Deadline for online registration is Monday 10th Feb. For enquiries after this deadline, please contact the Guild directly by emailing [email protected]
A further information leaflet is available here
St Joseph's Centre
The dates are 21st-23rd February. For more information please contact Lucy Shaw on [email protected]
About the Retreat
The mission of the Guild of St Clare is to assist priests who celebrate the Traditional Mass by repairing vestments and undertaking commissions for vestments and liturgical furnishings. The sewing retreat is an opportunity to form a community of people around the Traditional Mass who are keen to help in this work, while enjoying the benefits and graces of the devotions and spiritual conferences from our chaplain. The schedule is a fairly relaxed one, to allow plenty of time for sewing and discussion, and the weekend works best when all retreatants attend as many as possible of the sewing sessions, talks and most importantly, the Mass.
What kind of sewing we do
The greater part of our work consists of repairs to vestments: stitching trim back into place, for example, or patching holes in worn-out silks. We also make vestments from scratch to commission, sometimes first creating our own patterns when needed. The work ranges from very easy sewing indeed to an intermediate/advanced standard. No one need be put off owing to lack of experience!
About the liturgy
Our chaplain celebrates Mass each day, and we also have daily Rosary, Compline each evening, and Benediction on Saturday. Additionally, our chaplain gives three spiritual conferences over the course of the weekend.
Our chaplain
Fr John Saward has kindly undertaken the duty of Chaplain in February 2025.
Under 16's
Children are permitted to stay at St Joseph's and are very welcome on the Sewing Retreat.
The Venue
St Joseph's Centre, also known as St Joseph's House of Prayer and Retreat, is run by the Montfort Missionaries with the help of lay volunteers. It is on the edge of the New Forest in Hampshire. There are almost no single rooms at the Centre, so retreatants will be in shared rooms with one or two others. The nearest railway station is Ashurst New Forest; the closest bus stop is Whartons Lane on the Lyndhurst Road (the A35); Southampton Airport is also convenient. The full address is 8 Lyndhurst Road, Southampton SO40 7DU; the phone number is 023 8029 2337.
Fees and Discounts
Shared accommodation is £245. There is a 45% discount for children and students. Single accommodation may occasionally be available: please email Lucy at [email protected] to enquire.
Late Cancellations
Full refunds are possible for cancellations up to a month before the start of the retreat. After that we regret there can be no reimbursement of fees. Since these retreats tend to be oversubscribed we are concerned to make places available to those who will get the most out of them. We ask those considering booking, therefore, not to do so if they will have to arrive late or leave early, and to regard the booking as a firm commitment not to cancel less than a month before the event. While we understand that plans can be disrupted by unforeseen circumstances, we would like to keep unfilled places to a minimum, and to minimise the disruption of people arriving and leaving during the Retreat.
What you will need
- Hand missal and mantilla, if you have them
- Basic sewing kit
- A number of sewing items will be available for purchase during the Retreat.
16 Lyndhurst Rd, Ashurst
Southampton, SO40 7DU
United Kingdom
| Event Fee(s) | |
| Shared twin room | £245.00 |
| Shared twin room (under 16's and students) - 45% discount | £134.75 |
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