Opening the Holy Door at the Oxford Oratory

Yesterday at the 11 am Mass at the Oxford Oratory Bishop William Kenney, C.P. formally opened the Holy Door there - it is one of several churches and places of pilgrimage in the diocese that have been designated as such for the Jubilee Year of Mercy.

The Mass began at the back of church (a seasonal drizzle preventing us from all being outside) with the call to repentance and to experience God's infinite mercy.

The Bishop blessed the door.

Bishop Kenney then opened the door and passed through it, followed by the servers and clergy.

The people were sprinkled with Holy Water during the Asperges.

After Mass, the faithful had the opportunity to pass through the Holy Door, so as to gain the Plenary Indulgence.

During the Year of Mercy, the Holy Door will be open before all Sunday Masses, and there will be a procession through it at the weekly Saturday ten o'clock Pilgrimage Mass, in honour of Our Lady of Oxford, Mother of Mercy.

Photographs by Hannah Chegwyn

Images:Oxford Oratory website

Fr Hunwicke's Ordination

Yesterday evening I attended the Ordination to the priesthood in the Catholic Church of my good friend John Hunwicke from the Ordinariate. The service was held at the Oxford Oratory and the ordination itself conducted by Bishop William Kenney, who referred in his homily to Fr Hunwicke's many years of priestly experience.

In the crowded sanctuary there were diocesan and Ordinariate clergy, the Provost of the Oxford Oratory, the Prior of Blackfriars and Fr Aidan Nicols from the Dominicans, Fr Tim Finigan and two Sons of the Most Holy Redeemer from the Orkneys.

The congregation included an Orthodox priest, family and friends from Oxford, including Fr Hunwicke's former churchwardens from St Thomas', now both in the Ordinariate, members of the Ordinariate and old friends from his days at Lancing - one former pupil, living on the south coast and unable to attend himself had summoned his parents from Birmingham to represent him.

Afterwards as I knelt to receive his First Blessing in the courtyard it was a great joy to be able to congratulate Fr Hunwicke and to say that he was now where he should be in the wider unity of the Catholic priesthood. I think there was widespread sense of gratitude that this long-delayed ordination had now occurred.

The reception afterwards was in the garden of St Benet's Hall, and an opportunity to catch up with old friends and reflect upon the number of us who, either individually or through the Ordinariate, have entered into full peace and communion in recent years.

There will, I am sure, be pictures available soon of the evening, and I will link to them once they are available.

Priestly Ordination of John Hunwicke - June 27th

As many regular readers will no doubt be aware my good friend John Hunwicke of the Ordinariate will be ordained as a priest on Wednesday June 27th at 7 pm in the Oxford Oratory by Bishop William Kenney.

I am sure many of John Hunwicke's friends will be there to support him on this occasion and to wish him well for his continuing ministry as both pastor and scholar.

John Hunwicke at his recent deaconing in Westminster Cathedral

Image: Fr Blake blog

Diaconal Ordination at the Oxford Oratory

The Oxford Oratory website now has a set of pictures of the diaconal ordination of Br Nicholas Edmonds-Smith which took place last Friday.

The laying on of hands

The whole series can be viewed here.

The liturgy was impressive, the congregation large, the party afterwards enjoyable. A good step forwards for Br Nicholas, and for the Oratory and the community it serves. Please keep them all in your prayers.