Bar Convent made its mark on Houses of Parliament on 5 November

Sr Frances Orchard, CJ

On 5 November, a date notorious for the Gunpowder Plot, Yorkshire Catholic supporters once again converged on the Palace of Westminster - though this time with much more peaceable and productive intent. The Bar Convent, York, England's oldest living convent held a reception in the House of Commons on that day, to raise awareness of its exciting plans for the future.

Invited guests, including MPs and supporters, heard about their Living Heritage Project, a capital project which will transform visitor facilities at the historic convent, active on the same site for over 350 years, making it an accessible place of education, faith and hospitality, fit for the 21st century. The £2m project will transform public areas, conserve the Grade 1 listed Georgian buildings and create a state-of-the-art exhibition space, attracting new audiences of schools, community groups and less mobile visitors.

For The Bar Convent, November 5th is a particularly poignant and significant date: Mary Ward, the founder of the Congregation of Jesus order which has been resident of the Convent since 1686, was the niece of two key conspirators in the Gunpowder Plot, John and Christopher Wright.

An inspirational pioneer in education for girls and the role of women in the Church, Mary Ward founded the Congregation of Jesus in 1609, just four years after the Gunpowder Plot. The order has been resident at the Bar Convent since Sir Thomas Gascoigne, a local Catholic landowner said "we must have a school for our daughters" and bought the property to establish a school for girls…also on 5 November, 1686.

Hugh Bayley, MP for York Central said: "The Bar Convent has a very important place in York's history. It was one of the very first institutions to press for rights and education for women. I strongly support their £2 million appeal to repair and improve their Grade I listed building, and I am very happy that the Bar Convent came to Westminster to share their exciting plans with my colleagues in Parliament."

Earlier on the same day, the CSAN (Caritas Social Action Network) and the 41 charities it represents, tackling poverty in all its forms, held their fourth annual parliamentary reception in the Terrace Pavilion, Palace of Westminster. Yorkshire members of CSAN are Catholic Care, Leeds, and Hallam Caring Services, Sheffield.

More information on the Bar Convent can be found at: www.bar-convent.org.uk

To learn more about the Living Heritage Project, see:

www.bar-convent.org.uk/livingheritage/lh_index.php