St. Bernard's Convent
The Bernardine Sisters to leave Slough
In a statement issued on Monday, 5th. January, the Prioress of the Bernardine Order at St. Bernard's Convent, Sister Josephine Helen announced that all 13 nuns will move away from Slough over the next few years.

"We must prepare to leave Slough as we can no longer carry the responsibilities associated with two large schools"
The Order has been in Slough for over 100 years. It was in 1897 when a small group of nuns arrived from France and started a small school for 12 students.
Sister Josephine Helen said her sisters are no longer able to carry out the responsibilities associated with running the two schools on the site as their numbers had declined and education had becoming 'more complex and demanding'.
 

The Bernardines of Esquermes are an order of Cistercian nuns, part of the larger Cistercian family.
They live according to the Rule of St. Benedict, seeking God as a community in a spirit of prayer, simplicity, service and silence.
Work in education and hospitality has always been an integral
part of their life.
There are about 135 sisters world-wide, living in 7 communities.

The Trusteeship of the 900-strong St Bernard's Convent school will be handed to the Diocese of Northampton - a move they promise will not affect the good performance of the school. Discussions will continue about the future of the Independent St Bernard's prep school, which is attended by 200 primary school pupils.
Because it is an independent  school, the trusteeship cannot simply be passed to the diocese like the state school, but Sister Mary said there were 'encouraging signs' that other groups were in line to take on the Trusteeship. "It's sad that we need to leave Slough, but like any family we need to look at what is manageable,"

"It's sad that we need to leave Slough"
 

We appreciate the support of the Holy Family parishoners, Fr. Kevin,
Fr. Stan and Kieran
 

Father Kevin:
"This is very sad news for the parish and for Slough. Their educational achievements

here in Slough over the past century has been incredible. We pray for their future happiness in their monastic life. They will always be in our thoughts.
 

St. Bernard's Convent School.
The school aims to promote the spiritual life of the School Community by giving primacy
to worship and prayer together.
John McAteer, head teacher of St Bernard's Convent school said :
"I am very sad the sisters are leaving as they had given the school real purpose and direction. They will be badly missed
This is their home and their presence has been very important. The values which they bring to the school and are witnessed by the pupils cannot be underestimated." 
 

"We ask you to pray for us as we seek to discern our futures"


 
Statement issued by
Sister Josephine Mary, Prioress General.

Sister Mary Helen and the Sisters.
Prioress, Slough.
5th January, 2004

Dear Friends in Holy Family Parish,

We are writing to share with you an important decision that has been taken concerning the long-term future of the Community of Bernardine Cistercians in Slough. For several months now, the Slough Community, with all the Sisters of the Order, have been praying about the future of our Community in Slough. There have been several meetings at different levels and we have tried to discern what God wants of us in England at the beginning of this new millennium. We have come to the conclusion that we must prepare to leave Slough as we can no longer carry the responsibilities associated with two large schools.
When our Sisters first arrived in England over a hundred years ago they started a school with very few pupils. Now we have nearly 900 in the Voluntary Aided Secondary School and 230 in the Independent St. Bernard's Preparatory School. Our mission has always been to serve the Church through our monastic life with its emphasis on prayer and community; education has always been an integral part of that mission. Maintaining the balance between these three elements of our life has always been a priority for us and it has become increasingly difficult to do so. Both Schools have grown; education has developed, becoming more complex and demanding. At the same time vocations to our life have diminished. All these factors have contributed to our decision.
The two schools are thriving, and much appreciated by the local Community. We have already spoken to the former Bishop of Northampton; he has accepted our decision and the Diocese is ready to work with us in order to transfer the trusteeship of St. Bernard's Convent School from the Bernardine Order to the Northampton Diocese.
 It is obviously with great regret and sadness that we have made this decision. We intend to take all the time we need to ensure that our withdrawal from Slough proceeds as smoothly as possible from all points of view. We also need time to discern the future of the Slough Community, and the sisters will remain in Slough until at least August 2006.
We have always been grateful to be members of Holy Family Parish and to be a Mass centre both on weekdays and Sundays. Our Chapel, will of course continue to be a place of prayer. We very much appreciate the support of so many parishioners, Fr. Kevin, Fr. Stan, and Kieran. Although we feel sadness at moving on from all that has been accomplished in Slough, this decision is also a source of hope and confidence for us. We hope that letting go of these large responsibilities will enable us to focus more on our monastic life, and enable us to bear witness to the Gospel in a different way.
We ask you to pray for us as we seek to discern our futures and as we undertake all the administrative and practical steps involved in our eventual withdrawal from Slough.

With all best wishes, Yours sincerely,