Get the abbey habit over the weekend

In these secular times it is hard for monks and nuns to keep up the numbers. Many of us may even think that monasteries are a thing of the past. Henry VIII tried his best to keep them at bay, once he had rifled the coffers and nicked the treasures. However, interest is still bubbling away, if only on a simmering heat.

You can have taster weekends to see if you want to enter the contemplative life. Worth Abbey is putting them on. The Monastic Taster Weekend is designed for men who want to explore whether a life of obedience, stability, poverty and chastity could be for them. Meanwhile, both young men and women can come on the Compass Project - a series of nine weekends. Neither has a specific charge to attend, although donations of up to £70 are accepted.

The BBC is reporting this today. However, it is a Roman Catholic initiative. I'd like to flag up the fact that there are also Anglican monks and nuns. They were restored in the Church of England by John Henry Newman and now there are communities all over the world. The oldest is the Society of St. John the Evangelist. The Retreat Association is a registered charity comprising six British Retreat Groups spanning differing Christian traditions, open to believers and non-believers alike.

Sometimes we are led to believe that monks and nuns are just one type - Roman Catholic. The truth is somewhat different. Here's a great sister act with Whoopi Goldberg and the sisters from the Community of the Holy Spirit (Episcopalian, New York).