Oxford Oratory

Here are some pictures from the Oxford Oratory, the place we are taking classes at while in Oxford.

Black Friars

Dr. Don Briel, the director of the Catholic Studies program at the University of St. Thomas, began his lectures on Cardinal Newman's theological works to us yesterday, and he has continued them today. We've been learning about some of his more important works and seeing how we can apply them to our present age.

During our lunch break today, a few of us went to the Dominican house of studies near Oxford for midday prayer with the black friars. As we were heading out of the chapel, an elderly friar came over and offered to give us a tour of their friary. This community of friars is doing extremely well in producing young vocations, and they are doing great work on many college campuses around England and Scotland.

Brother Matthew, a young Dominican in studies at Oxford, gave us a really cool tidbit of literary trivia. The stations of the cross statues are unique in that they portray the Roman soldiers and Pontius Pilate as demons. Well, J.R.R. Tolkien would attend Mass with the Dominicans on a regular basis, so he would see these particular stations of the cross statues quite a bit. So when he was writing The Lord of the Rings, he created the Orcs based upon these statues. So that's pretty neat.

Oxford

We left the hustle and bustle of London and have arrived in the university town of Oxford. It has been a nice change pace so far. We took a walking tour of the town, specifically focusing on the sites associated with Bl. John Henry Newman. It was great to reflect on the fact that a future saint of the church walked down the very same cobblestone roads that we walked on and saw the same sites of the town that we saw today. The first picture is of a bust of Cardinal Newman at Trinity College where he did his undergraduate work. The next picture is that of the chapel at Trinity where Newman would have worshipped as an Anglican. The last picture is that of St. Mary's, where Newman was assigned to when he was an Anglican priest.

More pictures of our trip to England

From our stops at Westminster Cathedral and abbey. St Patrick's Catholic Church and the British parliament

The Two Westminsters

Yesterday we had the great opportunity to visit the two Westminsters, just 10 minutes apart by foot. The first one was Westminster Cathedral, the mother church for the Catholic world in England. The second was Westminster Abbey, the domestic church of the royal family. The abbey is the place where the royal coronations and the majority of the royal weddings take place. We are all still trying to digest the thoughts that ran through our minds after experiencing these two places.

The rector of the cathedral gave us a brief tour. During the tour, he said the main reason for this church's existence is to provide an opportunity for people to go to the sacrament of confession and to spend time before the Blessed Sacrament. The overall mission was focused on the spiritual welfare of its visitors.

The canon of the abbey gave us an extended tour of the abbey where we saw many historical artifacts and tombs of kings and queens. At one point, I happened to look down to see that I was standing on Sir Isaac Newton's tomb! We participated in Evensong before heading out.

It was not difficult to notice the contrast between these two churches. One seemed to be focused on prayer and the sacraments while the other one felt more like a museum at times. Nevertheless, the day reminded us that the true mission of the church is the glory of God and salvation of souls.

Pub life

There is nothing better than getting back from a long day of walking around London and being able to relax at the local pub. It is even better when the local pub is located on church grounds! It is part of the culture here to find pubs associated with churches. Just imagine having a pub where the parishioners gather in community in the same exact building as the parish offices and classrooms. Many of us were thinking how great it would be if American parishes had this!

Giovanni is the local bartender and being the good European he is, he's been giving us a hard time saying that European football is superior to American football.

The Jewels of England

After waiting 45 minutes to see the treasures of England, all we are presented with is an assortment of shiny stones in a latticework of silver.

Upon leaving the hall we are give a chance for a real jewel.  In the basement of the chapel, behind a uulocked door we find the true crown in the Tower.

We are granted three minutes at the tomb of St. Thomas More a pause for reflection in a tourists schedule, a vision for a life of integrity. -Grant Lacey.