One morning, just after the beginning of term, I woke up feeling very irritated that I was so dependent on Ampleforth College since we were paying rent for the property we lived in and previously, in Kingston we had our own house. I realized that this was not a healthy situation as I was paying back to them so much of what I earned. Nonetheless, I was very appreciative of the fact that my sons were going to school there for relatively little money.
However, we had very little in a material sense that was ours. I convinced Ursula that we had to leave the rented accommodation and buy a house of our own. We had looked around for a place to buy but had done nothing very much. The next evening was the night for our prayer group, and someone rang to ask if she could bring along a new person who had just moved to York. We agreed, and then following on our earlier decision to look for a house, asked her to bring a York property guide with her. It was very likely that we would have to move out of the village to find property as property there was very rarely put up for sale. Our friend then disclosed the fact that the person she had asked to come with her was a consultant for a large building society and suggested that maybe it was a good idea if she came along early to talk about our move before the group started. We welcomed the thought.
The next morning, I went into work at the College and met the Assistant Matron at the door. We hardly ever talked, except to exchange greetings and so I was very surprised when she asked me if I could spare a moment. She told me that her house in the village was up for sale, even though it had not been put on the market and she wondered if Ursula and I would be interested in buying. I said I had hardly a bean to my name, but she suggested that Ursula drop in to see it that evening.
Ursula did and I collected her before the prayer group started in time to discuss the details with our new visitor. We were both was very enthusiastic about the house and felt we had been sent this in answer to our prayers to St. Anthony. Within four or five weeks, the sale was completed, and the family West moved into their new home. Everything seemed to go smoothly, and the usual trauma associated with house buying was never evident.
It was not till we were sent the papers from our solicitor that we discovered the name of the house, not noticeable on the rather faded sign outside the building itself. The name of the house, given to it by its first owners some years previously - St. Anthony’s. Praise God!