Sister Penelope

The paper I delivered at the recent Perelandra Colloquium in Oxford was entitled: Some Ladies at Wantage: C. S. Lewis, Sister Penelope & The Community of St Mary the Virgin. Lewis dedicated Perelandra to "Some ladies at Wantage", the nuns of CSMV. Lewis's correspondence with Sister Penelope of CSMV began when Penelope wrote to Lewis about Out of the Silent Planet. Their correspondence continued for the next 24 years, right to the end of Lewis's life.

One of the many blessings of my recent visit to Oxford was that I had the opportunity to visit Wantage thanks to the help of a nun from another religious community, Sister Catherine CSC, who drove me out to see the Community of St Mary the Virgin.

Here are some photos from that visit. . . .

Entrance

Gatehouse where C. S. Lewis stayed

when he visited and spoke to the Junior Sisters of CSMV in the early 1940's

CSMV Cemetery

Sister Penelope's Memorial Marker

Comments

Jeanette Sears said…

Hi Will! I've just looked at this. Thanks for your photos. I had my first pre-ordination retreat at the convent in 1992, so it was good to see photos of the place again. All the best with your work and ministry, Jeanette.

6:20 AM

Will Vaus said…

Hi Jeanette, I greatly enjoyed my visit to the convent and it was obviously an important place in your life. Thank you for sharing. Blessings, Will

8:09 AM

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