The Hermeneutic of Continuity

Thanks to @Londiniensis on Twitter for this wonderful link to the Curious Expeditions blog: Librophiliac Love Letter: A Compendium of Beautiful Libraries . The photo above shows the Biblioteca Geral at the University of Coimbra in Portugal. They have included the old reading room of the British Library and the Duke Humfrey’s Library, at the Bodleian (Oxford University) though they missed the Radcliffe Camera which is another world-class venue for falling asleep after a good lunch - and reading scholarly books, of course. I only have a photo of the outside. (This reminds me to add some more Oxford photos to Flickr...)

An Oxford tradition on Mayday morning is for the choir of Magdalen College to sing the Hymnus Eucharisticus from the tower of the College. Many people gathering below have been celebrating at Balls all night and are hence somewhat inebriated. They used to hire punts and listen from the river but too many people fell in and too many punts were sank so that was stopped. Then undergraduates started jumping into the river from the bridge, not realising that the river is quite shallow at that point. So the bridge was closed for May morning. I'm sure people will think of something else to do in due course. Here are the words of the hymn: Te Deum Patrem colimus, Te Laudibus prosequimus, qui corpus cibo reficis, coelesti mentem gratia. Te adoramus, O Jesu, Te, Fili unigenite, Te, qui non dedignatus es subire claustra Virginis. Actus in crucem, factus est irato Deo victima per te, Salvator unice vitae spes nobis rediit. Tibi, aeterne Spiritus cuius afflatu peperit in...

Yesterday evening the Oxford University Newman Society arranged for Pontifical High Mass at the Oxford Oratory, celebrated by Abbot Cuthbert OSB of Farnborough Abbey. (The photo is from Joseph Shaw's Flickr set .) I was Assistant Priest, which obliged me to some intensive study of Fortescue since this was the first time that I have acted in this capacity. The MC Yaqoob Bangash directed us all expertly and the choir sang Monteverdi's Mass for four voices as well as Victoria's Te Deum after Mass. It was an " Et in Arcadia Ego " evening for me since I used to attend daily Mass at St Aloysius as an undergraduate, and lived just round the corner at 14 Wellington Square. Dinner after Mass was at St Benet's Hall and I had the opportunity to meet the Master, Rev J Felix Stephens OSB, a monk of Ampleforth Abbey who was a most gracious and genial host. The Newman Society seems to be thriving and the after-dinner speeches had various arcane references to shenanigans ...

This coming Saturday, 27th February, from 3pm -4pm, pro-lifers will meet at the Church of St Anthony of Padua, Headley Way, Oxford which is right on the corner of the John Radcliffe Hospital entrance. There is Exposition inside the Church for the hour. There are then prayers along the road side of the entrance to the hospital where. Prayers will be led by Fr John Saward. Refreshments are available in the Church hall afterwards.

The Duke Humphrey Society announces that the annual Requiem Mass for Humphrey, Duke of Gloucester, will be celebrated in Blackfriars Priory Church at Oxford, on Saturday 20 February 2010 at 2pm in the Extraordinary Form of the Roman Rite. All welcome. Duke Humphrey was the youngest son of King Henry IV, brother of Henry V and uncle to Henry VI. He was a patron of learning and of the arts, he enclosed Greenwich Park, and is remembered at Oxford where the Sir Thomas Bodley restored the library founded by Duke Humphrey in 1602, and added to it, creating the beginnings of the University's Bodleian Library.

Back in June, I wrote about the establishing of St Bede's Hall at Oxford. St Bede's is an independent Catholic college which provides courses for "Study Abroad" and mature students. Today, St Bede's are delighted to announce that Cardinal Pell has become a patron of St Bede's Hall. His Eminence said: "I would be honoured to serve as an honorary patron of St. Bede's Hall... I would be delighted to assist in any way that I can and look forward to visiting St. Bede's Hall when next I am in Oxford." St Bede's already has a bi-lateral agreement with Campion College in New South Wales: today's announcement helps to further ties with Australia. The first student from Australia has arrived at St Bede's and has begun her courses with the tutors of the new academic community.

The Oxford University Newman Society blog has a report on Monday night's debate on "The role of religion in the British constitution." The key speakers were Evan Harris MP, recently honoured as "Secularist of the Year", and Bishop John Arnold, Auxiliary in Westminster. The report speaks of a civilised exchange of views: I think this is a positive thing and the Newman Society are to be congratulated on holding such a successful high-profile debate. Bishop Arnold was a year senior to me in Rome and it is good to hear news of his taking up the challenge of debating with one of our leading secularists.

Photograph by James Bradley Yesterday evening, the Abbot of Downside, Aidan Bellenger, celebrated Mass in the chapel of Corpus Christi College, Oxford, at the invitation of the Newman Society. As a former President of the Society, and a member of Corpus, I was very disappointed not to be able to take up the invitation to assist at the Mass. It is great to see photos of the chapel with its magnificent altarpiece by Rubens and the rare pre-reformation brass eagle lectern, in the context of the celebration of Mass. The Mass was celebrated in the ordinary form with Haydn's Missa in Angustiis .

The Oxford University Newman Society has a new blog which has been given some history from old reports of previous events. The Michaelmas Term programme started off with a talk by Fr Thomas Crean OP on the inconsistencies of atheism. A star event in this term's programme will be on 30 November: a symposium in which Evan Harris MP and Bishop John Arnold will debate the place of Christianity in the British Constitution.

Last week, solemn Benediction was celebrated at the Church of St Aloysius, Oxford (under the care of the Oxford Oratory) to mark the official recognition of St Bede's Hall, Oxford as a Catholic institution after Archbishop Nichols (while still Archbishop of Birmingham) signed and ratified the constitutions. St Bede's is an independent college established to provide Study Abroad students with tuition in a small and supportive institution. In the decree establishing St Bede's, Archbishop Nichols recalled that the express purpose of St Bede's was to assist the Universal Church so that "the Christian outlook should acquire a public, stable and universal influence in the whole process of the promotion of higher culture". I recently met Fr Sebastian Jones, the Chairman of the Board of Management, at a meeting of the Society of St Catherine of Siena. I was delighted to hear of the new college and I pray that it will be blessed with great success. The St Bede's Ha...

Brother Lawrence Lew OP has posted is pictures from Cardinal Pell's visit to Oxford. You can see them at the New Liturgical Movement or at the flickr set . I thought that this was a good portrait photo of His Eminence: In the meantime, Vincenzo at Sancte Pater has done his stuff and provided me with a new photo for my facebook profile:

The Oxford University Newman Society has set up the "Thomas More Lectures" on Religion in the Public Square. The inaugural lecture was given by Cardinal George Pell yesterday on " Varieties of intolerance: Religious and secular ." [ UPDATE - the lecture has now also been posted in simple html .] The lecture was given in the Divinity School of the Bodleian Library which was built in the early 15th century as a venue for theology lectures and disputations in Oxford University. Cardinal Pell examined the various ways in which secularlist legislation encroaches on the freedom of religion, drawing attention to the way in which some of the most permissive groups become repressive, despite all their rhetoric about diversity and tolerance. As a result, opposition to same-sex marriage is branded homophobic whereas christianophobic blacklisting and intimidation is passed over in silence. Concerning the Church's charitable work, the Cardinal said: The services the church ...

Last night I assisted Cardinal Pell at Vespers, sung in the Chapel of Merton College. His Eminence is at Oxford for a few days and delivered a major lecture arranged by the Oxford University Newman Society . After Vespers, there was a dinner at Keble College and I was able to catch up with many good friends. This morning was gloriously sunny and I had enough time before leaving to say some Office while walking in ChristChurch meadow before taking the train back to prepare for the weekend in the parish. There will be some more photos and a link to the Cardinal's address quite soon.

The Linacre Centre for Healthcare Ethics is arranging a conference at Oxford on "Fertility and Faith" on Saturday 21st February, starting at 10 am. The event is being held in association with the OU Newman Society, the Catholic Society and the Oxford Pro-Life Society. The venue is the Oxford University Catholic Chaplaincy (OX1 1RD). I'll be speaking at this event in the morning to give a general introduction and overview, looking especially at fertility, the basis for the Church's teaching on artificial birth control and the virtue of chastity. Anthony McCarthy will be speaking on "Marriage and Meaning", and Ira Winter will speak about practical approaches to natural fertility. There will be a panel discussion and Q&A session after lunch (see attached poster). If you are interested in finding out about the Church's teaching on fertility, infertility, marriage and love, please do come along. Email Stephen Barrie to book your free place. At the Linac...

Yesterday I travelled to my one-time home of Oxford to give the first in a series of three talks at the Oxford Oratory to mark the 40th anniversary of Humanae Vitae . The Fathers kindly invited me to join them for Oratory and Dinner beforehand. "Oratory" is a custom preserved unchanged since the time of St Philip with 20 minutes silent meditation before the Blessed Sacrament, followed by the Litany of Loreto, the Sub Tuum Praesidium and various other prayers. The community is thriving and indeed working very hard at various pastoral projects. They are also in the middle of a restoration of the area above the High Altar so there was scaffolding in the Church. I look forward to seeing the completed work. Last year, I spoke to the Newman Society in Oxford on the same subject but this was an event mainly intended for parishioners of St Aloysius. There was a good response and I was delighted to meet a number of old friends. Andrew and Dora Nash were there Dora has had two excelle...

I am very happy to pass on from Stratford Caldecott information about this important conference: Conference in Oxford on Pope Benedict XVI A landmark theological conference with Dr Scott Hahn the popular American writer and biblical scholar, which also features Dominican theologian Aidan Nichols, leading Biblical scholar Michael Waldstein, and Adrian Walker the translator of the Pope’s book on Jesus Christ, will take place at the Catholic Chaplaincy of Oxford University opposite Christ Church College on Saturday 1 November 2008 . It is organized by the Centre for Faith and Culture in Oxford, directed by Stratford Caldecott, and co-sponsored by the St Paul Center for Biblical Theology in Steubenville, Ohio. The purpose of the conference is to focus attention on the principles underlying the Pope’s ongoing reform of the reform of Catholic liturgy. The relationship between SCRIPTURE AND LITURGY underpins the Pope’s teaching on both. The Pope reminds us that ‘The privileged place for readi...

This morning's Solemn High Mass was celebrated by Fr Joseph Welch, a recently ordained priest from the Oxford Oratory. This was his first High Mass, hence the presence of an Assistant Priest in cope in addition to the Deacon (Dr Laurence Hemming) and Subdeacon (Fr Petr Gee.) Fr Emerson FSSP preached at the Mass. I have plenty more photos and will post them on to Facebook and here later. Now I have to go to Vespers where, as I discovered, I am not second but first Assistant Deacon and therefore have to pre-intone the antiphons for Bishop McMahon as well as trying to put his mitres on properly and remember to keep to his right hand side. Fr John Boyle will be taking some photos of Vespers so look out for them on his blog . Damien Thompson and Mac McLernon came for today to attend the Mass and this evening's Vespers. I'll try and get some more photos at tonight's reception before dinner.

I was hoping to post some photos that I took today but the one piece of equipment I forgot to bring was a mini-USB lead so I'll have to pick one of those up later. (Actually I also forgot to bring a cotta but Richard Luzar has kindly lent me one from his fine collection.) Above is an older photo that I have of the Merton College Chapel where the conference began with Solemn High Mass. Celebrant was Fr Anthony Conlon, Deacon was Dr Laurence Hemming, and subdeacon was Fr Andrew Wadsworth. The Schola Sainte Cecile sang Mass XI ( Stelliferi Conditor Orbis ) and the propers partly in simple Gregorian chant and partly in the wonderful faux-bourdon which is a trademark of theirs. The Latin Mass Society has not only arranged the course but have arranged provided each priest with a copy of the new Libreria Editrice Vaticana edition of the 1962 missal. The texts and chants for all the liturgical functions are printed in a hardbound book with ribbon markers, a copy being given to each prie...

Tomorrow I will be off to Oxford for the training seminar organised by the Latin Mass Society . I will be taking one of the groups of "beginners" and a group wishing to learn about the older form of the rite of Baptism. On the Tuesday afternoon, I am giving a lecture on the subject of "Implementing the Motu Proprio in the parish context". (This will be published in due course by the LMS.) Later on the Tuesday, I will be celebrating the public Mass. Although it would be quite possible to have a High Mass each day, the Masses on Tuesday and Wednesday will be Missae Cantatae in the more solemn and less solemn form so that the participants in the seminar can participate in these forms of the celebration of Mass. Although I celebrate a Missa Cantata regularly in the parish, it is a little daunting to be celebrating in the presence of the editor of the new edition of Fortescue's "Ceremonies of the Roman Rite" and several other distinguished liturgical sch...

My good friend Joseph Sowerby has been clearing out his office and found a typescript of a homily given by Fr George Pell on 27 May 1979 at the Oxford University Catholic Chaplaincy. ( Nostalgia ) I well remember the occasion - it was a scintillating sermon and those of us "on the same wavelength" as Joseph recalls, got to know him as a result. This was during Trinity Term, the term after I had served as President of the Oxford University Newman Society, which I had the great pleasure of addressing earlier this year . Joseph picks out one quotation: What I am saying is that we are in a battle situation, and that the wholesale dismantling of the Catholic tradition is pastorally disastrous. In a commonplace book which I used to keep in those days, I have just dug out an entry that I made. Referring to "The increased number of avowed atheists, the decline in Church going, baptisms and marriages in Church, the fall in vocaitons, the departure of so many priests and religious...