Exam-stressed students at The English Martyrs School have
found a different way of coping with the pressures of A' Levels. Ampleforth
Abbey in North Yorkshire, home to an order of monks founded around 1500 years
ago, offers a haven of peace and tranquillity plus the chance to get life in
perspective. A group of eight sixth-form students and four adults (teachers get
stressed too!) visited the abbey last Monday night looking for a bit of
monastic wisdom to help them through. They were met by Fr. Terrence, Prior of
the abbey, who spoke to them about how prayer, a monastic speciality, can and
should make us think about others, no matter how tough our lives might feel right
now. Realising that there are always people worse off than we are somehow seemed
to help! As Hannah Picknett, one of the students said, ‘It was comforting to
know that just as I was praying for people, others were praying for me.’
A real highlight of the trip was being invited to pray
with the monks, something they do five times a day following a tradition dating
back to Jesus’ time. The group admitted that while they struggled with the
Latin words, they were uplifted by the beauty of the singing. ‘I felt less
stressed and more able to cope as a result of spending time with the monks,’
commented Lizzie Irvine, who two hours earlier had been frantically revising
for her next exam.
The high-spirits in the bus on the way home suggested
that the trip had really helped. Asked if she felt it had been worthwhile,
Anne-Marie Lavelle, the school chaplain replied, ‘It was lovely for the young
people to have the opportunity to take some time out to be with God and each
other. The laughter combined with the sunshine and beautiful surroundings were
just what the doctor ordered!’ But the last word should be left to Matthew
Hutchinson, another student, who had never visited a monastery before: ‘It was
a fantastic experience and I’ll definitely be coming back next year!’
