The Holy Father has appointed Monsignor Marcus Stock, a priest of the Archdiocese of Birmingham, and currently General Secretary of the Bishops’ Conference of England and Wales, to be the new Bishop of Leeds.

Mgr Stock is a good friend of the Oxford Oratory. He was the last diocesan priest to look after the parish of St Aloysius, in the last fortnight before the Fathers of the Oratory arrived in 1990. He managed to open a cupboard which had been locked for many years, and there discovered a book which had belonged to our Holy Father St Philip, and a cast taken from St Philip’s death mask – St Philip was here waiting for his sons!

Please pray for Mgr Stock as he prepares for this important new work of service to the Church. Here below is the sermon he preached here on St Philip’s Day in 2012, in which he describes his discovery of these two relics of St Philip:

HOMILY FOR FEAST OF ST PHILIP NERI

SATURDAY 26th MAY 2012

OXFORD ORATORY

Firstly, I would like to thank the Provost, Fr Daniel Seward, and the Oratorian Fathers for inviting me to join them today for this their Patronal Feast Day. It is a great privilege and pleasure for me to be here.

I feel a keen affinity with the Oxford Oratory, for in the summer of 1990, for a couple weeks, I had the privilege of living here to celebrate Mass and provide pastoral care to the parish until the first Oratorian Fathers for the new community arrived. A day or two before I left, I was wandering around the church and found myself in the chapel on the right as you enter at the far end of the church which contained the font and reliquary cupboards. The shelves of the upper cupboards were clearly empty and most of the lower cupboards. But one of the lower ones’ was locked. I must confess that my curiosity got the better of me and, with a little knowledge gained from a youth ill-spent, I picked the lock and opened the cupboard.

Inside the cupboard there were two main objects both within glass containers. One object had a glass dome covered in dust which obscured the object within. The other was a rectangular glass-sided reliquary which contained, what looked like, a very old book.

I cleaned off the dust from the first object with the glass dome – and what greeted my eyes both startled and amazed me. For looking out at me was the unmistakable face of St Philip Neri. It was a copy of his death mask. I recognized it straight away from the ones that are on his effigy, containing his relics, in the chapels dedicated to him in both the Chiesa Nuova in Rome and the Birmingham Oratory.

The second object I will come back to later!

Four hundred and sixty-eight years ago, on the eve of Pentecost in 1544, at the age of 29, Philip Neri a devout young layman who had moved from his home in Florence to work first for a relative near Monte Cassino and then as tutor in Rome, was praying in the Catacombs of Saint Sebastian, on the Via Appia.

I am sure that many of you will already know, from your knowledge of the life of St Philip, of the remarkable event that took place on that occasion. During his prayer, St Philip had a vision of a globe of fire which entered his mouth, and descended into his heart. This spiritual ecstasy was accompanied by the physical expansion of his heart and he experienced a feeling of overwhelming joy.

By providence, today, as well as celebrating the Feast Day of St Philip, we are also on the eve day of Pentecost.

It was in the silence and stillness of prayer that the Heart of God spoke to the heart of St Philip. Cor ad cor loquitor, ‘heart speaks to heart’, an experience that another, future, great and holy man of the Church, Blessed John Henry Newman, was to discover too as the source of his joy. It is to St Philip’s experience of spiritual joy, as the fruit of Pentecost, to which I would like us to turn our thoughts and devotion this morning.

In the first reading of our Mass today, St Paul sets before the Philippians one of the great, but perhaps too infrequently expressed, gifts of the Holy Spirit and qualities of the Christian life:

“Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, Rejoice. Let all men know your forbearance. The Lord is at hand. Have no anxiety about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which passes all understanding, will keep your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.”

When St Paul wrote these words he was in prison in Rome and would have been aware that he was almost certainly facing the possibility of execution. Similarly, he knew that those Christians in Philippi faced all kinds of dangers and persecutions as they set out on their journey of faith. But Paul still proclaims, with words that flow out of his own heart – Rejoice!

St Paul was teaching the Philippians, and us, that Christian joy is not dependent upon the immediate and ever changing circumstances of our lives but on the continual presence of Christ dwelling in our souls and living in our hearts. It is a joy which springs from the indwelling of Christ in the soul through the gift of the Holy Spirit. It is a joy which is nurtured in a state of mind and in an orientation of the heart.

St Paul goes on to explain how this nurturing of mind and heart is achieved:

“Finally, brethren, whatever is true, whatever is honourable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is gracious, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things. What you have learned and received and heard and seen in me, do; and the God of peace will be with you.”

Here, St Paul is recommending more than just positive thinking. When he talks about what they have ‘received’, the precise term he uses means to accept a ‘fixed tradition’. This then is about living-out the apostolic faith which St Paul has handed on to us. By doing this, the gift of God’s love will live within us.

It is the apostolic faith which unites us to the teaching of Christ himself and through Christ unites to each other and to the knowledge and love of the Father. In the Gospel we heard Christ pray:

“Father, may they be one in us, as you are in me and I am in you… I have made your name known to them and will continue to make it known, so that the love with which you loved me may be in them, and so that I may be in them.”

St Philip Neri lived out that apostolic faith and passed it on in an exemplary way. Indeed, it is the example that each Saint gives to the Church, a confirmation that the apostolic faith we have received can be a source of deep spiritual peace and joy.

As a result of St Philip Neri’s life of service, meeting the spiritual and charitable needs of many people within the Eternal City, we recall that like St Paul he too came to be called an Apostle – the ‘Apostle of Rome’. The name Apostle is apt when we also remember that what distinguished the first Apostles was that the fire of Pentecost was for them a personal experience. St Philip too received a personal experience of the Holy Spirit in the globe of fire which entered his heart and bestowed on him the gift of spiritual joy, the fruit of Pentecost.

When St Philip went to Rome he took with him some books which he had kept with him from his young days in Florence. One of these books was the Laudi, or spiritual canticles, of Blessed Jacopone de Todi.

The second object I found in that reliquary cupboard? Well it was that very book.

Living in the last half of the 13th Century, Jacopone, nicknamed ‘Crazy Jim’ in his day, was a Franciscan poet and song writer, who was known to break into song whenever he felt in distress or in trouble. Noted as St Philip was for his strange behaviour on occasions, we can well see how the spiritual canticles of Blessed Jacopone da Todi may have had a significant influence on him and why the singing of laude formed an essential part of those meetings in the Oratory built above the Church of San Girolamo della Carità, the beginning of the Congregation of the Oratory.

After finding that ancient book of Jacopone da Todi and the death mask of St Philip in the reliquary cupboards, I placed them on the altar of the church and sang that great hymn of praise to God, the Te Deum.

Knowing as I did that within a few days, the first of the Oratorian Fathers would be arriving, I wished to give thanks to Almighty God, knowing that it was His providence that would bring them here to this church and that St Philip would be here waiting to greet them.

Mindful though of the Vigil of Pentecost on this day’s eve, it is with one of ‘Crazy Jim’s’ spiritual canticles that I wish to bring our thoughts and devotion to a point of convergence as we prepare to receive Christ’s presence among and within us through the Sacrifice of the Mass. The canticle expresses well the ecstasy of spiritual joy in God’s presence, the same joy which St Paul and St Philip Neri manifested in their saintly lives and in the care of those to whom they were called to serve:

“O Love, divine Love, why do You lay siege to me?

In a frenzy of love for me, You find no rest.

From five sides You move against me,

Hearing, sight, taste, touch, and scent.

To come out is to be caught; I cannot hide from You.

If I come out through sight I see Love

Painted in every form and colour,

Inviting me to come to You, to dwell in You.

If I leave through the door of hearing,

What I hear points only to You, Lord;

I cannot escape Love through this gage.

If I come out through taste, every flavour proclaims:

“Love, divine Love, hungering Love!

You have caught me on Your hook, for you want to reign in me.”

If I leave through the door of scent

I sense You in all creation; You have caught me

And wounded me through that fragrance.

If I come out through the sense of touch

I find Your lineaments in every creature;

To try to flee from You is madness.

Love, I flee from You, afraid to give You my heart:

I see that You make me one with You,

I cease to be me and can no longer find myself.

If I see evil in a man or defect or temptation,

You fuse me with him, and make me suffer;

O Love without limits, who is it You love?

It is You, O Crucified Christ,

Who take possession of me,

Drawing me out of the sea to the shore;

There I suffer to see Your wounded heart.

Why did You endure the pain?

So that I might be healed.”

St Philip Neri….. Pray for us

Visitors to our church may have noticed the effects of damp in the Relic Chapel. This was caused last year when a newspaper blew into the gutter on the roof of the chapel, shortly after the annual inspection of the drains and gutters had taken place. We have now had larger, sturdier downpipes installed below the roof area, and the peeling paint on the ceiling is due to be renovated this week. So the Relic Chapel, and Our Lady of Oxford’s shrine, should be restored again to the pristine beauty in which they stood after the major restoration in 2009.

This Sunday, 14th September, is the Feast of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross. Among the treasures of our parish is a small relic of the True Cross, which will be exposed on the altar for all Masses this weekend, and presented to the faithful for veneration by the faithful after each Mass.

His Royal Highness the Duke of Cambridge today graciously visited our parish to open the new China Centre at St Hugh’s College. The Duchess of Cambridge was also due to visit, but following the announcement this morning that she is expecting a second baby, was unable to do so.

Thirty children from St Aloysius’ School, across the road from St Hugh’s, were there to greet the Duke, along with Mr Tom Walker, the Head Teacher. Five-year-old Beth Barton, a pupil at St Aloysius’, presented a posy to Prince William, along with a toy swan for Prince George.

The swan was particularly appropriate for St Hugh’s College, given that St Hugh of Lincoln is depicted (for example in the statue on our reredos) with a swan. This is the swan of Stowe, which had a deep and lasting friendship with the saint, even guarding him while he slept. The swan would follow him about, and was his constant companion while he was at Lincoln.

St Hugh also visited this place in the year 1200, when he consecrated St Giles’ Church, opposite the Oratory. St Giles’ Fair began at this time in commemoration of this visit, and it still takes place every September, shortly after the feast of St Giles on 1st September. Here is the view today in front of the Oratory:

We have our own forecourt sale to raise money for the church, which is being cheerfully manned by a team of enthusiastic volunteers:

Our Forty Hours’ Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament will take place this year from 17th-19th October, and given the current state of the world, we will offer the special intentions of Peace, and prayer in union with persecuted Christians.

The timetable will be as follows:

6pm, Friday 17th October: Mass of Exposition
11pm: Compline & Benediction (Compline sung by the Dominican Friars of Blackfriars)
Vigil before the Blessed Sacrament through the night
6am, Saturday 18th October: Low Mass (EF)
10am: Low Mass
6.30pm: Mass for Peace
12 midnight: Blessed Sacrament is reposed
11am, Sunday 19th October: Solemn Mass of the Sacred Heart
The Blessed Sacrament then remains exposed until
5pm: Solemn Vespers, Procession and Benediction.

Do put the dates in your diary now!

St Rupert brought the faith to the parts of Bavaria and Austria now known as the “Rupertiwinkel” around the year 700 A.D., and founded the Archdiocese of Salzburg. Some young parishioners have been walking with Fr Daniel along the pilgrim way of St Rupert, from Altötting to Salzburg.

We began at Altötting – a beautiful shrine of Our Lady. Here is the group admiring the ex voto plaques around the Gnadenkapelle:

An immensely popular local saint is Conrad of Parzham, over whose tomb we were able to celebrate Mass:

We were also privileged to have Mass in the Gnadenkapelle itself, where the much-venerated statue of Our Lady is surrounded by urns containing the hearts of the Kings of Bavaria:

One of the Capuchin friars gave us a special blessing before we began our walk:

From Altötting we walked to Hirten, and then on to Tittmoning, where the young Joseph Ratzinger lived as a small boy on the main square. He described Tittmoning as “my childhood’s land of dreams”.

Then we walked on to Waging, and thence to Laufen, where we crossed over the bridge into Austria. At Waldprechting, we had Mass in the ancient chapel of St Nicholas:

We walked from Seekirchen and then into Salzburg itself, where St Rupert is enshrined in the Benedictine Abbey Church of St Peter.

After Mass in the Lady Chapel at St Peter’s:

The local shrine of Our Lady in Salzburg is the magnificent church of Maria Plain, where Fr Daniel blessed our St Rupert’s pilgrim badges:

Outside Maria Plain:

The route is extremely well sign-posted, and takes the walker through a great variety of different landscapes.

St Rupert – pray for us.

Our Lourdes Group were led by Fr Dominic last week to Lourdes, where they had a devout and enjoyable time.

Some new friends:

And pushing some other friends around:

Please pray for Brother Adam Fairbairn, who was clothed in the habit of Our Holy Father St Philip this evening.

Br Adam has just completed a month’s postulancy here in Oxford. He has been working in York at St Wilfrid’s as a pastoral assistant since December. He will now return to York as the first novice of the community there, but we will still get a chance to see him as he makes regular visits to Oxford over the course of the next year.

Please remember to keep the Oratorian community in York in your prayers, and ask that God may bless both the house in Oxford and the house in York with many good vocations in the years to come.

 

The Wednesday Morning Group had an enjoyable trip this week to Fairford in Gloucestershire, to see the Church of St Mary the Virgin, which has the most complete set of pre-Reformation stained glass windows in England. The church, built in 1499, escaped the ravages of the destroyers and its windows make a beautiful meditation on the Gospels. The West window depicts the Last Judgement – Sir John Betjeman chose the lower half as his luxury item on Desert Island Discs!

Here are Adam and Eve in the Harrowing of Hell:

And here is the group by the porch of the church:

Our parish has recently hosted two retreat days for young people belonging to the Melkite Catholic parish in London. Fr Shafiq, the Parish Priest, has written to ask for our prayers for the Christians of Iraq, whose ancient churches are being destroyed, whose houses are marked for destruction, and who are being given the choice of flight or death.

Fr Shafiq writes:

“Dear brothers & sisters,

In solidarity with our suffering brothers and sisters of Mosul, the Eastern
Iraqi churches led by the Syrian Orthodox Archbishop Toma Dawood, Syrian
Catholic Monsignor Nizar Semaan, Chaldean Catholic Father Nadheer, Ancient
Church of the East Corepiscopos (Khoury) Fr Dr Khoshaba, Eastern Assyrian
Father Tony and others are joining forces together with their communities
and supporters from all parts of Britain in a demonstration in London on
Saturday 26th July.

The assembly will start at 11:30 near Parliament Square.
Then the demonstrators will move from the assembly point to stand in solidarity outside the Parliament building for a period of time followed by a march towards 10 Downing Street.
We look forward to your participation to illustrate your solidarity with the displaced and suffering Christians of Mosul and Iraq.
Please pass this on to as many people you know as possible.
The event will be covered by the media.

Please attend if you possibly can and encourage your friends and family to do same.

Abouna (Fr.) Shafiq
The Melkite parish in London

During his Sunday Angelus, Pope Francis told the persecuted Christians of Mosul that he was with them in solidarity, urged the faithful to pray for them, and appealed for aid for these people who have been “stripped of everything“.

After the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) threatened to kill them if they don’t convert to Islam or pay tax, they began implementing their threats by burning a 1,800 year old church in the city.

One small hopeful development was witnessed yesterday, however, when Baghdad Muslims reached out in solidarity to their Christian brothers and sisters, joining them at the end of Mass on Sunday for a special service in the Church of Mar Girgis. Many bore signs that read “I am an Iraqi Christian”.

The Chaldean Catholic Patriarch has issued the following message:

“To the people of conscience and good will in Iraq and the world.
To the voice of the moderates, our Muslim brothers and sisters in Iraq and the world,
To all concerned about the continuation of Iraq as a nation for all its citizens,
To all leaders, thinkers, and human rights activists,
To all defenders of the dignity of the human person and the freedom of religions,

Peace and God’s Mercy!

The takeover of the Islamist jihadists of Mosul and their announcement of an Islamic state, and after days of composure and anticipation, the situation had turned negative on the Christians of the city and surrounding areas. The first signs of this reversal were the kidnapping of the two nuns and three orphans who were released after 17 days, We were encouraged by this development and we considered it a glimmer of hope, and a breakthrough. Only to be surprised by the latest developments, the Islamic state issued a statement calling on Christians openly to convert to Islam, and either pay Jizya without specifying a ceiling, or leave their city and their homes, with their clothes only, without any luggage, and issued a “fatwa” that the homes will become the property to the Islamic state. They have marked the letter “N” on the homes of Christians for “Nazarenes”!!! As they have marked on the homes of Shiites with the letter (R) for “Rejectors”. Who knows what is holding in the coming days as the laws of the Islamic state is based on what they claim to be the Sharia law, including the redefinition of identities on the basis of religion and sectarianism.

These requirements offend Muslims and the reputation of Islam, which says “you have your religion and we have ours,” and “There is no compulsion in religion”, and it is in contradiction of a thousand and four hundred years of history and a lifetime of the Islamic world, and coexistence with different religions and different peoples, east and west, respecting their beliefs and living in fraternity. The Christians and in particular in our East, and since the advent of Islam, have shared together sweet and bitter memories, their bloods were mixed in defence of their rights and their land, and together they built, cities, civilization and heritage. It is shameful that Christians are being rejected, expelled and diminished. It is obvious that this would have disastrous consequences on the coexistence between the majority and the minorities, even among Muslims themselves, in the near and long term. Hence, Iraq is heading to a humanitarian, cultural, and historical disaster.

Therefore we call unto them, a warm, brotherly, urgent and serious call, and we appeal to our fellow Iraqis who support them to reconsider their strategy, and respect the unarmed innocent people, of all ethnicities, religions and sects. The Quran commands respect to the innocent, and does not call to seize the property of people forcibly, it calls on helping the widow, the orphan, the destitute and the defenseless, and even recommend to help the seventh neighbour. We also call on Christians in the region to adopt rationality and acumen, and calculate their options well and understand what is planned for the area, and come together in love and think through together and in solidarity to build confidence in themselves and their neighbours, gathering around their church, being patient, enduring and praying until the storm passes.”

+ Louis Raphael I Sako
Patriarch of the Chaldean Catholic Church