St Cecilia's Abbey is home to community of Benedictine nuns dedicated to the service of God and the Church, living a traditional monastic life of prayer, work and study. At the heart of their life is the praise of God and intercession for all mankind, expressed in the solemn celebration of the liturgy. Visitors are welcome to attend Mass and the various services of the Divine Office, which are sung in Latin, in Gregorian Chant. The abbey church is open all day for private prayer. The abbey also has a small shop selling religious books, CDs of the Chant, statues, rosaries and other religious goods.
The Abbey is situated on the northern coast of the Isle of Wight. The Island lies just 4-7km off the central south coast of England, about 120km south-west from London. To travel by car from London to the Isle of Wight take the A3 all the way to Portsmouth. Those coming from the West can travel to the ports of Southampton for Red Funnel ferries (tel: 0870 444 8898) or from Lymington WightLink (tel: 08705 827744).
To find the best route, have a look at the RAC Route Planner.
The Portsmouth Harbour to Fishbourne WightLink car ferry service runs regularly throughout the year. At Fishbourne turn right out of the terminal, follow the road for just under 1km up to the traffic lights, turn left towards Ryde (A3054). The abbey is about 3km from the ferry on the other side of Ryde. (see the Parish map of the route.)
There are regular train services from Portsmouth, Southampton and Lymington South West Trains Wessex Trains.