Diaconal Ordination at Blackfriars

At lunchtime today I attended a Diaconal Ordination of three Dominican friars and two Franciscan  Conventuals at Blackfriars here in Oxford. The Archbishop of Liverpool, himself, of course, a Dominican, was the officiating prelate. it is always good to go and support young men as the embark on their life of ministry and this occasion was well attended.

A rather Old Rite Bank Holiday

This last few days over the Bank Holiday and since I have been able to enjoy something of a festival of traditional liturgy, or indeed, liturgies.

Last Saturday I was at Blackfriars here in Oxford for a celebration of the Dominican Rite by Fr Oliver Keenan O.P. - a young priest whom I had the privilege of teaching medieval church history in 2013.

On Sunday I travelled with a friend to Reading for Mass at the FSSP church of St William of York, so here was the 1962 Rite celebrated , and when we returned to Oxford we were able to go, as usual to traditional Vespers at the Oxford Oratory.

Monday saw another Dominican Rite Mass, this time at SS Gregory and Augustine, and celebrated by Fr Matthew Jarvis O.P., again a fine young priest from Oxford Blackfriars and whom I know from our membership of the committee of Churches Together in Central Oxford.

Today, Thursday, there was a celebration of a High Mass from the 1962 Missal for the feast of the English Martyrs at the Oxford Oratory - this is, of course in effect 'the Mass the Martyrs died for.' Given that historic claim it is a pity that some of the more vocal enthusiasts for the Traditional  Liturgy were not there. I appreciate that not everyone can get to every such celebration, but I sometimes sense that some do not try as hard as others to support public celebrations of something they hold so dear.

Easter in Oxford

I spent Easter here in Oxford, as usual, and with the usual pattern of liturgical events.

On Maundy Thursday I went to Tenebrae at Blackfriars, though not on Good Friday or Holy Saturday. On those days I said the Office in the Traditional form using my iPhone

In the evening I attended the Mass of Lord's Supper and I have copied these pictures from the Oratory website, and added a few additional comments


The Washing of Feet:

The Procession to the Altar of Repose:

 

 

Br Benedict has been very busy recently in the Oratory Guild Room making the canopy for the Altar of Repose, a great enhancement of the Sacred Heart Chapel and much more striking than the previous arrangement - impressive as it was - with draped cloth.

The Stripping of the Altars:

Keeping Watch with Our Lord in His Agony:

I rather feel I shall miss the canopy and hangings when they come down as they really enhance the chapel. 

I, along with a considerable number of others, stayed until Compline at 11.45 before making my way home.

On Good Friday I had the happy circumstance of being able to meet up in the middle of the day with an old friend from Oriel. He is an Italian academic from Sardinia and was here for a conference.

As usual the Oratory was packed for the Solemn Liturgy at 3, and there was a good attendance for Stations of the Cross and the Veneration of the Relic of the Holy Cross at 7.

Holy Saturday I helped out as porter in the bookshop before attending the Solemn Easter Vigil and the First Mass of Easter - always the highlight of the liturgical year.

Easter Day I was back for the 11 Solemn Mass, and after lunch with a friend, back for Solemn Vespers and Benediction.

This year's Paschal Candle, beautifully painted by Mrs Freddie Quartley, and the photographs also show the Sanctuary in its full Easter splendour:

This reproduces the painting by Piero della Francesca of the Resurrection I posted about on Easter Day - great minds obviously think alike.

Images: Oxford Oratory website 

Book launch at Blackfriars

This afternoon I attended a book launch at Blackfriars here in Oxford.

I got to know the author, Andrew Meszaros, when he was studying here in Oxford and after study at Louvain and in Vienna he is now lecturer in systematic theology at Maynooth.

Image: Amazon

His book is The Prophetic Church: History and Doctrinal Development in John Henry Newman and Yves Congar It is published by Oxford University Press. ISBN 9780198786344

In his book Meszaros argues that dogma is the product of both faith and history, and that in addressing the problems confronting its understanding of its dogmas the Church has always managed to develop the understanding of doctrine in a consistent way.

Fr Timothy RadcliffeOP gave an appreciation of the book and commended it to the audience.

It was a pleasure to meet up with Andrew again and catch up on one another's news.

LMS Dominican Rite Pilgrimage in Oxford

Today was the Latin Mass Society's Oxford Pilgrimage in honour of the four martyrs of 1589 - the two priests Bl. George Nichols and Bl. Richard Yaxley, and the two laymen Bl. Thomas Belson and Bl. Humphrey Pritchard.

The well attended Mass was celebrated at Blackfriars according to the traditional Dominican Rite by Fr Oliver Keenan OP and the sermon was given by Fr Richard Conrad OP who also served as Deacon.

It was a great pleasure to meet up with my old friend, and indeed my sponsor when I was received as a Catholic in 2005, Br.Andrew from the Birmingham Oratory and some friends of his from the congregation there and to have lunch with them afterwards. I was then able to help Andrew show them around Oxford, concentrating especially on the life here of Bl. John Henry Newman. Being an Oriel man I was fortunately able to show them more of the college than they might otherwise have seen and to talk about Newman where he once lived.

Br. Andrew once paid me the compliment - the great compliment - in  saying he thought I was like Newman in my pursuit of truth, indeed Truth, and which I found a very moving observation.

It was also a pleasure to see Fr Hunwicke and talk to him briefly after the Mass. Although we live in the same city our paths cross far too infrequently.

Oxford Corpus Christi Procession

Here from the Oxford Oratory website are pictures of last Sunday's Corpus Christi Procession.

On Sunday 29th May, Bishop Robert Byrne, Cong. Orat. led the Oxford Deanery Corpus Christi Procession.



The marshals are briefed before departure:



The Blessed Sacrament leaves the Oratory:



The Procession heads down St Giles':

















The Witney Town Band played stirring tunes and hymns to help us on our way:



Arrival at Blackfriars:



Fr Robert Ombres, O.P. preached about the altar at Blackfriars, made from Rouge Languedoc marble: a reminder that St Dominic combatted the Cathars, who denied the goodness of creation. In the Blessed Sacrament, God comes to sanctify and deify the flesh.





From Blackfriars, Fr Ombres carried Our Lord into the Cornmarket and through the busy shopping streets of Oxford:

















Fr Keith McMillan, S.J. carried the Blessed Sacrament for the final stage of the procession:





Bishop Byrne gave Benediction at the Chaplaincy, accompanied by the band...



…and Fr Dominic on the organ:









After which, we had a very welcome cup of tea, courtesy of the Chaplaincy:





Photographs by Hannah Chegwyn/Oxford Oratory website