The new statue of St Anthony arrived last week, and is in place in church, veiled and waiting to be revealed tomorrow in time for his feast on Friday.
After the 6pm Mass tomorrow evening, the statue will be unveiled and blessed. The new statue replaces the one that was burnt down accidentally by a fire last October.
We made this booklet for the celebrant to use in the Lady Chapel after Benediction of the Blessed Sacrament on Sunday, and now make it available to share with other priests who might find it helpful. It contains the Prayer for England and the four seasonal antiphons to Our Lady with versicles, responses and collects fully notated for singing.
It is available to buy from Lulu.
Our other books can be seen in the Publications section of the website.
It was a great joy to have the Right Reverend Bishop Robert Byrne, Cong. Orat. celebrate and preach for his first St Philip’s Day as a bishop.
We were also honoured by the presence of the Bishop of Northampton, the Right Reverend Peter Doyle.
The first reading:
The second reading:
The Gospel:
The sermon:
The Creed:
The offertory:
The Canon of the Mass:
The chalice used for St Philip’s Day comes originally from the Chiesa Nuova. Every year on 26th May, the Mayor of Rome presents the Roman Oratory with a chalice in honour of St Philip.
Hartwell de la Garde Grissell acquired this one in the nineteenth century. How? This print may give a clue!
The final blessing:
Our Lady was crowned, banners were carried, and the participants of the Children’s Liturgy scattered petals during the May Procession at the 9.30 Mass yesterday.
It was the warmest day of the year so far for the May Procession in honour of Our Lady at St Aloysius’ School. We began in the school hall, singing “Bring flowers of the rarest”, while a girl who will make her First Holy Communion this year crowned the statue.
Our Lady’s statue had been made by some of the children. We then processed along the Woodstock Road, scattering petals; then back into the playground and past the Lourdes Grotto, singing the Lourdes hymn. We finished outside with a decade of the Rosary.
This Sunday there will be a May procession at the 9.30 Mass.
The novena in preparation for St Philip’s Day begins today: at 6.30pm on Monday-Friday, and at 6pm on Saturday & Sunday.
Our congratulations and prayers for Bishop Robert Byrne of the Oratory, consecrated bishop yesterday to serve as an auxiliary bishop in Birmingham. Here he can be seen blessing the congregation following the Mass yesterday, wearing the chasuble Pope Benedict wore at the Beatification Mass in 2010 when he beatified John Henry Cardinal Newman.
Fr Robert lies prostrate during the Litany of the Saints:
The laying on of hands:
The Book of the Gospels is held over Fr Robert’s head during the prayer of consecration:
Archbishop Longley anoints the new bishop with chrism:
He is given the episcopal ring:
The giving of the mitre:
The new Bishop is enthroned:
Bishop Byrne at Oscott with Fr Felix Selden, Delegate of the Holy See, and Fr Mario Aviles, Procurator General:
Last night a vigil service on the eve of Fr Robert’s episcopal ordination was held at the Birmingham Oratory.
Oratorians were present from Birmingham, Oxford, Manchester, York, Philadelphia, Pharr (Texas), Washington D.C., Vienna, Genoa, Mondovi, and Barcelona-Gracia, including the Delegate of the Holy See and the Procurator General.
After the Archbishop’s homily, Fr Robert took the oath of fidelity and made the Profession of Faith.
His Grace the Archbishop then blessed the rings, crosier, pectoral crosses and mitre that the new bishop will use.
The Blessed Sacrament was then exposed and Eucharistic Benediction was given.
Here is a photograph of all the Oratorians present:
After parishioners generously contributed to buying a crosier for Fr Robert, ahead of his episcopal consecration this Tuesday, he was presented with it in the Parish Centre after the High Mass on Sunday.