The Newman Society: The Oxford Catholic Society

01/10/2026

Happy Feast of St. Thérèse de Lisieux!

St Thérèse of the Child Jesus and the Holy Face was a Discalced Carmelite nun in Lisieux who lived in the late 19th century and died of tuberculosis at the young age of 24 . She is one of the five daughters of Ss. Louie and Azélie-Marie Martin who survived to adulthood, all of whom became nuns. She is well-known for her autobiography ("The Story of a Soul") and her theology of "the Little Way", which describes how people don't need to do great things to become saints, but can also simply do small things greatly. She was canonised in 1925 and promoted to a doctor of the church in 1997.

St. Thérèse de L'Enfant-Jésus et de la Sainte Face, priez pour nous!

29/09/2026

Happy Michaelmas!

Today we celebrate the feast day of Ss Michael, Gabriel, Raphael. This day is also the namesake of the first term of the academic year in the University of Oxford.

Artwork: "St. Michael Vanquishing Satan", Raphael, c. 1518

15/09/2026

We’re happy to report that we had a great turn out of Newman Society members at the recent March for Life!

14/09/2026

14/09/2026

On Saturday, Fr Rupert led a Men’s Oratory trip to the grave of Hartwell de la Garde Grissell in Mickleham.

Grissell was one of our greatest benefactors: he left the entire Relic Chapel and its contents to our church in his will! He served as papal chamberlain to three popes, and was one of the founders of the Oxford University Newman Society.

O God, giver of pardon and loving author of our salvation, grant, we pray you, in your mercy, that, through the intercession of Blessed Mary, ever-Virgin, and all your Saints, the benefactors of our community, who have passed from this world, may attain a share in eternal happiness. Through Christ our Lord. Amen.

08/09/2026

Congratulations to Fr Giovanni Castellano OP, a friend of the Society, on his ordination to the Holy Priesthood!

04/09/2026

Meet us at the March for Life UK tomorrow, starting with Mass in Westminster Cathedral at 10:30!

Send a dm to join our group chat, or look for our sign!

28/08/2026

Happy Feast of St. Augustine of Hippo!

This Church Father and Doctor of the Church was the son of St. Monica (whose feast day was yesterday) and the Bishop of Hippo Regius, in modern day Algeria. He is one of the most influential philosophers and theologians in the Western world, and his rule of life inspired the Augustinian Order's creation of which our Holy Father, Pope Leo XIV, is a member. He was born in 354 AD to Berber parents - a Christian mother and a pagan father. Despite his mother's influence, he lived a life of hedonism and sexual immorality in his youth while studying, practising, and teaching rhetoric. As he learned about various philosophies he eventually became a Manichaean, but meeting St Ambrose of Milan and hearing about the life of St Anthony of the Desert eventually led him to convert to Christianity. This was the answer to his mother's 17 years of tearful prayer. Despite having a child out of wedlock and multiple prior sexual relationships with women, St Augustine of Hippo lived a holy, monastic life of prayer and penance after his conversion, eventually becoming a priest and then a bishop.

St. Augustine, pray for us!

Artwork: “Saint Augustin” by Philippe de Champaigne, c. 1645

27/08/2026

Happy Feast of St. Monica!

Read more about her life here: https://ascensionpress.com/blogs/articles/st-monica-and-the-fruitful-tears-of-a-mother?srsltid=AfmBOorjW-bIrfe9n9E0uq1XPICK3LHwTp-l97LtAXJHXv674_LLeBVA

O God, mercy for those who trust in you. You granted your servant Monica the invaluable gift of reconciling souls with You and one another. With her life, her prayers and her tears she took her husband Patricius and her son Augustine to You. In her we praise You for Your gifts, and by her intercession give us Your Grace.

O Saint Monica, who spiritually nourished your son as you saw him becoming estranged from God, pray for our families, for young people and for those far from the path of sanctity. Obtain for us fidelity to God, perseverance in longing for Heaven and the capacity to lead to the Lord those He puts under our care.

Amen.

Art: Ary Scheffer, oil on canvas, 1846