STORY - "Mostly beyond words"

ABC series The Abbey (http://www.abc.net.au/tv/theabbey/) is being broadcast in mid October. Aurora invited Sr Mechtild Crawford OSB of the Benedictine Abbey at Jamberoo (Catherine Crawford, formerly a Sister of St Joseph of Lochinvar) to comment on the experience of living a monastic life while being filmed for a documentary.

Q What were your feelings when the notion of The Abbey was first mooted?

A The idea of filming our life has been a possibility for a while. Our friend, film maker Varcha Sidwell put a request to Mother Benedicta years ago. Mother was never frightened to take a risk if it was for the sake of bringing people to God. She saw the possibilities in this and acted with confidence and faith. Obviously our whole community needed to be supportive. We each had to listen to the voice of the Spirit in our own hearts to see if this was 'of God'. Mother listened and then, as is the custom in Benedictine life, she made the decision.

I was very excited about this production. Here at the Abbey we have something of the Spirit of God that is unique, tangible and yet mostly beyond words. God touches people who come to our abbey. It is a great mystery but what we have doesn't belong to us. The Abbey was a way to share what we have, not just with the five participants but with so many more.

Mother Benedicta died suddenly in August 2006. The whole production was put on hold, its future uncertain. Mother was deeply loved by each one of us and our grief was enormous. In November we elected our new Abbess, Mother Mary. She recommitted us and filming began in February for 33 days.

Q Did you have reservations about whether a ‘reality TV’ style program might misrepresent your way of life?

A I have never had any reservations about the series. I had every confidence that a lot of good would come from it. As a Benedictine oblate Varcha has used her gifts to build up God's Kingdom. (Oblates are lay members of the community who live their own vocations to marriage or the single life and take the Rule of St Benedict as their 'way' of salvation.)

Q What are your hopes for the outcomes of the series?

A Our hope was that the five participants would discover just how much God loves them and that God is, and has been, very present in their life journeys. For the viewers, we hope that by journeying with these women in the series, God will touch them too. Also, we hoped that monastic life would be viewed authentically. Our lives are very rich and beautiful and this seemed a good way to expose some real truths and values about monastic life to the wider community. Benedictine values are not irrelevant - they have a richness that could greatly benefit our world.

Q Could you describe the Sisters’ experience of being joined by the participants?

A Each of the women is very different. They were in choir with us and we watched them embrace our life with earnest respect. Love and affection grew between us. We encounter many people through our retreat cottages. Often you can see the struggles in their faces and in ours, and in faith we carry one another. Three sisters were appointed to be spiritual mentors. Two sisters gave them daily conferences on the life and led them in meditation and lectio divina (scriptural reading). The five women experienced all aspects of our life; coming to Vigils at 4.30 am and the other six offices of the day. They engaged in work, in craft and the garden, and you will see all this in the series.

Q Did filming conflict with the enclosed life that you have embraced?

A Being filmed was daunting! Much credit to our camera and sound women, whose sensitivity and reverence were outstanding. They too became very much part of our lives. If a sister didn't want to be filmed or interviewed, this was respected. As for seeing oneself on the television, that’s another story…!

Q Do you have a sense of the insights gained by the women?

A These are just a few of the insights gained and shared:
- One came angry and estranged from the Church. Every day we watched her face change. Her heart was so open and wanting. Her insight was "I discovered that I had to forgive myself first."

- Another was educated through the Catholic school system but has never really experienced or known God. Her words were "Now I know God loves me, so what do I do with my life?"

- From another, “While I was crying out in pain God really was with me, crying too.”

To conclude I want to say that this has been a wonderful experience. Having seen the series I feel inspired by the genuine trust and desire of the women, and I saw my own sisters sharing their lives lovingly with these women. I hope that many people's hearts will be touched. The five women are all hoping to return at some time…
Please visit http://www.jamberooabbey.org.au/index.html

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