As we approach the centenary of that moment when the guns finally fell silent on the Western Front at the eleventh hour of the eleventh day of the eleventh month of 1918, we remember in particular those men from this parish who fell in the Great War, fighting for King and Country, as well as all those who have been killed in that and subsequent conflicts.

The Solemn Mass will begin at 11.20am on Sunday 11th, to enable people to attend the civic Act of Remembrance at the War Memorial on St Giles’.

A Solemn Requiem will be celebrated, with music by Fauré, and in the evening Vespers for the Dead will be sung.

Further information about our War Memorial, and some of the men recorded on it, may be found here:

http://www.oxfordhistory.org.uk/war/lists_only/st_aloysius.html

Our Forty Hours’ Devotion began this evening with a Solemn Mass of Exposition. At 11pm the Dominicans will sing Compline, and then there will be an all-night vigil for the especially hardy. 

On Saturday (13th) there will be a Musical Oratory of hymns and readings, “Praise O Zion thy Salvation” at 5pm, followed by the Mass for Peace at 6.30pm.

On Sunday evening there will be Solemn Vespers, Procession and Benediction at 5pm.

On Tuesday we celebrated the feast of Blessed John Henry Newman, our Cardinal. We were pleased to welcome Fr Pius Collins, o praem, to preach. Fr Pius was an undergraduate at Keble, and used to frequent our church during his time here. You can read his words below:

Feast of JHN – Oxford

On 15th September 25 parishioners, along with Fr Joseph and Br Benedict, joined the English Oratories’ pilgrimage to Walsingham.

After a picnic lunch on the grass at the Catholic National Shrine, and a Solemn High Mass in the Chapel of the Reconciliation, all 150 or so pilgrims walked in procession along the ‘Pilgrim Mile’ to the site of the original Holy House in the Abbey grounds. This was a wonderful opportunity to pray for our community at the feet of Our Lady of Walsingham, and to enjoy a little of the peace and tranquility of England’s Nazareth. We hope that many more can join us next year. Keep an eye out for details of the pilgrimage in 2019.

From 27th September until 4th October the eleventh General Congress of the Oratorian Confederation was held in Rome. Our house was represented by Fr Daniel, Fr Richard and Br Adam.

The Delegates spent a great deal of time in prayer together:

Discussions and elections were held in the Aula of the Pontifical College Mater Ecclesiae:

The Fathers at dinner:

The delegates had the task of electing new officials of the Confederation. Fr Marco Guillen of the Toronto Oratory was elected as the Delegate of the Holy See (Visitor). Fr Michele Nicolis of the Verona Oratory was elected as Procurator General, and Fr Mauro De Gioia of the Genoa Oratory was re-elected as Postulator General. Here, from left to right, are Fathers Nicolis, Guillen and De Gioia:

Here are the members of the new Permanent Deputation:

Here are Br Adam, Fr Visitor, Fr Richard and Fr Daniel:

At the end of the Congresso there was a Solemn Mass, celebrated by Fr Visitor at the Chiesa Nuova, in the presence of three Oratorian bishops: Mons. Edoardo Cerrato, Mons. Mario Aviles and Mons. Robert Byrne.

Many old friendships in the Oratorian world were renewed and some new ones made. The Flammae Cordis Sisters are a new form of life within the Church: Members of the Secular Oratory in Rome, who have become consecrated women.

The Flammae Cordis are inspired by the burning heart of St. Philip to live in imitation of St Philip’s Oratorian community life, made up of prayer, community life, work and oratory.   They work in the world – as doctors, teachers, civil engineers, etc – but wear a habit as a visible witness to the Gospel, seeking to be like little flames that flow from the Heart of the Bridegroom to reach others, through friendship and ‘Heart speaking to heart”.

Here is Fr Daniel with the Flammae Cordis at the Roman Oratory:

Twenty-five parishioners from Oxford and York went with Frs Daniel and Richard to the shrines of various saints in Italy in September.

In Rome we celebrated Mass near the tomb of St Peter:

We were also able to offer Mass at the tomb of our Holy Father St Philip at the Chiesa Nuova:

This year is the Jubilee Year of St Aloysius – the 450th since his birth, and so one particular goal of our pilgrimage was to venerate him.

The altar where St Aloysius is enshrined in the church of Sant’Ignazio:

Some of us went across the roof of the Roman College to see the rooms in which St Aloysius lived:

A painting showing Aloysius picking up a dying man from the street:

There was also time to enjoy la dolce vita:

In Cascia, we venerated St Rita, the patroness of hopeless cases.

The monks of Norcia, the birthplace of SS Benedict and Scholastica, had their monastery destroyed by the earthquake in 2016, along with all thirteen churches of Norcia. The monks have moved up into the hills above the city, where they have constructed a simple, wooden monastery and sleep in a dormitory. Our coach had some difficulty reaching the remote spot up the hill, and we had to clamber up the last approach – but we got there:

Our pilgrims were deeply moved by the Solemn Mass for St Matthew’s Day.

With the Prior of Norcia, Fr Benedict:

Spot the donkey:

In Assisi we prayed at the tombs of St Francis and St Clare.

Here is some of the group in front of the Basilica of Santa Maria degli Angeli:

We were also able to celebrate Mass at Isola del Gran Sasso at the shrine of the Passionist St Gabriel of Our Lady of Sorrows – patron of our noviciate. This is the second most-visited shrine in Italy.  Here is the altar of the San Gabriele in the old basilica.

The doors of the new basilica:

Finally, we visited the Holy House of Loreto, the place where the Incarnation took place:

As a way for the schools of the Archdiocese of Birmingham to participate in Adoremus, His Grace the Archbishop asked that all the schools throughout the diocese have a time of prayer before the Blessed Sacrament last Tuesday, at the same time as His Grace was doing the same in his own chapel. Here are the children of St Aloysius’ School taking part in this moment of adoration, united with our Archbishop:

Somewhere on the picture below are the pilgrims who went up from Oxford with Fr Daniel to the Eucharistic Congress in Liverpool yesterday:

After Solemn Mass in the Cathedral, celebrated by Cardinal Vincent Nichols, Archbishop of Westminster, the Blessed Sacrament was carried out for the Procession through the streets of Liverpool, over a magnificent carpet of flowers, provided by the diocese of Arundel and Brighton:

The procession was somewhat wet. See here Bishop Robert Byrne, Cong. Orat. (the chief organizer of Adoremus), Archbishop Bernard Longley (Archbishop of Birmingham), and Archbishop Edward Adams (Apostolic Nuncio) all enjoying the rain of Merseyside:

Singing in the Rain:

The Blessed Sacrament passes through the streets under cover of a canopy:

The crowds at Benediction on the steps of Liverpool Metropolitan Cathedral:

On Saturday 8th September, Our Lady’s Birthday, Br Benedict was made an acolyte.

The acolyte is one of the two ministries which prepare a man for the sacrament of Holy Orders. By it Br Benedict is given a special service of the altar. The new acolyte is given a ciborium containing the bread for the Eucharist as a sign of his service. 

The St Aloysius’ School PTA has been working very hard to raise money for our new climbing frame, and during the summer it was installed in the playground.

This afternoon, the climbing frame was officially inaugurated, and Fr Oliver blessed it.

Quality control of the monkey bars:

“He had a dream, and behold, a ladder was set on the earth with its top reaching to heaven; and behold, the angels of God were ascending and descending on it.” Genesis 28.12