May Procession at SS Gregory and Augustine Oxford

Earlier this afternoon I attended the May Procession at SS Gregory and Augustine in north Oxford. This is an occasion I always like to attend if possible, and it’s absence last year was noticeable in the period of ‘lockdown’.

Due to the remaining health restrictions and the slightly uncertain weather the event had to be adapted slightly from the usual format but all went well. We had a procession into the church with a statue of Our Lady, preceded by flower strewers, the rosary, crowning of the statue, Litany of Loretto, prayers and concluded with Benediction. 

The early twentieth century church, set in amongst flowerbeds, lawns and trees, has something of an Edwardian or ‘Arts and Crafts’aesthetic of rural charm - even if much of the decoration consists of fine examples of much more recent date. On an occasion like this, completer with the singing of “Bring flowers of the rarest...” this always seems a very appropriate combination.

The service is always followed by tea and cakes, and this was naturally an opportunity to catch up with friends and acquaintances one had not seen or been able to talk to for months. It was also an occasion, amid the bustle of young families, parish stalwarts and the all-important tea-makers, to reflect on the pleasure of being able to socialise as a group of Catholics, drawn to the afternoon’s event by a shared sense of filial devotion to Our Lady.