...brought a visit to the Oxford Oratory and the joy of attending the 11 am sung Mass. This Oratory Church of St Aloysius has glorious liturgy, and is at the heart of a thriving parish, lots of families at the morning Mass, even more young people packing it out in the evening, lots of parish activities ranging from support for a mission in an impoverished part of Africa to work with the SVP here at home. Vocations to the Oratory are thriving and there simply isn't room for them all. This, plus the need to welcome the many visitors who come here - and numbers will increase as interest in John Henry Newman continues to develop - mean that the restoration and development plans have a real urgency about them ...This church is in an important sense a memorial to Newman's vision, never realised in his lifetime, of an Oratory in this University city.
The Oratory and the church and associated buildings need much work: already the sanctuary has been beautifully restored and the candlight gleams on the touches of gold adorning the array of statues. But there's much more - a baptistery and Newman memorial chapel, a cloister courtyard and more... Want to help? A massive appeal has been launched to raise funds...go to the website to learn more. PLEASE help!
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