I had never been to Hyning before, and I have to confess that the monastery’s location in north-west Lancashire was one of the things that drew me to this week, or more accurately half-week. But the other was the expectation that a CPW chaired by Anne Dixon would be not only reflective and prayerful but also rich and enjoyable. (It was.)

Together with Malcom Dixon as organiser, and Tim Redmond as chaplain, Anne had carefully woven together a series of sessions that challenged us all to think how we could become better lights in the world. The concept of a lighthouse was used both in the sense of leading us on our journey and as a metaphor for our efforts to grow spiritually, storey by storey, as we were presented with different ways of thinking and relating to others. The liturgy of the Mass was also woven through; spreading it out over several days allowed space for prayerful celebration at each stage.

The first evening was an introduction, where we were invited to consider the biases in ourselves, and put in place the foundations of our own metaphorical lighthouses. We also celebrated the introductory rites of the Mass, and the First Reading.

The following morning, the programme continued with the Psalm and a conversation entitled “The Loom” (the first glow of a lighthouse as yet below the horizon). Anne had deliberately eschewed external speakers in favour of asking some of the attending members to help lead the sessions, reinforcing the idea that there is something of God in all of us. The first of these “lighthouses” was Bill Phillips, who talked knowledgeably about sailing and lighthouses and also shared very openly the spiritual journey of his own life. After our Second Reading, Anne led us through an “Experiment with Light”, a meditative time of prayer based on Quaker practice. We then had a free afternoon followed by our evening session, where we had “book club” discussions about Small Things Like These, by Claire Keegan, a beautifully told story about doing the right thing, despite conflicting pressures from community and family. After the Gospel reading, the evening continued with “Poems and Pints”, a very pleasant way to end a thought-provoking day, with offerings ranging from the serious to nonsense!

We started the next morning with our Creed, then Anne led a conversation between two more “lighthouses”, Carola Geist-Divver and Deborah Cox, about living in “A Strange Land”; they are respectively a German living in England and an Englishwoman living in Germany. The discussion ranged over differences, perceptions, feelings of otherness and the experiences of faith in another country. We were also pleased to welcome two visitors for the morning, Ruth and Mo; Ruth Quinn, brought up – as I was – steeped in the CPW tradition, is also a Quaker, and she led us in a second, prayerful Experiment with Light contemplation, encouraging us to look beyond ourselves to the wider world. In the afternoon, Tim became our final “lighthouse”, as in conversation with Anne, he considered her description of him as “restless”. Certainly his love of long-distance walking suggests a need to do more than just stay in the comfort of one place. It has since come to my mind that he and our earlier “lighthouse” Bill have both learned to listen and make changes in their lives, something that we can reflect on. We finished the session by preparing the Offertory gifts, including some symbols of our shared experience so far. After supper, we listened to a reading from The Seventh Story by Brian McLaren and Gareth Higgins, which set us a very real challenge to become beacons of love in the world. The evening closed with the Offertory rite.

Our final morning saw the celebration of the Eucharist, with plenty of singing, and the sharing of communion. After a break, we gathered for our final session, entitled “The Light shines out”; we shared our thoughts about the last few days and our hope that we could now place lights on the top of our lighthouses! The morning drew to a close with our passing round a symbolic light with a prayer from one to the next to “receive the light of Christ”. A final blessing concluded our CPW.

Quite apart from any spiritual sustenance, we were certainly wonderfully looked after by the community at Hyning, with ample meals supplemented by a splendid 90th birthday cake for the joint celebrations of Ted Monks, Teresa Saunders and Frank Monteiro. Altogether a very happy and memorable few days, with plenty of food for further thought.

Report on ‘Longing for Light’ CPW at Hyning in Autumn 2024