St. Philip's Priory situated on New London Road in

Chelmsford Chelmsford () is a city in the City of Chelmsford district in the county of Essex, England. It is the county town of Essex and one of three cities in the county, along with Southend-on-Sea and Colchester. It is located north-east of London a ...

, Essex, UK was a

Premonstratensian The Order of Canons Regular of Prémontré (), also known as the Premonstratensians, the Norbertines and, in Britain and Ireland, as the White Canons (from the colour of their habit), is a religious order of canons regular of the Catholic Church ...

priory A priory is a monastery of men or women under religious vows that is headed by a prior or prioress. Priories may be houses of mendicant friars or nuns (such as the Dominicans, Augustinians, Franciscans, and Carmelites), or monasteries of mon ...

canons regular Canons regular are priests who live in community under a rule ( and canon in greek) and are generally organised into religious orders, differing from both secular canons and other forms of religious life, such as clerics regular, designated by a ...

. It was dedicated to Our Lady Queen of Sorrows and St.

Philip Benizi Philip Benizi (sometimes St Philip Benitius, and in Italian Filippo Benizzi) (August 15, 1233 – August 22, 1285) was a general superior of the Order of the Servites, and credited with reviving the order. Pope Leo X recognised his cult 24 January ...

. In the summer of 2022, the canonry relocated to London, founding the Priory of Our Lady of Sorrows, Peckham, in the

Archdiocese of Southwark The Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Southwark (Latin: ''Archidioecesis Southvarcensis'') is a Latin Church archdiocese of the Catholic Church in England. It is headed by the Archbishop of Southwark. The archdiocese is part of the Ecclesiastical ...

. St Philip's returned to the care of the

Diocese of Brentwood The Roman Catholic Diocese of Brentwood is a diocese of the Latin Rite of the Roman Catholic church in England. The diocese is a suffragan of the Archdiocese of Westminster. Overview The diocese covers the traditional county of Essex, an area of ...

. The site of St Philip's Priory was formerly a private house, but was brought by Mr. Henry Shepperd in 1927 for the purpose of installing a community of

Servite The Servite Order, officially known as the Order of Servants of Mary ( la, Ordo Servorum Beatae Mariae Virginis; abbreviation: OSM), is one of the five original Catholic mendicant orders. It includes several branches of friars (priests and brothe ...

nuns. The priory and chapel were solemnly blessed and opened on 15 September 1927, the feast of

Our Lady of Sorrows Our Lady of Sorrows ( la, Beata Maria Virgo Perdolens), Our Lady of Dolours, the Sorrowful Mother or Mother of Sorrows ( la, Mater Dolorosa, link=no), and Our Lady of Piety, Our Lady of the Seven Sorrows or Our Lady of the Seven Dolours are names ...

, by Arthur Doubleday, Bishop of Brentwood. The Servites ran the priory and an adjoining school until the 1990s when the house was purchased by the diocese for use as a presbytery for the nearby parish of Our Lady Immaculate. The Premonstratensian community, which had originally been founded in 2004 in

Manchester Manchester () is a city in Greater Manchester, England. It had a population of 552,000 in 2021. It is bordered by the Cheshire Plain to the south, the Pennines to the north and east, and the neighbouring city of Salford to the west. The t ...

, established their home at the priory in October 2008 at the request of Bishop Thomas McMahon of Brentwood. In September 2022, the house became a presbytery for local parishes once more. The Premonstratensians served the parish of

Our Lady Immaculate The Immaculate Conception is the belief that the Virgin Mary was free of original sin from the moment of her conception. It is one of the four Marian dogmas of the Catholic Church, meaning that it is held to be a divinely revealed truth wh ...

on New London Road, together with that of Holy Name, in the Moulsham Lodge area of Chelmsford. The canons also functioned in other roles, such as in academia and chaplaincy work. They now engage in similar ministries in their London priory, serving the parish of Our Lady of Sorrows, Peckham. In 2016, Fr Hugh Allan O.Praem., Prior of Norbertine Community of St Philip's Priory, was appointed the Apostolic Administrator of the Prefecture of the Falkland Islands and Ecclesiastical Superior of the Missions of the islands of Ascension, St Helena and Tristan da Cunha. In keeping with his appointment, he was also given the title of titular Abbot of Beeleigh."Norbertine Prior appointed to care for Church in Falklands, Ascension, St Helena and Tristan da Cunha islands", ''Independent Catholic News'', October 27, 2016
/ref> Before the

Reformation The Reformation (alternatively named the Protestant Reformation or the European Reformation) was a major movement within Western Christianity in 16th-century Europe that posed a religious and political challenge to the Catholic Church and in ...

the Premonstratensians had a house at

Beeleigh Abbey Beeleigh Abbey near Maldon in Essex, England, was a monastery constructed in 1180 for the Order of Canons Regular of Prémontré, as known as the Norbertines or Premonstratensians. The order linked the change of the separate life of monks in the ...

in Maldon and owned land throughout Essex, including in the

Moulsham Moulsham is a suburb of Chelmsford, Essex, England. It is located to the south of the city centre and has two distinct areas: Old Moulsham and Moulsham Lodge. History Moulsham is located on the south side of the River Chelmer. Moulsham Street foll ...

area where St. Philip's Priory stood.

References

External links

St. Philip's Priory WebsiteParishes of Our Lady Immaculate and Holy NameCanons Regular of Prémontré (Premonstratensians) Homepage
{{coord, 51, 43, 38.07, N, 0, 27, 49.09, E, region:GB, display=title Premonstratensian monasteries in England Monasteries in Essex Buildings and structures in Chelmsford (city)