The Oratory School...

...at Woodcote, near Reading, is in a superb setting, the cool green cricket pitches surrounded by great sweeps of glorious countryside, the fine old manor house now transformed into the heart of a great array of school buildings approached by a drive from the main road.

Evangelium  now uses this fine setting for its conference every summer - sponsored by the CTS and drawing young Catholics in their 20s and 30s for a weekend of lectures and seminars, talks and workshops, centred of course on daily prayer and Mass and adoration of the Blessed Sacrament. Some good speakers -  Bishop Mark Davies, who also preached at the Mass on Saturday, concelebrating with some of the many priests ,  Fr John Hemer on the Scriptures,  Sister Hyacinthe from the Dominican sisters (who will shortly  be leading the John Paul II Walk for the New Evangelisation shortly)  Fr Ed Tomlinson of the Ordinariate...

I was touched that Bishop Mark quoted Auntie's book on St John Vianney in his lecture on this dear saint. We chatted briefly later over tea...

The whole conference is well organised, with morning prayer followed by a Proper Breakfast with eggs and bacon and sausages and hash browns and fried bread...there is an Elevenses break and a Good Lunch, and a long afternoon in which to enjoy the grounds, or play some sport, or rest, or linger around talking with friends...

There were First Blessings from two of the newly-ordained priests from this summer's batch of ordinations. It is a special moment to be blessed by a young priest whom one met as a seminarian at World Youth Day...

Lots of workshops from which to choose: I opted for one on "Mary, Star of the New Evangelisation", led by one of the sisters of the Society of Our Lady of the Holy Trinity. I went because of the project "New Evangelisation" which is what the future of the Church in our poor country must be about if there is to be a future for the Church here at all. But part of me worried a bit - no, a lot - that it might just be a rather sentimental and predictable little feverino about Our Lady.  But it was a well presented theologically coherent and profound look at Mary's role in salvation history and in the life of the Church with a message of hope, with reference to  Louis Grignon de Montfort's "Total consecration", insights from Blessed John Paul...lots to ponder...

There was morning and night prayer in the chapel.  There was an extremely jolly, talkative social on the Saturday evening in a beautiful drawing-room in the old manor, giving out on to the gardens with their glorious great banks of lavender.  And while that was happening, there was also Adoration in the chapel and we were urged to make sure that Christ was never ignored...when I slipped in, there were good numbers of people there quietly praying. That mix of social cheer and deep prayer has something of the essence of Catholicism about it.

The conference ended with an excellent presentation on evangelisation by Frs Andrew Pinsent and Marcus Holden.  And then off to evangelise Britain...