They had gone abroad to train, many of them for the priesthood in order to serve Catholics in this country. Most of them had become Benedictine monks in Spain, and it was the Spanish Congregation of Valladolid that allowed the purchase of our first house in Douai (which was at that time under the Spanish government of Flanders) so that the English monks could have easier access to travel across the Channel. They looked to St Gregory the Great, who had sent St Augustine to England in 597, as their patron.

During the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries, our community was able to live the Benedictine life of prayer, reading and work in Douai. As the community expanded we started a school for English Catholic boys, who were unable to find a Catholic education at home, and pursued studies in the University of Douai. In addition, many of the monks were sent to England on missionary work, and six of them were martyred for their Catholic faith.

As a result of the French Revolution, Douai was conquered by France in 1793. Churches were closed, the Benedictines were put under guard and the monastery was ransacked. Although Catholicism was still officially proscribed in England, the penal laws were not being enforced and in 1794 the Community crossed the Channel, finally settling at Downside in 1814.