Once I was a clever boy learning the arts of Oxford... is a quotation from the verses written by Bishop Richard Fleming (c.1385-1431) for his tomb in Lincoln Cathedral. Fleming, the founder of Lincoln College in Oxford, is the subject of my research for a D. Phil., and, like me, a son of the West Riding. I have remarked in the past that I have a deeply meaningful on-going relationship with a dead fifteenth century bishop... it was Fleming who, in effect, enabled me to come to Oxford and to learn its arts, and for that I am immensely grateful.


Wednesday 22 September 2010

Mass of Thanksgiving at Oxford Oratory

Last night the Oxford Oratory celebrated the Beatification of John Henry Newman with a Mass in the presence of the Archbishop of Birmingham, his auxilliary Bishop William Kenney, the Abbot of Prinknash, and with representitives of Newman's colleges and the University, of the city and of the deanery.

At the conclusion of the Mass the Archbishop dedicated and blessed the new shrine to the new beatus. The account from the Oratory website is here. It includes pictures of the Beatification itself, and of the Pope's visit to The Birmigham Oratory.





The Newman Shrine. The picture is a copy of the painting of the Cardinal done by William Ouless, and still at Birmingham. The aedicule is by Timothy Newbery, the achievement of arms by Tom Meek.
(Picture from the Oratory Appeal website)

The Oratory's relic of Bl. John Henry was taken in procession to the shrine by the Archbishop. To see something about how this was prepared read the post here.

No comments: