THE ORIGINAL SYLVESTRINE FOUNDATION AT SMITHFIELD WAS ESSENTIALLY A PRESBYTERY RATHER THAN A MONASTERY IN THE SENSE INTENDED BY THEIR FOUNDER. IN ORDER TO FULFILL THE BENEDICTINE IDEAL OF PRAYER AND LABOUR THE MONKS BEGAN A SEARCH FOR A LOCATION WHERE THEY COULD BUILD A REAL MONASTERY AWAY FROM THE CITY WITH ITS VEXATIONS TO THE SPIRIT OF CONTEMPLATION. THE SITE CHOSEN WAS AN AREA OF PEACEFUL FARMLAND ON THE RURAL FINGE OF SYDNEY AT ARCADIA. HERE THE LIFE OF THE MONKS IS LITTLE DIFFERENT TO THAT OF THEIR FOREBEARS. THEY PRAY THE DIVINE OFFICE, KEEP A LIBRARY, WORK THE MONASTERY FARM, AND PROVIDE PRIESTS FOR THE LOCAL PARISH OF ARCADIA. IN 1983 IN ACCORD WITH TRADITIONAL BENEDICTINE SELF-RELIANCE THE MONASTERY WAS ELEVATED TO THE STATUS OF AN INDEPENDANT PRIORY OF THE SYLVESTRINE ORDER. TODAY IN ITS BEAUTIFUL BUSHLAND SETTING SO DIFFERENT FROM THAT OF SUBIACO OR MONTEFANO THE DAILY ROUND OF BENEDICTINE LIVING CONTINUES AS IT HAS FOR CENTURIES PAST.

THE BUILDING OF THE MONASTERY WAS COMMENCED IN 1961. LIKE MOST MONASTERIES IT WAS BUILT IN STAGES. THE INITIAL WING (BELOW LEFT) WAS COMPLETED IN 1962 AND CONSISTS OF THE REFECTORY (BELOW RIGHT), THE KITCHEN, BEDROOMS AND THE RECREATION ROOM.

FIVE YEARS LATER THE BROAD FRONT WING OF THE MONASTERY WAS COMPLETED. THE WING CONTAINS THE CHAPTER ROOM THE MONASTERY OFFICE, INFIRMARY, GUESTS ROOMS, BEDROOMS AND SOME PARLOURS.

TILL 1980 THIS FRONT WING WAS ALSO THE HOME OF A TEMPORARY LIBRARY (NOW THE MONASTERY OFFICE AND INFIRMARY) AND A TEMPORARY CHAPEL (TRANSFERRED FROM THE 1962 WEST WING AND NOW SERVING AS GUEST ROOMS FOR THE USE OF VISITORS).

THIS MAIN FRONT WING IS THE PRINCIPAL ENTRANCE TO THE MONASTERY COMPLEX. IT IS SHELTERED BY TALL GUM TREES AND IS WATCHED OVER BY ST BENEDICT WHOSE STATUE (ABOVE LEFT) FACES TOWARDS IT.

IT WAS TO BE THIRTEEN YEARS BEFORE A MUCH MODIFIED FINAL WING (IT HAD BEEN PLANNED FOR A LARGER COMMUNITY AND A PRE-VATICAN II LITURGY) COMPRISING THE CHAPEL, A 14,000 VOLUME LIBRARY (BELOW) AND A MONASTIC CLOISTER WAS FINISHED.

ST BENEDICT STRESSED BOTH PRAYER AND MANUAL WORK IN HIS COMMUNITIES AND THIS TRADITION IS CONTINUED AT ARCADIA TODAY IN THE FORM OF A FULLY OPERATIONAL FARM. BELOW CAN BE SEEN SOME OF THE FARM ANIMALS (<<<) AND THE MONKS BRINGING IN HAY (>>>).

ANOTHER VENERABLE BENEDICTINE TRADITION HONOURED AT ARCADIA IS THAT OF HOSPITALITY. IN ADDITION TO GUEST HOUSE, THE OLD FARMHOUSE (BELOW LEFT) AND A SEPARATE HERMITAGE BUILDING PROVIDE ACCOMODATION AMID PEACEFUL BUSHLAND (BELOW RIGHT).

A MONASTIC CHAPEL IS AN INTEGRAL PART OF BENEDICTINE MONASTERIES AND ARCADIA IS NO EXCEPTION IN THIS REGARD. OPENED IN 1980 AND BUILT AT THE HEIGHT OF THE LITURGICAL REFORM MOVEMENT IT IS DESIGNED AS A GREEK CROSS WITH EACH ARM TERMINATING WITH AN ANGULAR APSE. BECAUSE OF THE NATURAL BEAUTY OF THE BUSHLAND SETTING, A CONSCIOUS DECISION WAS TAKEN AT THE TIME TO INCORPORATE THIS ASPECT INTO THE DESIGN OF THE CHAPEL THROUGH THE FILLING OF TWO OF THE WALLS WITH GLASS PROVIDING A LOVELY VIEW OF THE MONASTERY GROUNDS. LIGHT TO THE ALTAR IS PROVIDED BY A GLASS PYRAMID SKYLIGHT ATOP THE ROOF.

HERE ON THE RIGHT THE DELIGHTFUL SETTING OF THE CHAPEL CAN BE SEEN. THE NATIVE BUSHLAND AND THE RUSTIC BENCH PROVIDE A PLACE OF CALM CONTEMPLATION OF THE WONDER OF GOD'S CREATION. IN THE MIDGROUND IS THE NORTHERN APSE WHICH HOUSES THE BLESSED SACRAMENT CHAPEL AND THE DUNBAR WINDOWS FROM OLD ST MARY'S. TO THE LEFT IS THE WESTERN APSE FORMING THE MAIN ENTRANCEWAY TO THE CHAPEL WITH THE WALLIS WINDOWS BROUGHT FROM THE OLD SUBIACO CHAPEL WHEN THAT MONASTERY WAS SOLD.

THE CHAPEL INTERIOR WAS DESIGNED TO MEET THE NEW LITURGICAL FORMS WITH A LARGE SQUARE ALTAR PLACED CENTRALLY BELOW A PLAIN WOODEN BALDACCHINO. THE EAST ARM FORMS THE MONK'S CHOIR SIGNIFIED BY THE PARALLEL ROWS OF PRAYER STALLS, AND CULMINATES IN AN APSE IN FRONT OF WHICH IS THE ABBOT'S CHAIR AND THE AMBO FOR RECITING THE OFFICE.

LOOKING WEST TOWARDS THE CHAPEL ENTRANCEWAY THE WALLIS WINDOWS DONATED TO THE SUBIACO CHAPEL IN MEMORY OF MOTHER WALBURGA WALLIS, PRIORESS OF SUBIACO, WHO DIED IN 1902 CAN BE SEEN. THEY ARE THE WORK OF JOHN ASHWIN AND REPRESENT ST WALBURGA AND OTHER BENEDICTINES COMING FROM ENGLAND TO CONVERT THE GERMANS. TO THE LEFT IS THE 1893 ORGAN BUILT BY T ATTERTON OF LEIGHTON BUZZARD, ENGLAND. IT WAS RESTORED BY S J LAURIE OF MELBOURNE AND PURCHASED FOR THE CHAPEL IN 1995.

BELOW IS THE BEAUTIFUL RESTORED ATTERTON PIPE ORGAN WHICH WAS PURCHASED FOR THE CHAPEL IN 1995.

THE PLAIN SANCTUARY IS LOCATED IN THE EXACT CENTRE OF THE CHAPEL, DIRECTLY UNDER THE ROOF SKYLIGHT. AN OPEN FRAME BALDACCHINO CLEARLY DEFINES THE SACRED SPACE. UNUSUALLY THE ALTAR IS CONSTRUCTED FROM BRICKS IN A LARGE SQUARE IN SUCH A WAY THAT IT PRESENTS A FULL FACE TO EACH SIDE OF THE CHAPEL. THE SEATING WAS SO PLACED TO SURROUND THE ALTAR.

THE CROSS WINDOW IN THE EASTERN APSE IS DECORATED WITH MEDALLIONS COMMEMORATING THE BENEDICTINES WHO WERE THE EARLY LEADERS OF THE AUSTRALIAN CHURCH. THESE REPRESENT BISHOPS SLATER AND MORRIS (VICARS APOSTOLIC OF MAURITIUS), ARCHBISHOP POLDING (SEE ABOVE) AND ARCHBISHOP VAUGHAN (ARCHBISHOPS OF SYDNEY), AS WELL AS BISHOP DAVIS (MAITLAND) AND THE VICAR-GENERAL OF NEW HOLLAND WILLIAM ULLATHORNE.

THE NORTHERN APSE CONTAINS THE BLESSED SACRAMENT CHAPEL. THE DUNBAR WINDOWS IN THIS CHAPEL WERE ORIGINALLY IN OLD ST MARY'S CATHEDRAL. AFTER BEING RESCUED FROM THE FIRE WHICH DESTROYED THAT CHURCH, THEY WERE PLACED IN THE SUBIACO CHAPEL. THIS IS NOW THEIR THIRD HOME. THEY WERE MADE IN 1860 AND COMMEMORATE THE DEATH OF THE WIFE AND STEP-CHILDREN OF THE HON. DANIEL EGAN MLC IN THE HORRIFIC WRECK OF THE DUNBAR.

DIRECTLY OPPOSITE THE BLESSED SACRAMENT CHAPEL IS THE LADY CHAPEL SET WITH THE FINAL TWO OF THE STAINED GLASS WINDOWS REPRESENTING THE PRESENTATION OF OUR LORD AND THE MEETING BETWEEN ST BENEDICT AND HIS SISTER ST SCHOLASTICA. THE DARK BRICK OF EACH APSE PERMITS INDIVIDUAL VIEWING OF THE WINDOWS.

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MONASTERY WEBPAGE

CONGREGATIONAL INFORMATION

MUCH OF THE INFORMATION ABOUT THE MONASTERY AND SOME OF THE PHOTOS WERE OBTAINED FROM THE MOST EXCELLENT WEBSITE WHICH IS MAINTAINED BY THE MONKS OF ST BENEDICT'S AT ARCADIA AND IT IS HERE ACKNOWLEDGED WITH GRATITUDE.