In the fourth of a series exploring the richness and diversity of women Religious, Sr Josephine Parkinson OSB, prioress at Stanbrook Abbey, near York, speaks of a life devoted to prayer

It does take time to get used to the headgear. I think there would be some in the community who would say I have not mastered it yet: it is always slightly to one side, usually because I don’t have enough pins holding it in place! But we don’t have mirrors in the monastery, so most of the time I don’t give it much thought. And it is one of the best things, not having to wake up in the morning and think: “What are you going to wear?” I mean, why would you want to do that if you didn’t have to?

I was 27 when I first visited Stanbrook. For a long time I’d wondered about Religious life but I really wasn’t sold on the idea. So when I was told, on arrival, that the chapel was closed and I couldn’t enter, I thought: “Well that’s it! I’m definitely not coming here!”

But I did go back for a longer visit – just to get the idea out of my system. And during that visit there were moments which were just glorious – like the Feast of the Assumption, when the sun was shining, there was a glass of wine and a nice meal and everything seemed to sparkle that bit more. If there are days like this, I thought, I can put up with a lot. And I decided that since he was the one who had made me and planted this sense of being called to something in me – because I certainly didn’t put it there myself – I had to trust him enough to have a go.