail of the far places, the pillars, where the windows were, and the archways.
46:16I often imagine what it would have been like for them here, going about their day-to-day routine.
46:26Because it won't have changed that much in some respects.
46:32So you get that real sense of continuity from what's left of this monastery and our present-day monastery.
46:48I have a real vision for what it could be here, so not just the restoration of the ruins, which
46:55is vitally important.
46:57Actually, it's far more significant than that.
47:02It's a space where we can unite the two abbeys, a space where people can rediscover their faith, their well
47:12-being, and to be able to tell the whole of the core story.
47:23To generate some much-needed income for restoration projects, the abbey has decided to renovate this Grade II listed cottage
47:31that was originally built in the 1800s, using stone from the ancient monastery ruins.
47:38Is that eight-foot bit of baton in there?
47:41No.
47:42Where's that gone? Oh, here it is.
47:44Once the work has been completed by Sam and Kelly, the abbey's maintenance team...
47:49Got some little nails as well.
47:51..the cottage will become a holiday let for visitors.
47:56Tracey's very keen to get it up and running as quick as possible,
47:59just to help bring in some revenue to help pay for other projects.
48:02The sooner it's being rented out, the better.
48:11Going into the holiday cottage, I'm afraid that's a hard-hat area and high-vis.
48:17Keen to see how Sam and Kelly are getting on with the renovations,
48:20Tracey has brought Father Brian along for an inspection.
48:24We are indebted to and rely on the work of people outside our community.
48:31It makes me look like a bumblebee.
48:33It does make you look like a bumblebee.
48:36Being a relatively small community, we don't have the experience
48:41of all that is necessary to be carried out in the monastery.
48:45As procurator, Father Brian oversees the business management of the monastery.
49:04Father Brian hasn't been down here yet since it's been gutted,
49:09so hopefully he's not too shocked and is happy with the results so far.
49:19Hi, guys.
49:21So, do you want to give us a brief update of where you are or what you...
49:24So, we've just, uh, fixing a frame up, um, obviously we've stripped all these walls
49:29and then these will all be plasterboarded.
49:35The two-bedroom cottage was last renovated in the 1930s,
49:41so Sam and Kelly will need to do a lot of structural work
49:44before it's ready to welcome guests.
49:48We've got until March, but there's always other work to do up at the abbey
49:51which can get in the way quite often, so, uh, getting a full week on this project
49:56is quite hard to do because usually there's some sort of problem up there.
50:00So, fingers crossed it'll all be all right.
50:03And the ceiling?
50:05So, we've shored up the ceiling, so when you're upstairs, you don't feel any wobble.
50:11When you were walking upstairs before, it felt like you could fall through the floorboards
50:15and you could tip up very unsafe, didn't you?
50:18When completed, the cottage could generate around £40,000 a year in rental income.
50:24Look forward to seeing the finished project. They're well done.
50:29That went really well. It's good to have his feedback and his approval.
50:34He seemed to be happy with it. So, um, just fingers crossed that we get it all ready for Good
50:39Friday.
50:44As well as a maintenance team, Father Brian and the community are supported by 28 employees
50:51who all work in their cafe and a farm shop.
50:56This is a big site and we are a small monastic community.
51:00We have good income, but we have huge expenses.
51:03So, generating more income is extremely important.
51:07These commercial enterprises bring in essential revenue needed by the Abbey
51:12to sustain a monastic life for the monks.
51:15There we go. Thank you.
51:16That's all right.
51:25Tracey's final job of the day is to discuss with Father Brian and estate manager Matt Noyce
51:31the plan to restore the church windows.
51:34Okay, so these are the windows we'll be having taken away.
51:4116 on the side altogether.
51:43Yeah.
51:46So the scaffolding will go right across here.
51:51You can see these ones are very close to failure now.
51:54So, although they've been in there over 100 years and done a fantastic job,
51:59we really are at a critical point now.
52:01You can actually see where the lead has perished
52:04and obviously that's allowing the rainwater to ingress into the chapels below.
52:08It will be a big piece of work ticked off the ever-growing list of restoration work
52:15and conservation work that's needed.
52:18And then maybe Father Gregory won't be tapping on my door every other day saying
52:22the windows are rattling, Tracey, what are we going to do about it?
52:26But the windows are so important for the church, aren't they?
52:29Because of the colours.
52:31And it streams in on a sunny day, doesn't it?
52:34The light streams into the church.
52:36It's very emotive, isn't it?
52:38You really feel the presence when the light comes through.
52:45But behind all the work to raise funds and maintain the abbey,
52:50Father Brian believes it is all for the greater good.
52:54It's a long story to tell, it's an expensive story to tell,
52:58but the important thing I want people to realise is that it's not just a pretty place.
53:06They need to understand they're on the grounds of a monastery.
53:11It was and is a place of prayer.
53:43But the rest is how you feel.
53:43And the rest is not just a place of prayer.
53:43And the rest is...
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