The church is open for private individual prayer only.
Church open: 12–5:30pm each day
Confessions: 5–5:30pm Monday–Saturday.
Live-streamed Masses: Monday–Saturday: 8am (EF) & 6pm (English)
Sunday: 8am (EF), 9:30am (Sung English), 11am (Sung Latin), 5pm (Vespers & Benediction)
Statement from the President and the Vice-President of the Conference on the National Lockdown
Wednesday 4th November 2020
Today, Parliament passed into law the Regulations governing many aspects of activity in the whole of England until 2nd December. These Regulations prohibit the gathering of people for communal worship in churches and other religious buildings.
Churches remain open and in use for activities other than communal worship, including personal prayer and support for those in need. Funeral Masses and funeral services may be held. Please refer to the Regulations (for places of worship see paragraph 18) and associated Guidance.
Despite profound misgivings it is important that we, as responsible citizens, observe these Regulations, which have the force of law: ‘Remind them to be obedient to the officials in authority; to be ready to do good at every opportunity’ (Titus 3:1). We do this in solidarity with so many others on whom are being imposed restrictions which impact severely on their lives and livelihoods.
It is also important to recognise that these Regulations are not an attack on religious belief. However, they do demonstrate a fundamental lack of understanding of the essential contribution made by faith communities to the well-being, resilience and health of our society.
At this difficult moment, we ask that, as a Catholic community, we make full use of our churches as places of individual prayer and sources of solace and help. We must sustain each other in our patterns of prayer, joining a national shared moment of prayer each day at 6pm, and observing the Vigil of Christ the King (21st November) as a day of prayer for the ending of this pandemic. And we encourage you all in your practical service and support of each other and those around you in need.
This pathway of prayer and service is the royal road we are to take as a gracious witness in our society today.
Cardinal Vincent Nichols
President
Archbishop Malcolm McMahon OP
Vice-President
A joy to baptise Lola yesterday and welcome her into the family of the Church before lockdown began. #oxfordoratory
November dawns and all of a sudden it would seem that the weather is crisper, the trees are certainly barer, their autumn colours looking sparse. It is a time for nesting and also a time for remembering. For St Augustine, memory is an important activity. From the vantage point of the present, with all the awareness we have of where we are at, we remember the past and we digest it, we process. We do this so that we can anticipate the future with all the possibilities of what it might bring.
We remember the faithful departed in November, particularly those dear to us who have shaped us, who have left us an inheritance of experiences, of wisdom and of love — all gifts we can pass on without losing them. We remember the war dead, those brave men and women who gave so much so that we might have our freedom today. But at this wistful time of year we might also remember the times and experiences of our own life, what has shaped us, what is important to us, and what we might want to change.
We are on the cusp of yet another ‘lock-down’ where our many of freedoms are curtailed for the common good and yet others are curtailed, it would seem, unfairly, chief among them the ability to worship and attend the sacraments. When St Augustine writes about memory in his Confessions, the implication is that remembering presents us with an opportunity. It gives us the ground on which to take a new stand. The same is true now for us.
We can do nothing about the lock-down, but we can face the future in a new light. Rather than be oppressed by this, if we can, we must dig deep, we must mine for that rich seam of supernatural motivation that brought us to faith in the first place and rediscover it. We must try again to appreciate in our hearts the beautiful riches of the sacraments, particularly the Mass, so that when we come together again to worship together at God’s altar, we might be able to open our hearts a little further to let his transforming love in. And we must pray hard for the virtue of hope. Hope doesn’t come on a whim, and it is not something we can take or leave, rather it is essential and gives energy to our spiritual life. So if the remembering time of this November is about anything, it must be about finding again those reasons to be hopeful for our life after this time, to consecrate that hope to the Lord and ask him to increase it. We must dig deep and not give up.
The French philosopher, Gustave Thibon, knew that digging deep, digging in the narrow place in which we find ourselves, even if it is very narrow indeed, is the means to finding true freedom in Christ and his Holy Spirit dwelling in us:
You feel you are hedged in; you dream of escape; but beware of mirages. Do not run or fly away in order to get free: rather dig in the narrow place which has been given you; you will find God there and everything. God does not float on your horizon, he sleeps in your substance. Vanity runs, love digs. If you fly away from yourself, your prison will run with you and will close in because of the wind of your flight; if you go deep down into yourself it will disappear in paradise.
As St Philip said, “At last we must die.” Pray for the Fathers and Brothers of the Oratory who have gone before us. Solemn Requiem tonight at 6pm. #oxfordoratory
The Porter’s Lodge & Bookshop will be open this week only on Tuesday and Wednesday, 10:30–12:30 and 16:00–18:00.
There are still Advent and Christmas items available, as well as all the other usual books, rosaries and other devotional items.
The Lodge now accepts card and contactless payments!
Today, all priests can say three Masses, to give the Holy Souls as much help as possible. #oxfordoratory
According to the government’s proposals for new restrictions, the church will be open for private individual prayer only from Thursday. Details of church opening may change, so please check here for the latest updates before visiting our church. Our provisional schedule is:
Church open: 12–5:30pm each day
Confessions: 5–5:30pm Monday–Saturday.
Live-streamed Masses: Monday–Saturday: 8am (EF) & 6pm (English)
Sunday: 8am (EF), 9:30am (English), 11am (Sung Latin), 5pm (Vespers & Benediction)
The annual Solemn Requiem for deceased Fathers & Brothers of the Oratory will now take place on Tuesday 3 November at 6pm, instead of Thursday as advertised.
All groups will either meet on Zoom, or resume meeting in person once the restrictions are lifted.
Cardinal Nichols has argued that Mass be allowed to continue, and has asked all Catholics to petition their MPs to raise this challenge in Parliament. You can read his response to the Prime Minister’s statement here.
Strengthened by so great a cloud of witnesses, may we run as victors in the race before us. #oxfordoratory
Oxford has moved into new restrictions and there are rumours of a second lockdown, but the church is still open for Masses and confessions. #oxfordoratory