Two Professions and a Jubilee

Over the last week the Province of England has had much to celebrate. On the 22nd of September, fr. Robert Verrill made solemn profession at Blackfriars, Oxford. In his homily the provincial, fresh from the General Chapter in Rome, reminded Robert and all present that making profession was an act of freedom, a response to the call of Christ, and a blossoming of our baptismal promises. It was a truly joyful day for the order and family and friends of fr. Robert.

On Saturday at Blackfriars, Cambridge, fr. Andrew Brookes made simple profession for three years.

On Monday 27th September fr. Richard Conrad, the Vice-Regent, celebrated his silver jubilee of ordination with Father Robert Letellier. The jubilee Mass allowed the community and the many friends of Frs. Richard and Robert to give thanks to God for their 25 years of service and to wish them many more fruitful years.

A-Z of the Mass: Year, Liturgical

Just as the world has the natural cycle of the seasons throughout the year, so the Church also celebrates with quiet, deliberate rhythm the seasons of the liturgical year. Unlike the endless cycle of pagans, the Church's year regards time as linear. It has a beginning and will have an end. Whilst we may represent the calendar as a circle, it is better to think of it as a spiral. The passing hours allow us time to meditate on sacred things as we await the return of the Lord. Throughout the year our minds are raised to the sacred mysteries through the tones of the Church's liturgy, the seasonal changes and the decor of our sacred places

The focus is the year is Christ and the salvation he brings. Therefore the year begins with the season of Advent, a season where we remember the world's waiting for a saviour. This is a penitential season, reflecting the fallen pre-incarnation world. The liturgical colour is violet and the Gloria is omitted from the Mass. During this period we ourselves prepare to receive Christ and look towards His second coming. During Christmastide we rejoice in the Word made Flesh. The penitential seasons of Lent and Passiontide turn our minds to the Cross. Again the liturgical colour is violet, the Gloria is omitted and now even the joyful acclamation of 'Alleluia' is silenced.

The Easter Triduum is the most sacred period in the Church's year. Beginning with the celebration of the Lord's Supper and the institution of the Eucharist, the Church is then physically stripped of all decoration and the Blessed Sacrament is removed, as we begin to follow Jesus to Calvary. No Mass is celebrated on Good Friday or Holy Saturday as we commemorate the death of the Lord and await his resurrection.

The Easter Vigil is a liturgical explosion as we celebrate the resurrection. As the Gloria resounds, the darkness of the Church is expelled, the veils removed and the bells ring to herald Christ's victory over death and sin.

We of course celebrate the other mysteries of our faith throughout the year: the Ascension and Pentecost; the Immaculate Conception and Assumption of Mary; and all the Church's feasts, but we must remember that our celebrations are not dry commemorations. The liturgical year allows us to celebrate and understand more fully the entire mystery of Jesus Christ, from his incarnation and birth until his ascension, the sending of the Holy Spirit, and the expectation of his return in glory. During the course of a year, the paschal mystery of Jesus — his passion and death, his resurrection and ascension, his sitting at the right hand of the Father and sending of the Spirit with the Father — is viewed from different angles, in different lights.All these moments make up one unified mystery which cannot be divided.

A-Z of the Mass: Exit

Following the Prayer after Communion and the blessing, we come to the dismissal, which is given by the deacon or, in his absence, by the priest. The familiar Latin dismissal Ite Missa Est to which the people respond Deo Gratias, ‘thanks be to God’, is an ancient formula. The exact translation is often disputed because of the significance the word missa came to have as the technical name of the Eucharistic Liturgy in the Roman Rite. If, however, we interpret missa as dismissal, we end with something akin to ‘Go, it is the dismissal’. When Mass is celebrated in the vernacular there are a number of options available but what is perhaps more interesting is what the dismissal has come to signify, what it really means to those present.

Many have come to regard dismissal as implying mission, as not simply an ending but a starting point. As such, we should be struck by the power of this instruction as we are duly sent forth, as disciples of Christ, to bear witness to the faith in the wider world, to share the gifts and blessings which have been bestowed upon us in the Mass, and in doing so to draw others to the truth of the faith. We are, all of us, called to share in this mission, in many and various ways under the guidance of the Holy Spirit. In this way the Mass can, for each of us, mark a new departure where public worship leads definitively into Christian mission as we seek to live out our faith in our homes, workplaces and communities, and encourage others to do the same.

Tagged - Dominicans Spotted at Papal Events

In Birmingham on Sunday 19th September ...

Brother Oliver, freshly clothed novice, and Robert Verrill OP from Oxford

Brother Matthew, another freshly clothed novice, and Robert Verrill OP waving his own flag

Nicholas Crowe OP from Oxford and Brother Matthew

Leon Pereira OP, Prior of Holy Cross, Leicester, gives a wave, and Peter Hunter OP, of the same community, a characteristic smile

Brother Oliver ponders the scene ...

At St Mary's University College on Friday 17th September ...

Vivian Boland OP of the Oxford community with Sr Patricia, a Sister of Providence who works in the parish of St Dominic, Haverstock Hill. Behind is the College Chapel (modeled on the cathedral at Albi) where the Pope met representatives of religious involved in education

The mosaic given by the Pope to St Mary's in gratitude for their hosting the events of Friday morning

In Hyde Park on Saturday 18th September ...

Sr Hyacinthe OP from the community of St Joseph near Lymington

If you have other photographs of Dominicans at these events that you would like to share we would be interested in seeing them. See also the posts below from the days of the papal visit.

A - Z of the Mass: Wine and Wafer

In understanding the Eucharist, it is important to appreciate the difference between signs and symbols. When we see a road sign giving directions to a particular place, the fact that the sign might be green, metallic and rectangular doesn't tell us anything about the place it points to. A symbol also signifies something, but in contrast to a pure sign, the form of the symbol is crucial. The wine and wafer used in the celebration of the Eucharist are deeply symbolic and so it is very worthwhile to meditate on why Christ comes to us under these appearances.

To begin with, there are many references in the Old Testament. The fact that Jesus used bread and wine in the institution of the Eucharist is reminiscent of the bread and wine offering of Melchizedek in the book of Genesis; Jesus is the one spoken of in Psalm 109, You are a priest forever, a priest like Melchizedek of old. In the book of Exodus the Israelites ate bread at the Passover on the night before they were liberated and they were sustained with bread from heaven in the desert. Another reference is given in Leviticus 23, where the Israelites are commanded to offer the first fruits of bread and wine once they have entered the promised land.

In the New Testament, apart from the institution of the Eucharist itself, there are also many other references to bread and wine. In Jesus' first miracle he brings festive joy to a wedding by turning water into wine. In the desert he feeds the multitudes with bread saying, I have compassion on the crowd, because they have been with me now three days, and have nothing to eat; and I am unwilling to send them away hungry, lest they faint on the way (Matt: 15:32). In the Lord's Prayer, bread is spoken of as our most basic human need. Jesus' teaching also suggests how bread and wine point to his Passion: Unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it remains alone; but if it dies, it bears much fruit (John 12:24). He also talks of himself as the true vine saying, every branch that does bear fruit he prunes, that it may bear more fruit (John 15:2).

Through the ages the Church has continued to reflect on the significance of bread and wine. The bread and wine are symbols of unity. Many grains go to make the one bread, and many grapes go to make the one cup. Bread and wine also result from a synthesis of gifts - the fertile ground below, and the sun and rain from above, and just as we have a part to play in the making of bread and wine, we play a part in forming the body of Christ, the true vine.

As bodily creatures, we need to use our senses in order for the transcendent mystery of the Divine life to be accessible to us. There is a distance between the symbol of bread and wine and the reality they symbolize – what looks like bread is not bread, what tastes like wine is not wine – but through the words and gestures of the Mass, these symbols transcend themselves and communicate the reality to us that God loves us, He nourishes us, transforms us, and makes us one with Him.

XIII Dominican Family Study Week in Dubrovnik

At the beginning of September, friars and sisters in formation from across Europe gathered in the city of Dubrovnik for the annual Dominican Family Study Week. This year the theme, echoing the Order's Jubilee preparation meditation, was "And how are they to preach unless they are sent?" (Rom 10, 15): the Mission of Preaching. Brothers Mark and Nicholas, students from Blackfriars, Oxford, made the journey to the 'Jewel of the Adriatic' accompanied by fr Richard Ounsworth, who was one of the week's lecturers.

In the historic Dominican priory in the city, brothers from Croatia, Bosnia, England, Ireland, Germany, Spain, Slovakia and Latvia quickly got to know each other and a great spirit of fraternity was evident from the start. The official languages of the week were Croatian, English, and German, with Latin for the liturgies. After a day for the brothers and sisters to get acquainted, we got done to business.

Father Alojz Ćubelić opened the week with a short lecture entitled ''how can they preach unless they are sent''. It was pointed out that our founder followed the evangelical ideals of unity and love that aimed at the reconstruction of Christian society. Fr Richard followed with a lecture examining the role and nature of prophets in the Old Testament and how the prophetic mission was entrusted to all Christians. He highlighted that Dominicans have an essential duty to respond to this call and preach the heavenly future that God has prepared for the world. This was followed by a lecture entitled "Bartolomé de Las Casas - the preacher of tolerance'' given by fr Thomas Eggensperger, of the Province of Teutonia. As the Order celebrates the 500th anniversary of its mission to the Americas this was a timely and relevant subject.

The following day fr Thomas commented on a document of the General Chapter of the Order of Preachers from Avila 1986. The document identified five frontiers in our preaching. In his lecture fr Thomas explored how these frontiers had shifted since the publication of the document. On Wednesday morning fr Richard delivered a lecture exploring the Christological call of the preacher. The final two lectures were give by fr Joseph Kavanagh of the Irish Province. In his first lecture he tried to look at St Dominic from today's perspective and then at today's preaching from the perspective of St Dominic. He explored the challenges facing the preaching of the Gospel today and especially highlighted the child abuse crisis. In his second lecture fr Joseph talked about how hope has to be at the centre of our preaching and work. He used the example of the Priory Institute in Tallaght, outside Dublin, as a concrete example of this.

The subject matter of all the lectures was very well received and the discussions that followed them were not only fruitful but demonstrated the diversity and similarities within the international Order, especially in Europe. Of course we were not confined to the lecture theatre and there was much opportunity to explore the wonderful city and take some time to enjoy the beaches. We also had the chance to visit the island of Lopud where a Dominican church still serves the local people.

The study week provided an occasion for the Dominican Family to come together and take stock of our common mission to preach the Gospel. It allowed us to ask not only how we preach but why we preach. Despite differences in language, culture, nationality, and background, one could not help but notice the unity and fraternity of the participants and their dedication to their common goal 'to bless, to praise, and to preach'.

The Beatification – A Pilgrim's Perspective

The day John Henry Newman was beatified started with a rather penitential feel. Br Nicholas and I were due to catch a bus at 3.15am from St Gregory's Church which meant setting off at 2.30am on the 2 mile walk from the priory. The weather forecast predicted heavy rain, so we were prepared for the worst. When we arrived at Cofton Park, it was still quite dark but thousands of people were there already, some of whom had had much earlier starts than us.

Seeing the huge lit up sanctuary in the distance helped to give a sense of the scale of the event. We managed to meet up with our two new novices, Oliver and Matthew, who had pitched up a spot with a good view. When it was light enough to see easily, we prayed the morning office which seemed to attract a surprising amount of attention from passers-by.

At 8.10am we took part in the morning worship program which was broadcast live on Radio 4. Despite the rain, there was a cheerful mood and it helped in the gradual build-up of anticipation for the Pope's arrival. I think I might have caused a bit of bad PR for the Dominicans by inadvertently blocking the view of the people behind me with my big black and white umbrella, so I hope I didn't upset too many people.

By the time the concelebrating priests processed in, the weather had brightened up. There were a number of Dominicans in the procession from the London and Leicester priories.

The excitement continued to build-up with cheers as the helicopter came in to land and more cheers a few minutes later when the first clear pictures of the Pope could be seen on the large screens.


Once the Mass started, the noise of the crowd quietened to a whisper and I got a sense of the reverence people were showing for the occasion. The excellent music from the choir very much helped to set the atmosphere. Immediately after Pope Benedict concluded the prayer of beatification of John Henry Newman, there were loud cheers and applause.

As we'd been used to over the last few days, Pope Benedict gave another excellent sermon. He emphasized the teaching of Blessed John Henry Newman on prayer, how his motto “heart speaks unto heart” expresses the deep human longing to enter into communion with the heart of God, how faithfulness to prayer transforms us into the Divine likeness, how each of us has a unique mission which forms a part of God's Divine plan. Pope Benedict also spoke on Blessed John Henry's insights on the relationship between faith and reason, how this relationship forms the foundation of every flourishing educational environment. The way Pope Benedict talked of this endeavour in no way made the intellectual life of the Church sound exclusive, cold or cerebral, but made it sound like an essential part of a Church filled with God's grace, how a thinking faith goes hand in hand with a loving faith. The Pope was keen to emphasize Blessed John Henry's care for the poor, the bereaved and those in prison. So it was very clear that John Henry Newman is truly worthy to be counted among the blessed.



After the Mass I had a wander around the park and bumped into an EWTN crew who wanted to interview me. I was caught a bit off guard so I didn't speak particularly coherently, but it got me thinking about what the day's event meant for me. On reflection, I think I would say sometimes I'm tempted to believe that we live in a very godless age, but the day was a reminder that this is not true. I am living in Oxford, a city in which Newman spent a number of years of his life. I see the same sights as he saw and walk the same streets. No doubt there have been many other people who have walked these streets and lived quiet holy lives, even though they will never receive the attention that Blessed John Henry Newman has. We still live in a country in which it is possible to grow in holiness and to become blessed.

Pope Benedict In Birmingham

The Pontiff's final day in Britain began with a farewell to the Apostolic Nunciature. He then made his way to Wimbledon Park and an awaiting helicopter to be whisked away to Birmingham to celebrate a Mass of Beatification for John Henry Cardinal Newman. The Pope arrived to a 50,000 strong crowd at Cofton Park. At the beginning of his homily the Holy Father acknowledged the commemoration of the seventieth anniversary of the Battle of Britain, praising the sacrifice offered in "courageously resisting the forces of that evil ideology". He then turned to the life and example of Cardinal Newman and expressed his joy in formally raising him to the altars.

The Pope praised Newman's dedication to prayer and stressed how this fueled his mission as an intellectual, teacher and priest. The Holy Father called on all to follow Newman's example of charity and to answer the call to holiness. The full text of the Pope's homily may be found here.

After Mass, the Pope made a private visit to the Oratory of St Philip Neri in Edgbaston, Blessed John Henry Newman's home for so many years. He then had lunch with the Bishops of Scotland, England and Wales at Oscott College and addressed them afterwards. He also met with English and Welsh seminarians studying for the priesthood. In the late afternoon he was driven to Birmingham Airport where the Prime Minister thanked him for challenging Britain to sit up and think, not only about the role of Christianity in society but about the values on which we base our culture. In his farewell address the Pope praised the diversity of Britain and thanked Her Majesty, the Queen and her government for their hospitality. He expressed his joy at the welcome he received from the Catholic community and concluded by wishing goodwill and the blessing of God upon the people of Britain.

Blessed John Henry Newman

pray for us

The Pope in London: A View from the Ground

After the successful Scottish leg of the Papal visit, Londoners had a lot to live up to. The Pope's first day in the capital was certainly more focused on the State elements of this historic visit. Nevertheless the streets of London were full of pilgrims and gold and white certainly were evident throughout Westminster.

The Pope's second day in London had a more pastoral tone. The main pilgrim event was at Hyde Park, right in the heart of the big smoke. The Prayer Vigil on the eve of the beatification of Cardinal Newman was not only historic for its magnitude but also because a special act was passed to allow a religious event in the park.

The young teens group from Blackfriars, B.L.E.A.T, decided to join the thousands descending upon London to pray with the Holy Father. We gathered after Midday Prayer and made the short journey to the bus station to catch the Oxford Tube to Marble Arch. We arrived in good time and the shockingly pink wristbands were eventually distributed amongst the excited and energetic teens. We joined the sea of banners and pilgrims and made our way to the venue in Hyde Park.

When we arrived the ground was filling up nicely. Wanting to get a good view we decided to try and get as close as possible . The group decided that I would be best to lead us into the dense crowd. Combining my rusty skills as a prop-forward and seasoned festival goer, I led the convoy of Blackfriars' pilgrims to a nice little patch, about three bodies deep. Just right for some of our shorter members.

As we arrived representatives of Catholic parishes, schools, organisations and religious orders (including St. Dominic's, London) were processing with banners to meet the assembled bishops. Seeing such a vast and varied collection of institutions was a snapshot of the work of the Church in this country and of the number of Catholics who serve their communities and the nation in so many organisations as well as in the police service and the military.

This visual treat was followed by testimonies from individuals, both Catholic and non-Catholic, whose lives had been touched for good by the Church: we heard from an asylum-seeker who had been supported by her parish community; a young-man who had volunteered in a Church aid-programme in Burma; and a former homeless drug addict who had found support in the Cardinal Hume Centre. We also heard from the parents of the murdered teenager Jimmy Mizen. In a heart-breaking and inspirational testimony they recounted their tragedy and how their faith had helped them through this event and to forgive the murderer of their son.

The air was electric as the crowd awaited the Holy Father. The tension was broken when the first images of the popemobile appeared on the big screen. The crowd joined in with the performance of Handel's Hallelujah Chorus and with perfect timing the gate flew open and the familiar white car appeared. The joy and the excitement that greeted the Pope was immense. It really was like a mega-concert.

The atmosphere changed however as the liturgy began. The crowd listened to a the readings and the Gospel in a dignified fashion. The Holy Father was greeted once again with a great roar as he began to address the crowd. He reflected on the conversion of Cardinal Newman. He pointed out that this was more than just an intellectual conversion, it was a genuine and living conversion that sought a relationship with Truth. The Holy Father reminded the gathering that less than a mile away at Tyburn many Catholics had given their lives for Truth. With these two great examples of witness the Pope called on all Christians not to relegate their faith to the private sphere but to remember that "each of us is called to change the world, to work for a culture of life, a culture forged by love and respect for the dignity of each human person". This was met with a great sign of approval from the crowd and the Holy Father acknowledged this warmth and joy. He called on the young people present to be open to the voice of Jesus by giving themselves totally to the Lord. He said, citing Cardinal Newman, that this voice will allow us to determine the "definite service" that God has planned for each of us. The Holy Father proceeded to invite the young people present to World Youth Day in Madrid next year. This was once again met with cheers of approval.

As the Blessed Sacrament was brought to the altar, a reverent hush descended amongst the crowd and those who could, knelt. It was amazing to witness this lively and excited crowd adore the Lord prayerfully and peacefully for a few minutes. A Litany of the Sacred Heart was recited and Tantum Ergo (composed of course by our own St Thomas Aquinas) sung with gusto and reverence. The crowd quickly exploded into cheers and chants again as the Holy Father and the bishops departed.

This event truly touched me. It showed the variety and size of the Church but also its unity. First in the cohesion that the Successor of St. Peter brings but more importantly in our shared devotion to the Blessed Sacrament. We are the Body of Christ united through His Body. It feeds our spirits; it gives us the strength to go out into the world to proclaim Him and to share His good news. It reminded me that we are not alone: Christ is with us always. We also have each other, and the gift of friendship, as strong as can be when that friendship is founded on our shared faith in, and love for, Christ.