A Grand Opening
With honoured guests we were delighted to open our doors again of our new guesthouse and conference centre: The Chapterhouse.
We delighted to welcome friends old and new to the opening of our new guesthouse. We were honoured by the presence of many honoured guests.
The Lord Lieutenant of Herefordshire, representing the King, spoke of the beauty of Herefordshire and how Belmont was part of the welcome that the county offered. He planted an apple tree, symbolic of Belmont's association with the county. We were honoured that he was joined the High Sheriff of Herefordshire and the Lord Mayor. As he planted the tree the carol "Christ the Apple Tree was sung."
We were especially delighted to be joined by Julie Etchingham, the distinguished journalist and presenter of the ITV News at Ten. We hope the opening of our new guesthouse will make the news as this is a significant moment for the life of the community to open its new facilities.
As she took in her hand the scissors to open the gate to the new Abbot's Lodge and Garden Room, a space overlooking the the monastic cloister, she thought of all those people who would come through the our doors:
"I do know that as a cradle Catholic that at a place like this
one can arrive and always feel at home."
"I shall never forget being here at Belmont, I have been a very happy guinea pig in your new rooms which I can say are beautifully appointed and very comfortable and absolutely part of the whole spirit and mission of hospitality that the Benedictines have created throughout their long and extraordinary tradition.
Before I am entrusted with a sharp object, “I would like to hold in all our thoughts all of the people who do not yet know this place, all of the people who will arrive here because you have made this courageous step of opening this beautiful building, taking that courageous step thinking that life here at Belmont might be quite different in years to come, because we don’t know who will come here whether it from a business community, a pilgrimage community or a faith community, or whoever comes here will bear very many gifts to share.
It is a big deal to open those doors even wider. So I would just like to think of all those people who don’t know they are to get those many blessings that they will receive when they come through the gates of Belmont and they are embraced in the way that I was very blessed to be yesterday."
