Our Lady of England Priory in

Storrington Storrington is a small town in the Horsham District of West Sussex, England, and one of two in the civil parish of Storrington and Sullington. Storrington lies at the foot of the north side of the South Downs. it has a population of around 4,60 ...

West Sussex West Sussex is a county in South East England on the English Channel coast. The ceremonial county comprises the shire districts of Adur, Arun, Chichester, Horsham, and Mid Sussex, and the boroughs of Crawley and Worthing. Covering an ar ...

England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...

is the former home of

Roman Catholic Roman or Romans most often refers to: *Rome, the capital city of Italy *Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD *Roman people, the people of ancient Rome *'' Epistle to the Romans'', shortened to ''Romans'', a lette ...

priest A priest is a religious leader authorized to perform the sacred rituals of a religion, especially as a mediatory agent between humans and one or more deities. They also have the authority or power to administer religious rites; in particu ...

s belonging to a Community of Canons Regular of

Prémontré Prémontré () is a commune in the Aisne department in Hauts-de-France in northern France. Population Sights The remains of Prémontré Abbey, the mother house of the Premonstratensian Order, are located in Prémontré. See also * Communes ...

, (or 'Premonstratensians') after the place where they were founded in

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...

in 1121. The priests are also known as ''Norbertines'' after

Norbert of Xanten Norbert of Xanten, O. Praem (c. 1075 – 6 June 1134) (Xanten-Magdeburg), also known as Norbert Gennep, was a bishop of the Catholic Church, founder of the Premonstratensian order of canons regular, and is venerated as a saint. Norbert was can ...

, the Founder of the order. Because of their white

habits A habit (or wont as a humorous and formal term) is a routine of behavior that is repeated regularly and tends to occur subconsciously.

, another name for members of the Order is ''White Canons''. The priests follow the

Rule of St Augustine The Rule of Saint Augustine, written about the year 400, is a brief document divided into eight chapters and serves as an outline for religious life lived in community. It is the oldest monastic rule in the Western Church. The rule, developed b ...

History

A Premonstratensian priory was opened in 1888 by a community of Canons who came over from France in 1882. The land the Priory is built on was granted by

Henry Fitzalan-Howard, 15th Duke of Norfolk Henry Fitzalan-Howard, 15th Duke of Norfolk, (27 December 184711 February 1917), styled Lord Maltravers until 1856 and Earl of Arundel and Surrey between 1856 and 1860, was a British Unionist politician and philanthropist. He served as Postmas ...

, and the foundation stone of the Priory Church was laid in 1902 by Cardinal Bourne, Archbishop of Southwark. The Church, designed by

Edward Goldie Edward Goldie (1856–1921) was an English Church architecture, ecclesiastical architect who was notable for building Roman Catholic church building, churches, mainly in the form of Gothic Revival architecture. He was the son of George Goldie (arch ...

, is brick with stone dressings"Storrington – Our Lady of England Priory", Taking Stock
/ref> and was completed in 1904. It houses the Shrine to Our Lady of England, the shrine statue being the work of the Austrian sculptor Ferdinand Stueflesser. Our Lady of England Priory - geograph

The first Prior of Storrington Priory was a French White Canon, Father (born Albert Rieux in 1853 in the Provençal village of Robion (better known today as "Peter Mayle country"). He was one of many French priests exiled from France in the early 1900s – he arrived to settle there in 1903 – following the aggressive acts of separation of Church and State by the French government. Xavier de Fourvière was a renowned writer, poet and charismatic preacher, a member of

Frédéric Mistral Joseph Étienne Frédéric Mistral (; oc, Josèp Estève Frederic Mistral, 8 September 1830 – 25 March 1914) was a French writer of Occitan literature and lexicographer of the Provençal form of the language. He received the 1904 Nobel P ...

's famous "

Félibrige The ''Félibrige'' (; in classical Occitan, in Mistralian spelling, ) is a literary and cultural association founded in 1854 by Frédéric Mistral and other Provençal writers to defend and promote the Occitan language (also called the ) and ...

" movement for the Provençal language. He preached often at the church of Our Lady of France, Leicester Square, London where he was taken ill in May 1912, returned to Provence (hoping the sun would secure his restoration) but he died in October 1912 and is buried in his birthplace, Robion. The poet

Francis Thompson Francis Joseph Thompson (16 December 1859 – 13 November 1907) was an English poet and Catholic mystic. At the behest of his father, a doctor, he entered medical school at the age of 18, but at 26 left home to pursue his talent as a writer a ...

stayed at the Priory nearly two years after being brought there by

Wilfrid Wilfrid ( – 709 or 710) was an English bishop and saint. Born a Northumbrian noble, he entered religious life as a teenager and studied at Lindisfarne, at Canterbury, in Francia, and at Rome; he returned to Northumbria in about 660, and ...

and

Alice Meynell Alice Christiana Gertrude Meynell (née Thompson; 11 October 184727 November 1922) was a British writer, editor, critic, and suffragist, now remembered mainly as a poet. Early years and family Alice Christiana Gertrude Thompson was born in ...

to recover from opium addiction.Thomson, John. ''Francis Thompson, Poet and Mystic'', Simpkin, Marshall, Hamilton, Kent and Company, Limited, 1923, p. 40
/ref> He wrote the poem ''To Daisy'' during his stay. Also,

Hilaire Belloc Joseph Hilaire Pierre René Belloc (, ; 27 July 187016 July 1953) was a Franco-English writer and historian of the early twentieth century. Belloc was also an orator, poet, sailor, satirist, writer of letters, soldier, and political activist. H ...

wrote the poem ''On Courtesy'' on 17 May 1908 after visiting the Priory. The

Chemin Neuf Community The Chemin Neuf Community (french: Communauté du Chemin Neuf) is a Catholic community with an ecumenical vocation. Formed from a charismatic prayer group in 1973, it has 2,000 permanent members in 30 countries, and 12,000 people serving in the co ...

uses the buildings, still owned by the Church and licensed to the community by the Order who left in the early 2010s after over 130 years. The Community conducts retreats and various programs at the priory."Storrington Priory", Chemin Neuf, UK
/ref>

References

External links

Parish of Our Lady of England Storrington

Chemin Neuf Community in Storrington site
{{coord, 50.9166, -0.4599, display=title Premonstratensian monasteries in England Monasteries in West Sussex Roman Catholic churches in West Sussex Edward Goldie church buildings