On 31 May, the noviciate visited Arundel in Sussex for the Cathedral’s annual Corpus Christi mass and procession. This century-old tradition sees the Blessed Sacrament carried in procession from the Cathedral, across a carpet of flowers and along the streets of Arundel to the Castle grounds, the seat of the Duke of Norfolk, Earl Marshall of England. This year, the novices had the honour of carrying the baldacchino for the Bishop. The day concluded with dinner in the Castle as guests of the Duke.

The following day, returning to Cambridge, the novices had the marvellous opportunity to spend some time first with the Poor Clares Nuns for Lauds and Mass and then with the Carthusian monks of St Hugh’s Charterhouse, Parkminster. These two contemplative communities in the Diocese of Arundel and Brighton provided an example for what is an integral part of Dominican life too – contemplation.