St Augustine of Hippo, who was born in the 4th century AD, is remembered by the wider church on 28th August each year. His recommendations for the life of religious communities were adopted by a Pope in the 11th century, and this "Augustinian rule" was followed by all Augustinians, including the canons of Brinkburn Priory. His teachings focus on values that are recognised and accepted by a wide cross-section of Christians across all traditions, even now in the 21st century.Who was St Augustine?Born AD 354 in what is now Algeria but was then part of the Roman empire, Augustine came from a privileged family. He had a Christian mother, and enjoyed a good Roman education. He was very able academically, and pursued his education and embarked on a teaching career in Carthage, where he is said to have followed a dissolute lifestyle. He was an ambitious and successful teacher, and was appointed to a professorship in Italy, where he met St Ambrose, whose faith hugely impressed him, and a few years later, in AD386 at the age of 31, after much study, and following his reading of St Paul’s letter to the Romans, Augustine experienced a conversion that changed the whole course of his life. Augustine was baptised by Ambrose in AD387.Augustine was ordained a priest in AD391, and in AD395 made Bishop of Hippo (now Annaba in Algeria),a post he held until his death in AD430. While Bishop of Hippo he became widely known across the Christian church. In Hippo he shared the Bishop’s house with a community of clergy who bound themselves to observe “religious poverty”. He is know as Augustine of Hippo to distinguish him from another Augustine, who was the first Archbishop of Canterbury in AD597. Augustine was a prolific writer in many fields, including Christian philosophy as well as theology. His "Confessions" relate the story of his soul, his Retractations give the history of his mind, while his friend Possidius wrote the "Life of Augustine". Augustine’s writings on the Pauline themes of God’s grace and salvation were emphasised a thousand years later at the time of the Reformers, many of whom were themselves from an Augustinian background.What was distinctive about the Augustinians?The ethos of Augustinian foundations included a number of key points, all based on the teachings of St Augustine:• Propagation of learning through study and education both locally and nationally, e.g. the founding of Merton College, Oxford• Love, chastity and self-discipline as the basis of all relationships• The value of all human beings - they supported Magna Carta• God’s grace as the basis for life: we cannot earn His love• Material possessions are of little importance, with all possessions, including clothes, held in commonAugustinians like other religious communities, lived by a “rule” that provided strict guidance on the way the community should operate. The so-called “Rule of St Augustine” was not developed by Augustine himself, but is consistent with his 5th century teachings, Many years later it was promoted by an 11th century Pope, at a time when monastic communities were being founded across Europe.Augustinian communities made a significant contribution to the life of the world, including the development of Magna Carta. Thomas a Becket, Pope Nicholas Breakspeare, and John Wycliffe were all either Augustinians or educated in colleges founded by Augustinians.
Brinkburn Priory is in the care of English Heritage, and open to visitors from Easter to October. It is a consecrated building, and a beautiful setting for a marriage service. The local parish uses it for services to celebrate Christian festivals such as Ascension Day, while the Mustard Tree Trust, in conjunction with Scripture Union, uses it for their Lifepath event for primary school children in June each year, but all regular services are held at St Mary's Parish Church in Longframlington. See the calendar for details of any forthcoming special services.Contact us from the "Get in Touch" page to enquire about arranging a marriage service here
Ongoing services in the parish of Longframlington with Brinkburn at St Mary's Longframlington are shown below. Further information about these services and other activities can be found on the website for St Mary's Longframlington, where the following services are normally held:A service of Holy Communion is celebrated in St Mary's on Sunday mornings at 09:20On the first Sunday of each month there is normally a service of Evening Prayer in St Mary'sA service of Morning Prayer is held in St Mary's each Wednesday morning at 09:30, and can also be accessed by ZoomWorshippers at St Mary's are encouraged to continue to take precautions and to respect the needs of others to maintain social distancing.Brinkburn Priory is normally opened by English Heritage only from Easter to October. While in the 2022 season there is no longer a legal requirement for COVID precautions, English Heritage still limit admissions to avoid large numbers at any given time, and recommend pre-booking to avoid unnecessary queueing. See the English Heritage website for full details of opening arrangements. Brinkburn has become a popular wedding location, the Priory Building as a beautiful setting for a marriage service, complemented by catering at the neighbouring hospitality venue.Church events whether based in Longframlington or at the priory are advertised on the St Mary's website, and may also be publicised on the St Mary's Facebook page, #SMCLongfram. Non-church events arranged by, or in conjunction with, English Heritage are advertised by themAscension Day Choral Eucharist service had become a modern tradition at Brinkburn in recent years. It was not possible in 2020, 2021 and 2022, but we hope that it may be possible to resume the tradition in 2023. The acoustics of the building make this a tremendous experience. Other services may be held during the English Heritage season.In addition, English Heritage normally arrange a programme of events in the priory building at weekends during the summer months. We will include any information we receive from English Heritage about such activities here, but for complete information you should contact English Heritage
We were joined by a large congregation at Brinkburn Priory for a celebratory Eucharist on Ascension Day. It was a privilege and a joy to be able to worship once again at Brinkburn. As always, the acoustics of the building and the large congregation and the musical contribution from the Bridge Singers made it a wonderful experience for all present, including many from far and wide. The celebrant and preacher was the Right Rev'd Mark Wroe, Bishop of Berwick, who was assisted by our Priest in Charge, the Rev'd Rich Townend.This was our first service - other than marriages - at Brinkburn since the COVID lockdown We'll be back - watch this space!
