Bishop Mark welcomes new Religious Community to the Diocese

This week the Diocese of Plymouth announced that it will be welcoming the Sisters of Mary Morning Star, (Maria Stella Matutina), a relatively new community of Contemplative nuns, who are making a foundation at Lynton, in North Devon.

Informing the Diocese about the new foundation, Bishop Mark O’Toole, the Bishop of Plymouth, said:

“It is a great joy for us to welcome this new foundation of the Sisters of Mary Morning Star, (Maria Stella Matutina). I am sure that their prayerful presence and witness will bring many blessings, not only to the local area but also to the whole of our Diocese. We give thanks to God that a vibrant, young community, full of faith and the joys of Our Lady, is coming to make their home among us. I am sure that they will help us all to be more ardent missionary disciples of Jesus Christ. Let us entrust this new beginning to the Lord and His Mother.”

Initially, five sisters will be moving into the former Poor Clare Monastery in Lynton, with some more due to arrive in the autumn. Bishop Mark will be celebrating a Mass of Welcome for the Sisters on Sunday, 14th July.

This international Community was founded in the Diocese of San Sebastian in Spain and now counts over 250 members in more than 20 convents, on 4 continents. The Sisters centre their life on the Eucharist and the prayerful reading of Scripture (lectio divina). They make a living through selling simple crafts and goods. Whilst they are contemplatives and therefore committed to a life of prayer, they have no strict enclosure. This allows the Sisters to be a presence of prayer in the heart of the world, and according to the needs and requests of the Church.

In response to Jesus command to love one another as He has loved us, the Sisters strive to live fraternal charity bearing witness to the joy of being consecrated to God. A missionary spirit and great attention to the new evangelization are important aspects of their charism.

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