St. Philip's Priory situated on New London Road in

Chelmsford Chelmsford () is a city in the City of Chelmsford district in the county of Essex, England. It is the county town of Essex and one of three cities in the county, along with Colchester and Southend-on-Sea. It is located north-east of London ...

, Essex, UK was a

Premonstratensian The Order of Canons Regular of Prémontré (), also known as the Premonstratensians, the Norbertines and, in Britain and Ireland, as the White Canons (from the colour of their habit), is a religious order of canons regular in the Catholic Chur ...

priory A priory is a monastery of men or women under religious vows that is headed by a prior or prioress. They were created by the Catholic Church. Priories may be monastic houses of monks or nuns (such as the Benedictines, the Cistercians, or t ...

canons regular The Canons Regular of St. Augustine are Catholic priests who live in community under a rule ( and κανών, ''kanon'', in Greek) and are generally organised into Religious order (Catholic), religious orders, differing from both Secular clergy, ...

. It was dedicated to Our Lady Queen of Sorrows and St.

Philip Benizi Philip Benizi (sometimes Saint Philip Benitius, and in Italian Filippo Benizzi) (August 15, 1233 – August 22, 1285) was a general superior of the Order of the Servites, and credited with reviving the order. Biography Philip Benizi was born on ...

. In the summer of 2022, the canonry relocated to London, founding the Priory of Our Lady of Sorrows, Peckham, in the Archdiocese of Southwark. St Philip's returned to the care of the Diocese of Brentwood. The site of St Philip's Priory was formerly a private house, but was brought by Mr. Henry Shepperd in 1927 for the purpose of installing a community of

Servite The Servite Order, officially known as the Order of Servants of Mary (; abbreviation: OSM), is one of the five original mendicant orders in the Roman Catholic Church. It includes several branches of friars (priests and brothers), contemplative nun ...

nuns. The priory and chapel were solemnly blessed and opened on 15 September 1927, the feast of

Our Lady of Sorrows Our Lady of Sorrows (), Our Lady of Dolours, the Sorrowful Mother or Mother of Sorrows (), and Our Lady of Piety, Our Lady of the Seven Sorrows or Our Lady of the Seven Dolours are Titles of Mary, names by which Mary, mother of Jesus, is referr ...

, by Arthur Doubleday, Bishop of Brentwood. The Servites ran the priory and an adjoining school until the 1990s when the house was purchased by the diocese for use as a presbytery for the nearby parish of Our Lady Immaculate. The Premonstratensian community, which had originally been founded in 2004 in

Manchester Manchester () is a city and the metropolitan borough of Greater Manchester, England. It had an estimated population of in . Greater Manchester is the third-most populous metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, with a population of 2.92&nbs ...

, established their home at the priory in October 2008 at the request of Bishop Thomas McMahon of Brentwood. In September 2022, the house became a presbytery for local parishes once more. The Premonstratensians served the parish of Our Lady Immaculate on New London Road, together with that of Holy Name, in the Moulsham Lodge area of Chelmsford. The canons also functioned in other roles, such as in academia and chaplaincy work. They now engage in similar ministries in their London priory, serving the parish of Our Lady of Sorrows, Peckham. In 2016, Fr Hugh Allan O.Praem., Prior of Norbertine Community of St Philip's Priory, was appointed the Apostolic Administrator of the Prefecture of the Falkland Islands and Ecclesiastical Superior of the Missions of the islands of Ascension, St Helena and Tristan da Cunha. In keeping with his appointment, he was also given the title of titular Abbot of Beeleigh."Norbertine Prior appointed to care for Church in Falklands, Ascension, St Helena and Tristan da Cunha islands", ''Independent Catholic News'', October 27, 2016
/ref> Before the

Reformation The Reformation, also known as the Protestant Reformation or the European Reformation, was a time of major Theology, theological movement in Western Christianity in 16th-century Europe that posed a religious and political challenge to the p ...

the Premonstratensians had a house at Beeleigh Abbey in Maldon and owned land throughout Essex, including in the

Moulsham Moulsham is a suburb of Chelmsford, Essex, England. It is located to the south of the city centre and has two distinct areas: Old Moulsham and Moulsham Lodge. History Moulsham is located on the south side of the River Chelmer. Moulsham Street fo ...

area where St. Philip's Priory stood.

References

External links

St. Philip's Priory Website
*
Canons Regular of Prémontré (Premonstratensians) Homepage
{{coord, 51, 43, 38.07, N, 0, 27, 49.09, E, region:GB, display=title Premonstratensian monasteries in England Monasteries in Essex Buildings and structures in Chelmsford (city)