Having celebrated the feast of an Oratorian who was also a missionary, then that of an Oratorian who was also a bishop, this week we come to the feast of Blessed Sebastian Valfrè. Unlike Saint Joseph Vaz, he stayed in his Oratory in Turin for his whole life rather than undertaking missionary work and, unlike Saint Francis de Sales, he remained a priest his whole life, satisfying himself with the simple work of the Oratory in his home city. It may feel like we’ve finally found a real Oratorian, but the question is: do we like what we see?

Even if we are not willing to leave the comfort of our homes to imitate him, the adventures of Saint Joseph Vaz bear a certain romance for us. We can rather vividly imagine him stopping elephants with the power of prayer, or calling down rain to show the power of Almighty God. Likewise, the image of Saint Francis de Sales crossing the alps and converting thousands in an attempt to regain his diocese from Calvinist control has a magnitude which makes us admire it in awe. What it takes to admire Blessed Sebastian in the same way is an Oratorian view of mission: one which sees painstaking and careful work at home as no less valuable than heroic tales of mission abroad.

Blessed Sebastian is also known for his careful repairs of the Shroud of Turin. Those of us who have ever sewn anything know that big stitches tear more easily and thread matched to the colour of the fabric will not be noticed itself, but will be more beneficial for the garment which it repairs. Thus, the work of Blessed Sebastian in patching up the fabric of Christian society mirrored his careful repairs of the Blessed Shroud because he promoted both the welfare of Catholics and the conversion of Protestants and Jews not through great missions but unnoticed in prayer, preaching, and the administration of the Sacraments patiently carried out over a long life of 81 years.

That is a source of encouragement for us and the reason why we celebrate Blessed Sebastian’s seemingly ordinary life. Our lives, on the whole, are ordinary too and like Blessed Sebastian it is by bringing God into every aspect of them and carrying him to everyone we meet that we can participate in that slow but great mission of bringing the whole world to Christ. For that we need patience and perseverance, which Blessed Sebastian can demonstrate for us and help us to obtain.

We are now three weeks into 2026, and for some of us, we might be starting to accept that those New Year’s resolutions we made have already fallen by the wayside: gym memberships going unused, the biscuit tin full of KitKats again, Dry January becoming more of a Moist January…

These resolutions are all noble efforts, but of course, the most important resolutions are those that deepen our relationship with God. If the thought of an early morning run seems unattainable, perhaps we can instead find ways to grow closer to God. On Saturday we will celebrate the feast of St Francis de Sales of the Oratory. He is perhaps most well-known for his writings on the spiritual life, and he has some advice for us as we begin a new year:

Anyone who really cares for his heart’s devotion… at least once a year he will take the works to pieces and examine them carefully so as to repair whatever may be amiss. And just as the clockmaker applies a delicate oil to all the wheels and springs of a clock, so that it may work properly and be less liable to rust, so the devout soul, after thus taking the works of his heart to pieces, will lubricate them with the Sacraments of Confession and the Eucharist.

So then if we take St Francis de Sales’ counsel as our starting point, we might resolve this year to go to Mass and Confession more often. The frequent reception of these Sacraments nourishes our souls and transforms our hearts. But quite often it can feel like we are making no progress in the spiritual life: we might find that our prayer life has become dry or that we are always confessing the same sins.

We are all familiar with the saying “patience is a virtue” — but it truly is a virtue, and one that we must cultivate. St Francis de Sales encourages us to have patience first of all with ourselves. We must put up with our own imperfections on our journey towards perfection. He reminds us that it is true God sometimes calls people instantaneously from a sinful life to a virtuous one, as he did with St Mary Magdalen. But on the other hand, the majority of us are more like St Peter. We are called by God, but on our spiritual journey we fall frequently. St Peter went as far as to deny knowing Our Lord, yet he was still chosen by Christ to lead the Church.

We must first of all then be patient. Each and every day we all called to conversion, so we can treat every day as a mini-New Year’s Day and renew our resolutions. Therefore, let us not lose heart but strive to grow in holiness through prayer and the sacraments, that we might make the words of the prophet Isaiah our own: “Remember not the former things, nor consider the things of old. Behold, I am doing a new thing: now it springs forth, do you not perceive it?” (Isaiah 43:19)

When compared with most religious orders, the Oratory seems to have quite few beati, let alone saints (though we are now ahead of most on the Doctor-of-the-Church front). Because of this, at times, there has been the suggestion that we claim members who weren’t really Oratorians to boost our numbers in heaven.

Such a charge has sometimes been levelled in the case of St Joseph Vaz, and it is true that we are always pleased on the rare occasion that we find a painting of him wearing our distinctive collar. But the question arises: is it just the collar that makes St Joseph Vaz an Oratorian and therefore an example to follow in the Oratorian spirituality?

In fact, it is quite the opposite. When we extend the Oratorian spirituality beyond the congregation and into our parish and city, it is clear that some of the externals must fall away. That is why St Joseph Vaz, as both a missionary and an Oratorian is such a key example to consider. Because he did away with practically all of the externals we may consider essential for an Oratorian, including stability, life in community, and even the distinctive collar, he shows us how the Oratorian spirituality can lead to sanctity in any setting.

To take a trivial example, St Philip may have had run ins with women of loose morals, but he never had to contend with angry elephants. But, because St Joseph Vaz did, he gives us an example of how that perseverance in prayer that characterised St Philip’s life can also shine forth in a missionary living a hundred years later and 5,000 miles away. In this way, St Joseph Vaz’s example shows us the key role that the Oratory’s focus on prayer, preaching, and the sacraments has in every place and every age.

In the context of the Oratorian concept of the universal call to sanctity, the same spirituality when clothed with different externals is what allowed St Philip to convert Rome, St Joseph Vaz to be a successful missionary in Sri Lanka, and St John Henry Newman to bolster Catholicism in England. If we entrust ourselves to God and follow the many different examples of all of our Oratorian Saints, thrown into such different circumstances, it is that same spirituality which can help each of us to become a saint too.

On the feast of the Epiphany, at a solemn Mass in St Peter’s Basilica, our Holy Father Pope Leo closed the Holy Door, bringing to an end what has been a most extraordinary Jubilee year in the life of the Universal Church, and an eventful year in the life of the Church more locally.

On Easter Monday, 21 April, we learnt of the death of Pope Francis, who had been struggling with ill health for many weeks. As he had said from the balcony of St Peter’s only the day before, 

“The Resurrection of Jesus is indeed the basis of our hope. For in the light of this event, hope is no longer an illusion… All those who put their hope in God place their feeble hands in his strong and mighty hand; they let themselves be raised up and set out on a journey. Together with the risen Jesus, they become pilgrims of hope, witnesses of the victory of love and of the disarmed power of Life.” We prayed for the Holy Father in the days following, that he might experience that power of Life and witness the victory of Christ’s love, offering a Solemn Mass of Requiem for his soul with a packed congregation.

The whole world then grew tremendously excited as preparations were made for the cardinal-electors to enter the Conclave to elect a new Pope. The media was abuzz with speculation as to which Cardinal would be elected, with even one of our parishioners, Timothy Cardinal Radcliffe OP of Blackfriars, being in the running. Fr Nicholas was privileged to be in St Peter’s Square on 8 May as the bells of St Peter’s rang out, white smoke billowed from the chimney of the Sistine Chapel, and the Cardinal Deacon announced the great joy of the election of Robert Francis, Cardinal Prevost, as Pope Leo XIV.

Millions of Catholics flocked to Rome during the Holy Year to pass through the doors of the papal basilicas and participate in the Jubilee events. Our new Holy Father began his ministry with great humility, warmth, humour and Christ-centred faith. But he also showed himself a Pope of Surprises, announcing, with little to no warning, that he would declare St John Henry Newman a Doctor of the Church. This took place on All Saints’ Day, 1 November, in St Peter’s Square. Fr Dominic, Fr Rupert, Br Vincent, Br Ambrose and Br Thomas went to Rome to be present on this historic occasion, the fruit of so much effort and prayer since Our Cardinal’s canonisation only a few years before.

At the end of November we celebrated 150 years since the blessing and opening of our church of St Aloysius. His Grace the Archbishop celebrated a Mass of Thanksgiving on 22 November, along with two bishops, an abbot, previous Parish Priests, and local clergy. We were privileged to have both the Vice-Chancellor of the University and the Lord Mayor of Oxford with us on that occasion. A fascinating exhibition of photographs and treasures of the parish was put together by Br Vincent in the Fathers’ library, along with a special anniversary edition of our Friends’ magazine. A special plenary indulgence was granted by the Apostolic See for the occasion, given by the Archbishop at the end of the Mass of Thanksgiving. Another plenary indulgence was also given by the Holy Father, which can be gained every day until the feast of St Aloysius this year by visiting our church.

The real treasures of the parish are, of course, the people. In 2025 we baptised fifty new Christians, welcoming Cecilia, Theodore, Lachlan, Sophie, Jeanne-Marie, Patricia, Wesley, Ben, Dominika, Mustafa, Eric, Paul, Isaac, Freddie, Finnan, Isabel, George, Rosemary, Bella, Rosalia, Elvis, James, Frederick, Megha, Trystan, Ava, Sheila, Audrey, Polina, Aurora, Anosh, Indira, Edna, Florence, Méabh, Oona, Zofia, Mila, Dominic, Marina, Lucia, Olivia, Grace, Edward, Magnus, Kalliope, Alexandru, Camila, Peter, and Karla, into the Church — twelve of whom are adults who have been instructed in the Faith in our parish. Prashanth, Helen, Jonathan, Nicholas, Bethany, Charles, Andrew, David, Grace, Lydia, Anne, Rakoen, and Sophie, were received into full communion. Another sixteen adult Catholics were confirmed, together with thirteen of our school and parish children. A total of forty one adults were therefore baptised, confirmed or received into the Church this past year — proof that there is indeed a “quiet revival” taking place in England and Wales. Twelve couples began their married lives together at the Oratory in 2025: please pray for Ramu and Chloë, James and Antonia, Rupert and Melody-Ann, Jose and Almudena, Paul and Herin, Thomas and Isabella, Cameron and Elena, Joshua and Selina, James and Karolina, Joshua and Alison, Jonathan and Caitlin, and Thomas and Cloe.

Our average Mass attendance (worked out by counting everyone at Mass on four weekends in September/October) was 993, which is an increase on last year and one of the highest in the Archdiocese. Many of those attending Mass at the Oratory travel some distance, and our virtual “attendance” on the livestream continues to be high.

After an appeal from the pulpit towards the end of 2024, the average Sunday collection has also improved. There are details on our website on the need to support the Oratory and parish and how to give: https://oxfordoratory.org.uk/giving.php Cafe Neri continues to be an important part of our ministry on Sundays, providing not only refreshments after Mass, but also an opportunity to meet each other and make new parishioners and visitors feel especially welcome. The Lodge bookshop has had another very good year of sales, helped by a brilliant selection of books and devotional items (curated by some of the Fathers and Brothers). In fact, our retail income is such that we have had to register for VAT. The Oratory Prayer Book still sells all over the world through our online bookshop. Fr Rupert published a new book, I wait in the night, the first English translation of the diaries of Jacques Fesch, and we republished Fr Martindale’s Catholics in Oxford. All of these are available from our online shop, or in person at the Porter’s Lodge.

The last few years have seen an unusually large number of funerals at the Oratory. In 2025 we said farewell to to several longstanding members of our parish, and some more recent arrivals, commending to God: Timothy Davies, Tim Toomey, Hugh Smyth, Dolores Yong, John Kaye, Pat Marshall, Bill Hayes, Carol Wilson, Michael Hallas, Margaret Mongellas, John van den Bergh, Margaret Dewar, Baby Ignatius Sahner, Ashley Bale, and Penny Cornthwaite. Monsignor Vaughan Morgan CBE, a retired priest of the Archdiocese and a dear friend of the community, passed away in December. He was a familiar face in the parish, often attending Mass on high days and holy days when his purple monsignorial dress added a splash of colour and style to our sanctuary. His funeral will be celebrated in our church on 16 January. May the souls of all the faithful departed, through the mercy of God, rest in peace.

Holy Years tend to draw all pilgrims to Rome, but we still had visiting groups from France, Italy, Spain, the United States, and Indonesia. The Oxford Preservation Trust, The Ecclesiastical Architects and Surveyors Association, and The Victorian Society, came to see our church and were given presentations on some of the art and architecture of the church and our future plans. We had over 1000 people through the doors for the Oxford Open Doors in September. Abbot Cuthbert Brogan OSB and some of the monks of Farnborough Abbey joined us for St Philip’s Day, Fr George Bowen of the London Oratory, postulator for the cause of Newman’s declaration as Doctor of the Church preached for Our Cardinal’s feast, and Bishop Alan Hopes, Bishop Emeritus of East Anglia, celebrated and preached on the Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception. The Apostolic Nuncio, Archbishop Miguel Maury Buendía, paid us a flying visit on 9 October, bringing with him the Sostituto of the Secretariat of State of the Holy See, Archbishop Edgar Peña Parra, who lead us in prayer in thanksgiving for St John Henry being made a Doctor and asked us to pray for the Holy Father.

Both Fr Rupert and Br Vincent completed their noviciate in 2025 and were aggregated into the Congregation. Br Vincent began his theological studies for the priesthood at Blackfriars, Br Ambrose continued his philosophy, and Br Thomas, having finished his first year as a novice, started his studies. Please pray for our brothers as they continue their formation and preparation for ordination.

Through the generosity of parishioners and visitors, we were able to help a number of needy causes and charities. Our crib collection raised £876 for Aid to the Church in Need, and the Lent project for Helen and Douglas House totalled £3,854. The Mission Appeal for the Sacred Heart Fathers collected £1,1014, and we were able to send 200 gift parcels to the Operation Christmas Child Christmas shoebox appeal. The Oratory was also able to host the Companions of the Order of Malta Easter and Christmas lunches for the homeless and less fortunate, and the parish centre continued as the Companions’ base of operations for the twice weekly evening “soup and sandwich” runs. Oratory Outreach helped to host the homeless lunches, and ran very successful collections for the Oxford Food Bank each month.

We had hoped to share more exciting news about our great development project, to renew and redecorate our sanctuary, church and sacristies, and the plans for a baptistry and Newman chapel. Unfortunately we hit a number of setbacks in 2025 — not least the discovery of a certain amount of subsidence on the sacristy-side of the church — and will have to do some fairly serious (and expensive) remedial work on the apse and stained-glass windows this year. We are pushing ahead, and it will not be much longer before exciting things will start happening (and will be seen to be happening!).

The Holy Year of Jubilee may have come to a close, and it is unlikely that 2026 will see quite as much excitement in the Catholic world as the year past. But the daily round of Masses and confessions, the annual cycle of feasts, the moments of joy at baptisms and weddings, and the heartbreak of funerals, will continue in this little part of the Lord’s Vineyard that is the Oratory parish in Oxford. We entrust this new year to the prayers of Our Lady, St Aloysius and St Philip, and hope that the Lord will bless our efforts and crown our achievements. As Pope Leo said at his installation Mass in May 2025: “Together, as one people, as brothers and sisters, let us walk towards God and love one another”.

The God of gods, the Lord,
has spoken and summoned the earth,
from the rising of the sun to its setting.
Out of Zion’s perfect beauty he shines.
Our God comes, he keeps silence no longer.
Before him fire devours,
around him tempest rages. (Ps. 49:1–3)

If I were one of the shepherds watching my flock, all seated on the ground and minding my own business, I think I would have been more than a little taken aback to find my otherwise quiet night shift interrupted by hosts of angels shouting something about God at me. It must have taken a moment for them to catch their bearings, to figure out amid their half-awake grogginess quite what was happening. But they must have snapped awake pretty quickly. The angelic tidings announced something earth-shattering: the eternal Word of God had taken flesh to save mankind, and had just been born at Bethlehem.

In that moment, the Word “spoke, and summoned the earth”. Since the Fall, mankind had been waiting for this moment. Prophet after prophet came to call Israel to back to God — but now, God came to them. First he called the shepherds, representing that people to whom the Lord our God spoke first. They had been waiting patiently for their promised Saviour for millennia: now the moment has arrived, and not only for Israel but for the whole world. By the star which shone above him, God summoned the whole earth, represented by the Magi, to come and worship him.

“Our God comes, he keeps silence no longer.” And yet, wrapped in swaddling bands and lying in a manger, he is the picture of meekness. God’s humility, coming down from heaven and taking human flesh in order to redeem us, is the greatest mystery of our faith — but it is something we all too easily skip over in our mind. The Christmas story is so familiar to all of us that we can forget quite how remarkable a thing it is that we commemorate each year. By Our Lady’s faithful obedience to God’s will, the Divine Word became a man, just like any of us. He does not come attended by earthly pomp and ceremony — the King of kings and Lord of lords is born, but there are no gun-salutes in Hyde Park, there are no Red Arrows fly-pasts. But still, “before him fire devours and tempest rages”: he has come to earth to destroy sin and death. By taking human flesh, by his life, his death and his resurrection, Jesus Christ reconciled us to God. His humility rescues us from the arrogance of our sin; by his wounds we are healed.

O God, who wonderfully created the dignity of human nature, and still more wonderfully restored it, grant we pray, that we may share in the divinity of Christ, who humbled himself to share in our humanity. Who lives and reigns forever and ever. Amen.