The Oratory is open for all of our usual public Masses. We do not require advance booking to visit the church, or to attend Mass, but we ask that you please observe the following hygiene and physical distancing measures: If you have symptoms of Covid-19, please do not come to the Oratory church. The law demands that you isolate at [...]
Cardinal Newman’s personal library situated in the Oratory House in undergoing extensive refurbishment. The library roof has become extremely unsafe and has allowed rain to leak through, causing some of the books to become damp and mouldy. Now, extensive work has begun to save this most important collection, which represents Saint John Henry’s patrimony. At present, conservators [...]
In the Bible, there is no hard and fast distinction between public worship and private prayer. In the Gospels, Our Lord, quoting the Prophet Isaiah, condemns those who honour God with their lips, but whose hearts are far from Him. In other words, engagement in external ritual without an inward dedication of heart is of no use spiritually. Equally, the [...]
This sermon was preached at the 11am High Mass on Whit Sunday. The Bible is so sparing in the incidental details that it gives of the ministry of Our Lord and the Apostles, that when such details are given you can be sure that some significance is intended. When some of those who witnessed the prodigious wonders of that [...]
This series of instructional videos is based on lessons in the Light of the World books. We hope that pupils at our primary school, the Junior Oratory and our many Catholic families will find them useful in helping them to learn more about our holy Catholic Faith. Videos 1. God 2. Our Lady 3. The Blessed Trinity 4. [...]
"…the doors were closed in the room where the disciples were, for fear…" The disciples were afraid they were going to suffer like the Master Himself had suffered, so they locked themselves away, petrified. Then miraculously, Christ stands among them, reassuring them with the breath of the Holy Spirit that He is truly risen, truly alive. In the present [...]
This sermon was preached at the solemn Mass on Easter Sunday, which can be viewed here. Towards the end of Evelyn Waugh’s novel Brideshead Revisited, there’s a scene where Cordelia describes the deconsecration of the Marchmain family chapel. Having removed the Blessed Sacrament and the altar stone, the priest: … emptied the holy-water stoup and blew out the lamp in [...]
Dear Parishioners and Friends, We hope that you are all in good health and virus-free! It pains us that, for the first time since the foundation of the Oratory here in Birmingham, we are not able to celebrate the ceremonies of Holy Week together. As we all know, participating in the Sacred Triduum is a great source of spiritual renewal [...]
The Fathers and Brothers of the Oratory are praying for all parishioners and worshippers at the Oratory, especially this Holy Week. Let us not forget those who are suffering the most at this time, those who have lost loved ones, and those who work in frontline positions. Whilst on 'lockdown', let us take the opportunity to sanctify our homes, [...]
When we are unable to receive Holy Communion sacramentally, we may still make an act of Spiritual Communion. Saint Thomas describes this as 'an ardent desire to receive Jesus in the Holy Sacrament, and a loving embrace as though we had already received Him.' The prayers given below are one way of expressing this desire. The Confiteor I [...]