Dominican nuns in the uk

[Hannie_f]

Hey, entirely out of curiosity, but why does the UK have no Dominican nuns? We have Dominican sisters, friars.  There is a monastery of op nuns in Ireland but while in the past there have been convents and monasteries of Dominican nuns in England there aren't today. What happened? Is it a cultural thing?

[Tessa]

There were Dominican nuns on the Isle of Wight 'til the 80s I think. They didn't have vocations though and so they closed (maybe there were other reasons too, not sure). Carrisbrooke - St Dominic's priory.

I don't think it would be cultural: there are many contemplative monasteries thriving in the UK... I would guess that no new foundation of nuns has been made as they were present until quite recently (if the 1980s is considered recent... which I think it is!). Maybe it's something for some flourishing Dominican contemplative nuns to consider! To make a new foundation of Dominican nuns in England! (But the Dominican nuns in Ireland are great I've heard, so maybe some English women will be attracted there too). 

[Sr Mary Catharine OP]

Many of us are praying that someday the nuns will return to England. There were never more than 3 monasteries there and Dartford was taken over by Henry VIII. He wanted the priory for a summer home.

It takes 9 nuns to make a foundation and almost no monastery has enough nuns to send there to make a new monastery.

If UK women here interested in becoming Dominican contemplatives they would need to start out in another monastery and then go back. 

[Hannie_f]

Thank you, both! I am Benedictine at heart but it was a Dominican nuns blog that showed me for the first time how beautiful monastic cloistered life is so I will pray too that a foundation may reach our shores one day soon. 

Edited August 7, 2022 by Hannie_f
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