Nuns at The Bar Convent in York celebrate 400th anniversary of their order

In the corner of the chapel is a priest’s hiding hole, which acts as a solemn reminder of its clandestine origins when Roman Catholicism was effectively suppressed.

Three smartly dressed ladies gather in front of the altar. They could be visitors, but they are not. Crosses around their necks and a ring on each left hand are the only clues that they are nuns.

Sisters Mary, Christina and Agatha are recalling their recent pilgrimage to Rome in celebration of the 400th anniversary of their order.

Sister Christina recalls walking with fellow pilgrims through the Flaminian Gate in a re-enactment of their founder’s visit to Rome in 1621. She tells of her joy at being with so many young nuns and of the banner they held aloft proclaiming “Mary Ward Santo Presto – Make Mary Ward a saint now”.

The nuns are members of the Congregation of Jesus, one of two sects founded by Mary Ward, who spent much of her life in York.

Sister Agatha said: “I find it so wonderful to think that Mary’s vision, her inspiration, came to her while doing something so commonplace; she was brushing her hair.”

Mary Ward’s founding vision was nothing short of revolutionary. Nuns had always been cloistered in convents; their work was confined to prayer and they were never allowed out.

But Mary’s calling refused to submit to the enclosed life and her followers were among the first nuns to take an active role in society. They became pioneers in education, spiritual and pastoral care.

It didn’t go down well with the church’s hierachy. Mary was told that approval would only be given for her new sisterhood if she accepted enclosure. She refused.

Sister Agatha said: “One minute Mary would attend court dressed in silks, the next she was secretly working for the Catholic faith – which was forbidden in post-Reformation Britain. She knew from those experiences that members of her order must not be enclosed. Her vision was to work in the community for the glory of God.”

Despite the obstacles, Mary stuck to her convictions and today her work continues. Worldwide there are 3,000 followers and the Bar Convent, home to 16 nuns, remains its spiritual base.

“Our role is not for us, but for the glory of God and the care of people,” says Sister Christina.

“It has always been based on an instinct for the needs of the time. People need hope and time to reflect; they need love.

“Life is so frantic these days. It is too consumerist and it saddens me to see people often coming second to commercial profit.”

The sisters in York are not there to convert but to help. A sign on the front door welcomes those of “all faiths and none”.

Two years ago Sister Mary – the present Mother Superior – worked in Albania with impoverished children. She said: “You can’t deal with deep needs until the immediate needs have been resolved.

“We give people the space and time to become the person God meant them to be. The glory of God is a man fully alive but we don’t always use God’s name; sometimes it doesn’t help. We try to assist people to find something that is beyond themselves.”

At a time when educating girls was not considered important, Mary Ward established schools to teach young Catholic ladies. The Bar Convent was established by Frances Bedingfield in 1686, 40 years after Mary died.

Selby mine owner Sir Thomas Gascoigne needed somewhere to educate his daughters, and gave Frances £450 to buy a house outside Micklegate Bar. It began life as a boarding school before becoming a free day school.

The Bar Convent was founded at a time of persecution for Catholics and for more than 100 years its existence was a closely guarded secret. Even the magnificent neoclassical dome above the chapel was hidden under a pitched slate roof.

Sister Mary said: “The ladies wore plain dresses and addressed themselves not as Sister but as Mrs.”

Sometimes, working for the glory of God involves the nuns taking great risks and even going under cover. No great surprise for an order which began in secrecy.

Mary Ward’s institute has two branches: The Congregation of Jesus and the Institute of the Blessed Virgin Mary. They have a presence throughout the world and members have recently been active in Zimbabwe and the Middle East; some have just arrived in Cuba.

During the Cold War, a number went underground in Warsaw Pact countries, where they smuggled in books and offered much needed pastoral care.

Sister Mary said: “They carried on Mary Ward’s tradition of using code. She used to write with lemon juice and when the paper was held to a candle, the words turned brown and could be read.

“Nuns working in Communist Europe used their own codes. Letters and cards were always censored and had to look normal if they were to avoid suspicion.”

‘Granny is not very well’ meant don’t come yet. ‘Granny is getting better’ signalled that it was safe to travel. It was dangerous work. One of the Order was jailed in Romania for many years. To stay safe the nuns only told each other their Christian names.

The Bar Convent nuns discarded their habits during the 1980s, now the only way to discover who they are is to get to know them. But it wasn’t always like that.

Sister Mary recalls a visit to London. “We were on a conference and one day walked past Harrods. While we discussed whether to go in or not, some Arab ladies dressed similarly to us in black came up to us. They asked where they could buy our clothes. I told them that our sisters had made them.

“I think we could we could have sold quite a few that day. Sadly, when the ladies said goodbye to us we turned round to discover that Harrods was closing. I never did get to see inside.”

The convent has educated many characters in its time. One was Mary Ann Smythe. After her husband died, Mary Ann became associated with George IV. She was a commoner and a Catholic and so could never become Queen.

As Sister Agatha says, Mary Ann was no shrinking violet: “At the time, George was Prince Regent and one of the most powerful men in the country. But she was not going to live inappropriately, if you understand my meaning. Mary Ann told him that it would be marriage or nothing. And with that he married her in secret.”

Nuns and trustees are involved in The Bar Convent Heritage Project. They are hoping to raise £500,000 to finance refurbishment work to the Grade I-listed building and revamp the museum.

Sister Mary said: “Each of the communities in our order has chosen a project to mark the 400th jubilee. Bar Convent is the spiritual home to all our sisters and is the oldest living convent in the country.

“The history here is fantastic and we need to tell it in a simple and visual way, which is why updating the museum is so important to us.”

Exhibits will also explain why relics and symbols are so important to Roman Catholics. “School children often want to know why we have the hand of Margaret Clitherow. Margaret was executed for hiding priests in her home on Shambles and for us the hand is a physical link to her story.

“For us water is a symbol of ordinary life, but one with a deeper spiritual meaning. Water is life giving, it cleanses and is associated with baptism. It is one of our greatest symbols.”

During their visit to Rome, the sisters learned that their long running campaign to have their founder beatified has been worthwhile. A three-page document soon to be released will announce that in recognition of “work that was ahead of its time”, Mary Ward has been granted the first step to sainthood; that of ‘Venerable’.

The next stage will require a miracle. Sister Agatha thinks that 400 years of the sisterhood, despite the persecution of the early days, is in itself enough to qualify.

A book on sale in the foyer has as its preface, “This is the story of a saintly woman condemned by the church she loved and sought to serve.”

Now, if you are looking for a miracle ladies…

Project aims to raise £5000,000

THE Jubilee 400 Heritage Project was created by the Bar Convent Trustees to work with the York community of the Congregation of Jesus during the three-year period of the Jubilee 400 celebrations.

The aim is to create a centre of living heritage in commemoration and celebration of their foundress, Mary Ward, and the subsequent advancement in the education of Catholic women carried out by the sisters who followed in her footsteps.

The Jubilee 400 Heritage Project hopes to raise £500,000 by January 2011, through sponsorship, donations and events, to renovate and update The Bar Convent Museum and redevelop it as a centre of living heritage.

The aim is to improve accessibility as well as enhancing the convent’s educational, spiritual and historical standing in York. Scheduled work will include the ground floor, the upstairs gallery, the Great Parlour and magnificent Victorian entrance hall.

The museum tells the story of how the sisters of the community lived and worked in secrecy to preserve their way of life in times of terrible persecution, as well as the lack of recognition of the value of education for girls and women, and the contribution they could make to society.

Mary Ward’s institute has six houses in England including Britain’s oldest religious house, The Bar Convent in York. Sisters there share a life of prayer and service within the city, running a heritage centre and guest house in Bar Convent.

They also run a spirituality centre next door at St Bede’s; and a house for their elderly, infirm sisters at St Joseph’s. The sisters continue a 300-year-old link with All Saints’ School, part of which was formerly the Bar Convent Grammar School.

• Guided group tours are available at a cost of £2.50 per person and include the museum, parlour and chapel. Tours can be arranged Monday to Friday between 10am and 3.30pm and must be booked in advance on 01904 643238. Evening visits are available by special arrangement.