Standing Outside the Big Green Door

Entrance Door to Lanherne Convent

Dear Friends and Family,

Last night, I returned from a jog at 6:30 PM, and stepped inside the main door--the green door pictured above--into the entryway to the presbytery and convent. It had been a joy to spend 45 minutes running through the woods, up and down hills, at times looking out over the fields, giving thanks for the pretty English countryside. I had finished Sunday's sermon before the run. All that remained was to tie up a few loose ends, print the sermon and prepare various other little things for Sunday, eat dinner, pray Compline, and then turn in for the night. 

Since the run had been muddy, I slipped off my running shoes and stepped outside a moment to brush shake the mud off of my shoes and.... the door closed behind me and... locked. And I was without a key.... 

Now, this posed a problem because there is currently no other way for me to enter the presbytery. Nor is there currently any other way for me to contact the Nuns from outside. They don't usually pick up their phone, so even if I walked down to the local pub and called them that would probably not work. So, I had to come up with another solution.

I thought for a few moments about finding some way to jiggle the lock open. No luck... Then I managed to push open the little door with bars (made so you can peer out to see who is there). Could I reach the handle from there to open the door?... No. So I started banging on the door, hoping the Sisters would hear my knocking. No luck... Then tried calling out as loudly as I could. Still no response... 

After perhaps 10 minutes of this, I decided to try the bell with the chain outside the door. I had tried it earlier but it had refused to budge, perhaps stuck in place due to the new paint. This time I reached up and pulled higher on the chain, hard, and it gave way. Wonderful! So I started pulling on the chain every 15 seconds or so, for a while, hoping to get their attention. Then the chain broke.... (as can be seen in the photo above), but there was still a little bit at the top that I could pull on. So I continued to pull this, alternating with calling out for the Sisters and banging on the door. 

During all of this, it was beginning to rain. I was contemplating what I would do if locked out for the night. My climbing over their wall and throwing rocks at their windows might give them such a fright that it was likely not worth the risk trying. Could I go down to the Falcon (local pub across the street from the Convent) and phone someone to stay at their house for the night? Sure. But there would still be the problem of how to get into the presbytery early enough the next morning to get things ready for the Mass, because the Nuns wouldn't know I wasn't there until it was time for Mass to begin.

In the midst of such thoughts... the inner door to the convent opened and Mother Superior came out to let me in. Providentially, they had come walking by that part of the monastery and heard the bell, banging, and shouting. A happy ending. Though one that made me sit down straight away to write our foreman an email asking about a good, secure place to have a secure "key box" outside the building!

It's amazing how many little things we can take for granted until they don't work. Such as opening a door or being able to sleep in our own bed at night. As Lent begins, may we give thanks to God for so many, many blessings, perhaps especially some of those little daily ones that often go unnoticed. 

May Jesus and Mary watch over you and guide you.

In Cordibus Iesu et Mariae,

Fr. Pillari