He who accepts the common life possesses God (Augustine Sermon 355.6)

Since 2016, we have joined with our Sisters from Liverpool to form Our Lady of Hope, a single Community on two sites, Boarbank and Ince Blundell Hall. This, sadly, involved the closing of Park House in Liverpool, from where the foundresses of both Boarbank and Ince originally came.

At present( June 2023), twelve Sisters live at Boarbank and five at Ince Blundell. We also have a resident chaplain and another resident priest. They say daily Masses for the Community, patients and visitors and support our pastoral care.

The spiritual life of the Augustinian Canonesses is structured on the Gospels and the Rule of St Augustine, which begins: 'Before all else, live in harmony, being of one heart and one mind on the way to God, sharing everything in common.'

Our Constitutions enable us to put this into practice, summing up the characteristics of our life as Canonesses as: liturgical and personal prayer; sharing all things in common; and the service of the sick and needy through works of mercy and hospitality. This life is lived in the stability of a monastery, which, implanted in a particular church, 'aspires to be a centre of vibrant love for the building up of the Body of Christ'.

Others who share in the life

All our caring and hospitality is centred around the liturgical life of the community. It is a joy to share the Eucharist and the Prayer of the Church with our residents, guests and other friends of all denominations and none. The many priests and religious who stay with us enhance this aspect of our life. We are delighted to welcome ecumenical groups to our Guest house, and to host the annual Advent Carol Service for Churches Together in Grange-over-Sands and District.

We have an ever-expanding network of international friendships, with both religious and students staying with us in recent years from Africa and the Far East as well as most of the countries in Europe. They come to learn English, to gain work experience and to learn something of our life.

Canonical life

At a time when other devout Christians were turning to the ascetic isolation of the Egyptian desert, St Augustine found his inspiration in the common life of the early Christians (Acts 2.42-47). As a priest and then a bishop, he founded religious communities to live with him, as a witness to the unity proclaimed by the Gospel. He recognised that men and women would be attracted to Christ when they saw his love revealed in their life together.

Following St Augustine, men and women over the centuries have come together to try and live out the same ideals. They share their possessions, talents and time, to witness to the Gospel and to serve the mission of Christ. In the twelfth and thirteenth centuries, the Rule of St Augustine became particularly popular among reformers such as St Norbert. Many new orders and congregations have been founded over the centuries which use his Rule to live out the fundamental spirit of the Gospel and to meet the needs of their own day.

To live the canonical life is to share in the experience of forming the Church: to share griefs, joys, hopes and challenges. Empowered by this vision, men and women serve through many different means: parish work, teaching, nursing, hospitality and centres of silence. Yet each form of service is rooted in personal prayer and in shared praise, and each leads back to these:

'The company of those who believed were of one heart and soul' (Acts 4.32).