The Newman Society: The Oxford Catholic Society

It was good to see everyone at our final meeting of the year on Thursday. A particularly memorable and bittersweet moment for me was singing Abide with Me during Compline. Thank you for being part of the Society and we'll miss those of you that are leaving. Know of our prayers for you and your future, and that you will always be welcome to come back and visit.

- Monica, President

Happy Feast of Sts Thomas More and John Fisher, English martyrs of the Protestant Reformation!

Artwork:
“Sir Thomas More”, Hans Holbein (the Younger), c. 1527
“John Fisher”, unknown after a sketch by Hans Holbein (the Younger), c. 16th century

In 8th week, the Society will welcome Nathan and Rose Elvidge (post-graduate students of the University of Oxford) for the "St. Scholastica Symposium" to present their work. Nathan's talk is titled, "Can we prove the existence of God?", and Rose's is titled, "Consent and the Catholic view of s*x".

The evening follows the usual pattern, and we meet at the Oxford University Catholic Chaplaincy :

18.30 Rosary
19.00 Dinner
20.00 Lecture
21.00 Adoration, Benediction, Compline
21.30 Bar Opens

Happy Feast of the Immaculate Heart of Mary!

Today we celebrate the special and pure love that the Blessed Virgin has for God, and her personal holiness. Through meditating upon her heart, we seek to grow in ourselves that same kind of fervent love for God and complete virtue in all of the joys and sorrows of our lives. This devotion is strongly linked to that of yesterday's Solemnity, that of the Sacred Heart of Jesus.

Image: The statue of Pope Pius XII in Fátima, Portugal, which commemorates when he consecrated the whole world to the Immaculate Heart of Mary. This was in response to several hundred years of this devotion, which culminated in Our Lady asking for Russia and the whole world to be consecrated to her Immaculate Heart during her appearances to the shepherd children at Fátima.

Happy Solemnity of the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus!

On this day, we celebrate God's boundless and passionate love for mankind, shown through his incarnation and passion to save us from our sins. The image of the Sacred Heart; Jesus' incarnate heart enflamed with love, pierced, crowned with thorns, and with a cross coming from it; represents this divine love in a pictorial way that aids meditation on this great mystery of our faith.

Artwork: "Sacred Heart of Jesus", Pompeo Batoni, c. 1767

In 7th week, the Society will screen the film, "The Catholics" (1973). This film is a quiet, philosophical drama set in the future year of 2000 about a conflict between a traditionalist group of monks from an Irish monastery who celebrate the Tridentine Mass despite the restrictions imposed by the "fourth Vatican Council".

The evening will follow a different pattern than usual for this week. We will meet at the Oxford University Catholic Chaplaincy :

18.30 Rosary
19.00 Film Screening and food
~20.45 Simple student-led compline
The Newman bar will be opened after.

Happy Solemnity of Corpus Christi!

On this day, we celebrate in a special way the fact that Our Lord, Jesus Christ, is truly present in the Holy Eucharist in body, blood, soul, and divinity. Join us in the streets of Oxford to adore Our Lord in the Blessed Sacrament in the annual Corpus Christi Eucharistic procession! It begins this year at 3 pm at the Oxford University Catholic Chaplaincy , moving north to Blackfriars, Oxford , and finally ending at the Oxford Oratory .

Artwork: "La Bénédiction des blés en Artois", Jules Breton, c. 1857. This painting actually depicts a Eucharistic procession on a Rogation Day, one of the many days of fasting and penitence that were mandatory prior to the Second Vatican Council. One of the traditions of these days was for priests to bless crops, which is why this painting's translation is, "The Blessing of the Wheat in Artois".

In 6th week, the Society will welcome Archimandrite Shafiq Abouzayd (Melkite parish priest, faculty of Asian and Middle Eastern studies) present his talk, "The Melkite Church".

The evening follows the usual pattern, and we meet at the Oxford University Catholic Chaplaincy :

18.30 Rosary
19.00 Dinner
20.00 Lecture
21.00 Adoration, Benediction, Compline
21.30 Bar Opens

Happy Solemnity of the Most Holy Trinity!

Today we celebrate in a special way God's trinitarian nature.

Artwork: "The Heavenly and Earthly Trinities", Bartolomé Esteban Murillo, c. 1675-1682 AD

Happy Solemnity of Pentecost!
Today we remember the descent of the Holy Spirit upon the Apostles and the Blessed Virgin Mary, strengthening them to preach and spread the Gospel. According the the second chapter of the Acts of the Apostles, the text that records this event, 3,000 souls were brought into the church that day.

Artwork: "Holy Spirit", Painting by Yeinier Gonzalez (born 1989), Painted in 2022, Acrylic paint with 23K gold leaf on canvas