What is the Lay Community of St. Benedict?

The Lay Community of St. Benedict is a community dedicated to the Gospel
and the spirituality of St. Benedict as lived out by lay people. It was founded in
August 2003 from the Worth Abbey Lay Community, which for 30 years existed under the auspices of the monastic community of Worth Abbey to offer hospitality and Christian formation to community members and visitors to the Abbey. The mission statement of the Lay Community of St. Benedict is "to live holy communion, create holy space and offer holy service, in response to the call of Christ."

For more on the spirituality of the LCSB, please click here.

What does it do?

The LCSB seeks to live out the Christian Gospel through the inspiration and encouragement of the Rule of St. Benedict. The following are some of the ways in which we seek to do this in the life of the community:

• encouraging the formation and spiritual growth of LCSB members in their daily lives;
• meeting together in local, regional and community-wide gatherings to share prayer, lectio divina, hospitality and friendship;
• encouraging members to pray for one another;
• hosting retreats and other events in which members and visitors can experience aspects of Benedictine Christian spirituality;
• encouraging and resourcing the Christian spiritual development of young people;
• engaging creatively with the Rule of St. Benedict to draw from it guidance and inspiration for life in the modern world;
• developing service events (our programme currently includes a retreat week for families, a holiday for elderly people, and a weekend of Carol Singing) and encouraging and supporting social awareness amongst community members.

For more on the life and work of the LCSB, please click here.

Where is it?

We are a community with members scattered throughout Great Britain and abroad. We do not have a central location, but members of the LCSB create community whenever they meet together, and carry the community in their thoughts and prayers in daily life.

Please click here for more information on our local and regional group network.

Please click here for more information on our students' network.

Is the LCSB monastic?

No. The LCSB has no monastic enclosure and is not led by the clergy. Members follow different paths in life but are connected to one another through a shared commitment to prayer and meeting together regularly. We do however draw wisdom from the experience of Benedictine monastic communities, and like them, we seek to discover God's love for us through a rhythm of prayer, the reading of scripture and the Rule of St. Benedict.

Do members take vows?

Although the monastic vows of obedience, stability and "conversion of life" are an inspiration to the Lay Community of St. Benedict, we do not ask members to take formal vows. Our members do, however, embrace the promise to live holy communion, create holy space and offer holy service in their daily lives, and seek the support of the community and the guidance of the Rule of St. Benedict to help them find ways of making this promise a reality in their individual circumstances.

Who can join?

The LCSB is open to men and women of all ages, single or married, lay or religious. Our members include families with young children, teenagers, students, working men and women, and retired people.

Is the LCSB a Roman Catholic organisation? Where does it stand on ecumenism?

The roots of the LCSB lie in the English Catholic church, however members of all denominations are welcome to join the community and have always played a full part in the life of the community. The majority of our members are Roman Catholic and we are fortunate enough to have the services of an ordained Roman Catholic chaplain; however the community is committed to ongoing ecumenical dialogue and seeks to create a "holy space" in which members of different Christian denominations can learn from one another and grow together.

Is the LCSB a part of Worth Abbey?

Not any more. The LCSB was granted independence from Worth Abbey in August 2003. However, we maintain a close working relationship with the Abbot and monastic community of Worth. We continue to make use of the facilities of Worth Abbey to host a number of Lay Community events, and we have the services of a chaplain who is a member of the monastic community of Worth.

Does the LCSB have an Abbot?

The leadership structure of the LCSB is based around the Benedictine model of a leader, an assistant to the leader, and a Council with responsibility for specific areas of the Lay Community's ministry and mission. Our Leader carries many of the responsibilities of a Benedictine Abbot, although the dispersed nature of the community means that these responsibilities are fulfilled in a very different way to those of an Abbot presiding over an enclosed community. The whole community is responsible for the election of a Leader, after an appropriate period of prayer and discernment.

How can I join the LCSB?

The Lay Community of St. Benedict always seeks to welcome new members to the community. However, it is not possible simply to sign a form and become a member of the LCSB. New members are welcomed into the community through a process of formation and prayer, through the guidance of the Lay Community's ministry team. If you are interested in beginning this process, please contact our Administrator.

Can I still take part in Lay Community events even if I'm not a member?

Local group meetings and most other Lay Community events are open to non-
members as well as members of the LCSB; newcomers are always welcome. You can receive information about the life of the Lay Community and its programme of events by becoming a Friend of the Lay Community. Please ask our Administrator for further details. Our website also contains details of forthcoming events as well as resources which may help you on your own spiritual journey.

Click here to view our Events programme for 2005.

We also welcome support in the following ways:

• Prayer for the work and ministry of the community;
• Financial support (the LCSB is a registered charity, no. 1100638, and is entirely reliant on donations to meet its operating costs and run its events);
• Your feedback on the articles, reflections and study resources which we make available through our website.

Click here for more information on how to get involved in the life of the community.

Where does the Lay Community meet?

• LCSB local groups currently meet in south London, Wolverhampton, Brighton, Milton Keynes, Oxford, Reigate, Sevenoaks, Liskeard and South Wales. The local group network is expanding, with new groups beginning to meet on a regular basis. Click here for more information about LCSB local groups.
• Regional meetings take place several times a year in London, Oxford, Abergavenny, the Chilterns, Wolverhampton and Sevenoaks. Click here for more information about LCSB regional group meetings.
• Retreats and youth events take place regularly at Worth Abbey and at other Benedictine retreat centres around the country.
• A Summer Gathering of the whole community takes place at Worth Abbey over the August bank holiday weekend.
• Lay Community student groups meets twice a term; these meetings began in Leeds and Manchester and are now expanding to other parts of the UK (click here for more details).
• Other gatherings and service events in 2004 took place in the Welsh mountains and in the ruins of Glastonbury Abbey during the festival.

Please see our Events page for further details.

What happens at meetings?

The main activities of Lay Community gatherings involve prayer, lectio divina, the sharing of hospitality, and friendship. Catholic Mass is usually celebrated when community gatherings meet on Sundays, and occasionally at other times. Shared work is a common feature of Lay Community gatherings, especially during "service" events. When the Lay Community meets at Worth Abbey, we also join with the monastic community in sharing the Divine Office.

I'm nowhere near a local group. How can I be involved?

• The Lay Community Prayer Circle puts members and friends in touch with another member who agrees to pray regularly for you. You can also offer the same service to other LCSB members!
• The monthly newsletter The Circle enables you to keep informed about what is happening in the life of the community.
• Listen, the triannual magazine of the Lay Community, provides a safe space for Lay Community members to share their news and life experience, as well as providing more detailed coverage of the life of the Lay Community together.
• The Lay Community website contains resources for study of the Rule, lectio divina and for personal prayer, as well as reflections written by members of the community.
• Day and weekend retreats take place at intervals throughout the year in a growing number of locations. Check our Events pages for more details.

If you have any other questions, or if there's anything we haven't covered here which you think should be included,  please e-mail us at contact@laybenedictines.org.

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The Lay Community Council, June 2004. Last updated 12th May 2005