The Society is dedicated to the Cross, signifying consecration to the crucified and risen Lord as the focus of its life and as the source of the power to live it.
The Community, part of the Anglican Church in Wales, lives a life of prayer based on silence, solitude and learning to live together, under vows of poverty, chastity and obedience, with a modern rule, Cistercian in spirit.
Our
common life follows the daily rhythm of worship described below, but includes
study, recreation and work in the house and grounds. Each member of the community
spends two hours a day in silent prayer. Much of each day is kept as silent
as possible to encourage this attitude of attentiveness.
It is possible for men and women, married or single, to experience the contemplative life by living alongside the community for periods longer than the usual guest stay. This has proved a very creative and worthwhile experience for many people.
“Alongsiders” are often young people coming here between completing their education and starting a job, and the length of stay has varied between six weeks and a year.
WorshipThe Eucharist, at the heart of our corporate life, is celebrated
daily at noon, with the daily Office and other times of shared prayer spanning
the day. These strong moments articulate the total offered life of prayer. This
worship is offered in love to God, with prayer for the world. All services are
open to the public, and we are often joined by members of the neighbourhood
in addition to our visitors. The chapel is always open for prayer.
Hospitality
is a very important part of our life at Tymawr, and guests are most welcome.
The course of a year will see six hundred people at Tymawr both for day visits
and to stay
Michaelgarth Long Room and the Old Print House (refurbished in 1998) are available for small groups for day retreats or conferences
Guests have access to our extensive library and there is a study room.
The community offers facilities for individual and group retreats.
Individuals may have private retreats but guidance from members of the community can be arranged. There Individually Guided Retreat Group each year.
Groups in the self catering guest house, Michaelgarth, sometimes bring their own leaders, but the community, if asked in advance, may offer a talk or meditation.
Pilgrimages round the grounds, led by a Sister, can also be arranged
The sisters spend a considerable amount of time meeting and listening to those who come to the convent, and they also maintain a ministry by correspondence and by telephone.
The community organises and sponsors occasional lectures and programmes of study for those who wish to find or develop the life of the spirit in their own circumstances.
The Society of the Sacred Cross has inherited a great of its particular charism from rich sources of Christian Spirituality from the tradition of the past and from the the monastic life lived by monks and nuns throughout the centuries and particularly, perhaps, from the reformed Benedictines - the Cistercians. Geographically, we are only a few miles from the great Cistercian Abbey of Tintern where monks lived and prayed in the 12th century until the monastery was destroyed in the 16th century. (Thomas Merton is perhaps one of the best known Cistercian monks of our time because of his prolific writings).
This rich inheritance is open to all Christians, and we endeavour, by God's grace, to keep some measure of its spirit alive here at Tymawr, to the glory of God.
Jesus said to his disciples,
"Every scribe who has been trained for the Kingdom of Heaven is like a householder who brings out of his treasure what is new and what is old". (Mt 13:52)