About

Community

Park Place Centre nurtures a Community of Catholic Franciscan Sisters that
participates in work and activities to enrich the lives of people and to protect
them, their beliefs and their environment. Although the primary aim of the
Community is its involvement at the Pastoral Centre, The Religious Order has spread from Europe to India, Africa and Brazil.

Present FSMA Community

Park Place wins the Mayor’s Award

International FSMA Assembly.

History

The main house at Park Place is a Georgian Manor -listed Grade 2, a former family home. The last independent owner of Park Place was Sir. James Bird (1883-1946), a naval architect and aircraft engineer. He established a mini factory at Park Place where women were employed to assemble parts used for the Spitfire fighter planes during WW II. The present Community of Sisters are part of the FSMA Congregation founded in Angers, France in 1871 during the Franco- Prussian war, to care for widows and orphans.

Friends of Park Place

The Friends of Park Place number almost 200 from across the UK and beyond, who offer money, time, ideas and energy in support of the Sisters’ projects at Park Place and in the developing world, through various events during the year e.g Christmas Fayre, Quiz Nights, Garden parties etc.

Why not think of becoming a Friend of Park Place? You will be part of an extended family dedicated to supporting the Sisters’ work in the UK and in the developing world overseas.

What we do

As Christian Sisters (Nuns) our objective is to make Park Place into an open, outward-looking Centre for people of all Faiths and none. However, we try to live our lives, based on the Gospel of Jesus Christ and the socially-inclusive teachings of St Francis of Assisi.

As Franciscans, we are committed to caring for Mother Earth and all of Creation. The pastoral care offered here is about being able to accompany people through times of sorrow and struggle. It is about being fully present to them, helping them to deal with whatever situation they are facing, so that God’s love and care for them can be a focal point in their healing process.