Notice on Sources
This page is a partial account. The key primary sources for Minsteracres — including Historical Notes on Minsteracres by Fr. Michael Myerscough CP (1961), the booklet Minsteracres from Mansion to Monastery by Hilary Bronski, The Minsteracres Pioneers: Recollections and Souvenir of the First Class of Students at Minsteracres, and a cassette recording of Fr. Myerscough's oral history (1964) — are held physically in the Provincial Archive but have not yet been digitised. The account below is drawn from what is currently available in digital form: the Obituary Notices of Fr. Colum Devine C.P. (11 February 2003) and Fr. Aelred Smith C.P. (24 July 1999), held in the Provincial Archive.
From Mansion to Monastery
Minsteracres is a country estate in the Derwent Valley, County Durham, some twelve miles south-west of Newcastle. The estate had been the seat of a local Catholic family for generations. The Church of St Elizabeth on the grounds was founded in 1854 — the earliest fixed point in the Passionist connection with the site. The Passionists formally took possession of Minsteracres around 1948, when correspondence with the Newcastle firm of Messrs Anderson & Garland records the furnishing and equipping of the new community.
What the Passionists inherited was not simply a house but an estate in transition. The main building was a fine country mansion, but behind it lay a medley of outhouses and stables, most of them in various states of ruin. In the early years of the community, the conversion of these buildings into a functioning retreat centre was still very much in progress. Fr. Aelred Smith, who studied at Minsteracres in the early 1950s, later recalled that the adaptations from mansion to monastery were still under way during his time there as a student — the fabric of the buildings still bearing the marks of their former purpose.
Fr. Colum Devine and the Building of the Retreat Centre
The transformation of Minsteracres into a functioning retreat centre owed more to one man than to any other. Fr. Colum Devine (1930–2003), who was assigned to Minsteracres after his post-graduate studies in Rome, devoted the greater part of his priestly life to building up the retreat apostolate there. The homily preached at his Requiem Mass on 11 February 2003 by Fr. Theodore Davey CP gives the most vivid account of what he found and what he made of it:
"Minsteracres was formerly a fine country mansion, behind which was a medley of outhouses and stables, mostly in ruins. It was due almost entirely to Colum's vision and enthusiasm, and the way he could communicate this to others, particularly to the men of the North East, that the retreat center was built from such unpromising material; it is now a place of warmth, welcome and solitude; a place where, for forty years, many thousands of people, believers and unbelievers alike, have found peace of mind and consolation of soul."
Fr. Colum was ordained to the priesthood in 1955. His brethren elected him Provincial Superior on two occasions — a mark of the regard in which he was held throughout the Province. He was also appointed Regional Superior of the Passionist mission in Sweden, though serious illness prevented him from taking up that post. He died on 4 February 2003 and was buried from St Joseph's Hospice, Hackney.
Source: Obituary Notice of Fr. Colum Devine CP (1930–2003). Provincial Archive.
Fr. Aelred Smith and the Retreat Apostolate
Fr. Aelred Smith (1933–1999) was among the first students to be formed at Minsteracres after the Passionists took possession of the estate. He made his profession as a Passionist on 16 April 1952 and was ordained on 9 February 1958. His obituary records that he later returned to Minsteracres as a member of the retreat team, travelling extensively from there to lead retreats for clergy, religious and laity, and to lecture in Scripture. He served as Novice Master of the Province and as Rector of Minsteracres from 1985 to 1987.
Source: Obituary Notice of Fr. Aelred Smith CP (1933–1999). Provincial Archive. Note: the original OCR of this document is severely garbled; no verbatim quotation can be reliably extracted from it. The account above is drawn from the legible portions of the text.
The Church of St Elizabeth
The Church of St Elizabeth on the Minsteracres estate was founded in 1854 — predating the Passionist arrival by nearly a century. In 2004 the 150th anniversary of the church's foundation was marked by a commemorative booklet: The Church of St Elizabeth, Minsteracres: 150th Anniversary 1854–2004. A copy is held in the Provincial Archive.
Source: Archives Accessions Register 2002–2010. Provincial Archive.
Minsteracres Holdings in the Provincial Archive
The following items relating to Minsteracres are held in the Provincial Archive on the Minsteracres shelves (confirmed via the Archives Accessions Register 2002–2010). Items marked * have not yet been digitised.
- * Historical Notes on Minsteracres, Fr. Michael Myerscough CP, 1961 (two copies, one possibly annotated)
- * Minsteracres from Mansion to Monastery, Hilary Bronski (published booklet)
- * The Church of St Elizabeth, Minsteracres: 150th Anniversary 1854–2004 (commemorative booklet)
- * The Minsteracres Pioneers: Recollections and Souvenir of the First Class of Students at Minsteracres (donated by Fr. Mark Whelehan)
- * Cassette tape: "History of Minsteracres spoken by Fr. Michael Myerscough, 1964"
- * Minsteracres History Envelope (contents unexamined)
- * Brown envelope: Messrs Anderson & Garland correspondence, 1948–49 (furniture and fittings)
- * Correspondence re. costs and nature of works proposed at Minsteracres, including sketch plan, c. 1950–1954
- * Folder: Diocese of Newcastle & Hexham — negotiations with Bishop re. quest and appeals; chaplaincy and boundaries, 1954–1971
- File: Legal correspondence relating to Minsteracres Monastery Projects Agency Ltd.
- The Passionists in the United Kingdom and Ireland 1841–1991 — papers read at a seminar held at Minsteracres, 15–19 April 1991
- Papers relating to a Herne Bay Parish Holiday Retreat Week at Minsteracres, 1963–1987
- Passionist Students Choir, 1955 (photograph)
- Leaflet: Dedication of the Stations of the Cross, Minsteracres Retreat Centre, 14 September 2008
- Photographic albums and assorted photographs (buildings, grounds, interiors, church)
Source: Archives Accessions Register 2002–2010. Provincial Archive.
Photographs
The Provincial Archive holds 20 photographs of Minsteracres Retreat Centre — exteriors, the house and church, estate buildings and workers, volunteer groups, and individual portraits of community members. The full collection is viewable on the Photographs page.