Staying with Us
Staying at the Abbey
Hospitality has always been an essential part of the Benedictine tradition. A Benedictine guest house is a place of welcome and blessing for as St. Benedict says, 'Let each guest be received as Christ'. The Malling nuns welcome individuals for residential retreats and times of reflection and refreshment as well as visits from our families, friends and oblates. Our guest accommodation, which is all self-catering, includes the Abbey Garth with four en-suite rooms on the first floor of the Western Range of the nuns' cloister, the room Thomas Becket above the Pilgrim Chapel in the Gatehouse and the two-bedroomed St. Michael's Cottage in its own private garden behind the Church. We make no charge but we gratefully accept donations to help cover costs.
Groups and individuals coming for a quiet day or study day are accommodated at the St. Benedict's Centre and should book directly with them. Special events such as Heritage Open Days and Historical and School tours and visits are arranged jointly with the nuns and the Centre.
Our community has prayer together at intervals throughout the day and our guests are warmly welcome to attend. Our worship - the Eucharist and the Divine Office - nurtures and expresses our corporate focus on God. Guests are also welcome to pray privately in our Guest Chapel at other times and in the Pilgrim Chapel when it is not in use by a group. The labyrinth in the garden provides another space for prayer and reflection.
There is a selection of books and leaflets available in the Abbey Garth with ideas for how you might use your retreat and the guest sisters are able to provide a listening ear if you would like to talk to someone. However we are not trained as spiritual directors so we are sorry that we cannot provide individually guided retreats or spiritual direction.
