...between Old Oscott and Birmingham when Newman first came to Old Oscott House in the 1840s. The house had been a Catholic family home for centuries, and had been a Mass centre in recusant times. Following the various Catholic Relief Acts and then Catholic Emancipation in 1829, its chapel had become more or less known. John Henry Newman and his colleagues, newly received into full communion with the Catholic church, and needing somewhere to stay while they made plans for their future lives, were made welcome in this old house....they formed a community and Newman named the house Maryvale.
Over a century and a half later, crunchy golden leaves cascade down on the garden paths, and the old house welcomes us in the November dusk, and we talk of Newman. A most agreeable dinner, and a sense of feeling at home - I love this place. On Monday morning we join the Bridgettine sisters for Mass, and then there is time for some quiet work as well as a meeting for associate staff. I always get a lot of work done at Maryvale: the house is peaceful, with good wifi access, and the presence of others quietly busy too...
An excellent lecture in the evening: the Redford Memorial Lecture, given by Fr Richard Conrad in the Maryvale chapel. His topic was "the face of God", a rich Trinitarian exploration.
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