ABOUT 140 people braved the rain yesterday for an historic open-air service attended by the Archbishop of York, Dr David Hope.
The service of thanksgiving was held in the ruins of Rievaulx Abbey, near Helmsley.
It was organised by nuns from the Order of the Holy Paraclete, based at St Hilda's Priory, at Sneaton Castle, Whitby.
Sisters from the order went to Rievaulx in 1942 to teach in the school, living in the school cottage. They later moved into the Abbey Cottage when the school closed, maintaining it as a house of prayer with ecumenical contacts all over Europe.
After 62 years of life at the cottage, the nuns felt the time was right to move on and yesterday a service of thanksgiving was held to say thank-you and goodbye to the local community.
The service was attended by the Bishop of Whitby, the Right Reverend Robert Ladds, the Abbot of Ampleforth, the Right Reverend Timothy Wright, the Reverend Stuart Burgess, chairman of the York and District Methodists and Lord and Lady Feversham.
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