Please support Godzdogz!

Godzdogz needs your support! Click on the picture or the link below to find out more...

We're trying to raise funds to build a new website for all the online apostolates of the Dominican Friars in the UK. This will bring together original homilies, talks and other materials on the Catholic faith in the form of inspiring texts and videos, within an attractively designed new website suitable for viewing on desktops, tablets and smartphones.

Godzdogz – along with Torch, the preaching site of Dominican priests – will still exist as a distinct area within the new site, but with a shared navigation, and our readers and followers will have the option of discovering new material.

Being in a single site will also give us a higher profile on the web, meaning a higher search engine ranking, so more people will be able to come and discover our preaching. And with social media sharing fully integrated into the site, friends of our readers and followers will be able to discover this preaching for the first time.

Just think what this could mean – more people will hear the Word of God, and so more people will be able to hear the call of Jesus Christ. 

Could you be a part of this? In just a few weeks' time, will you be able to look at the new site and say, "I helped to build that!"

Please donate today, and help us bear the costs of this important new phase in our online mission. Thank you!

https://www.justgiving.com/dominicans-online-mission

The Sun came out for the Blackfriars Spring Fair

After a week of miserable weather, the Sun made an appearance in Oxford just in time for our annual Spring Fair on the Feast of the Ascension, last Sunday. 

Laughter and merriment echoed around the Priory as our 9.30am Congregation (Family Mass) got into the spirit of the occasion: there were children on the bouncy-castle, mums in the refectory café, dads on the games stalls.....

.... and Friars in the car?!

The event was thoroughly enjoyed by all, and what's more we raised £758.60 for the Blackfriars Fabric Fund. Thanks to everyone who helped out and took part!

God Matters? Tricky Teachings and Difficult Doctrines

Following the success of last year's series, the God Matters free talks are back! This year, the focus will be on Tricky Teachings and Difficult Doctrines. The talks are an opportunity for all people – Catholics, other Christians, people of other religions or none – to understand Catholicism better and to discuss these contentious topics in a free and open way. We want to reach as wide an audience as possible, so if you are thinking of coming, please bring a friend along with you!

Details are on the poster above, which you are encouraged to distribute as widely as possible. In brief, the talks will be at Blackfriars, Oxford, on consecutive Tuesdays from 11th February to 18th March, 8pm-9.30pm. The format will be the same as last year: a short talk by a Dominican friar or sister, time for refreshments and informal discussion, then a question and answer session with the speaker. And it's all free!

The topics include the doctrines of Heaven, Hell and Purgatory; bioethical issues about life and death; the role of women in the Church; the Virgin Mary; and the subject of sex and marriage. But these topics will surely raise other questions, too, and that is why there will be a wide-ranging panel discussion in the final Q&A session. If you have a burning question to ask, please send it in to the God Matters address: godmatters@english.op.org

If you cannot easily make it to Oxford, rest assured that the talks will be videoed and put online (watch this space!). The discussions and QA sessions, however, will not be recorded. So do come along in person if you are able. And bring a friend!

Interview with Fr Haavar Simon Nilsen OP in Oslo

Br Haavar's graduation in Oxford

Fr Haavar Simon Nilsen OP is a Norwegian Dominican who was ordained priest in Oslo fifteen months ago, having begun his formation in France and completed a Master's in Theology at Oxford University. So, for two years, Fr Haavar was a student brother at Blackfriars, Oxford, and a member of the Godzdogz Team; in his second year, he also served in the role of deacon. Godzdogz caught up with him to find out how he has found the first year of his priestly ministry, in a country that offers many opportunities for Christian witness and evangelisation. 

INTERVIEW WITH FR HAAVAR SIMON NILSEN OP

You were ordained priest at St Dominikus church, Oslo, on 20 October 2012, having finished your Master's in Theology at Blackfriars, Oxford. Could you describe the community at the Oslo priory: how many brothers, what your mission involves, the physical environment? 

We are seven brothers in the community in Oslo, including one Finnish student brother doing his Master's in Oslo this year. The average age is somewhat elevated, but this does not prevent the priory from having a very stable prayer- and liturgical life celebrated with dignity and supported by the faithful. When the French Dominicans re-established the Order in Norway in 1920, after 400 years of absence after the Reformation, they were thinking in the long-term. They bought a house at the west side of Oslo, and built a church in neo-classical Roman style, with about 200 seats. Forty years later, work began on new buildings, and today it is a proper priory with ten cells, a small lecture hall and a nice garden.

The brothers at St Dominikus Kloster today

There have been many brothers living in our priory who became well known for their writing, their dialogue with the political and cultural sides of our society, their charism and outreach. I really do believe that there is a synergy between the place and the people drawn to St Dominikus Kloster, giving a feeling of being a place to live and work. But then again, before entering the Order, I wrote my Master's degree in Landscape Architecture on the priory garden, named "Genius Loci", the spirit of the place…

What are your own roles in the community? We understand you are the House Cantor, for instance.

Cantors

Shortly after arriving in Oslo, I got the role of Cantor, that's true. As we have started to use the new breviary with new melodies, it is sometimes quite demanding, making me regret not having paid more attention to learning notes as a child.

As I am a landscape architect, it is a natural thing to do some garden planning (followed by the work itself). The garden might look modest, but when working with the spade, it becomes quite demanding! And then, as I am a carpenter, there are certain technical, practical jobs that I try to fulfill, always running out of time of course…

Could you describe some of the joys, and the difficulties, of your first few months of priestly ministry?

Fr Haavar's first Mass in Oxford

It is still very difficult to try to describe my first year or so as priest. When I returned to Norway after seven years abroad, I did not know what I was returning to. On the one hand, Norway has moved on during these years, but so have I. It has been an intense period of trying to get to know myself, my society and my priestly role at the same time. Another big change was going from being a student to having so many roles and tasks. I can only describe it as a roller coaster, and it still moves on. What may have changed is that it seems that I'm getting more and more used to it.

What have been the most unexpected aspects of your new ministry? 

I did not expect to get so many contacts and to be so visible in such a short time. A brother from Oxford, a good friend of mine, warned me of this, saying "You're a big fish in a small bowl!" It seems far more true than I expected, in all levels... The fraternal bonds outside of Norway have become more important in a way; they help to see myself in a larger context.

You spoke on national TV to comment on the election of Pope Francis in March. What, if any, would you say has been the impact of his election on Norwegian Catholics and wider society? 

Pub outreach

The pope's election was a very positive experience for the Catholic Church, giving a new fresh wind both within and outside the Church that has continued ever since. Personally I felt proud to represent the Church for such a broad public, but at the same time quite terrified. Sticking my head out after just a few months back home was a bit surrealistic. I didn't feel like a big fish at that point, more like a tiny herring trying to survive. Then an editor for a national weekly newspaper asked me to write a second-page comment, resulting in becoming a writer on a monthly basis. At the same time, I started to work part-time as chaplain in a pioneer project opening a new parish in the suburbs of Oslo. This was a huge challenge as well. I remember the day before the opening of the new parish, we realised that we didn't even have an altar for celebrating Mass. One becomes most creative in such situations... Now I've worked here at a so-called 50% position for seven months, and there's still much to learn and to establish. It has been a true blessing though, an outstanding opportunity to learn the pastoral basics and at the same time develop the parish from scratch. At the same time, I have been appointed as Catholic Student chaplain in Oslo, working closely with the Catholic Student society. I'm happy to be able to work with them, and we've had many lovely trips and evenings together already.

What are the principal prospects for growth in the Dominican mission in your area? What would you like to see happen over the next 10 or more years? 

Catholic Student trip to Rome

We are only a handful of Dominicans in Norway, fewer than fifteen in the whole of the Nordic countries, thus not even qualified for being a Vicariate. The advantage of being small is that there are so many possibilities for entering into pioneer projects where one may define the work according to one's own field of interest; for example, teaching in the the theological faculty, which offers Catholic studies, working with developing the diocese in various ways, and so on. When one has, as in our priory, a clear priority for the regular life, with a commitment to the common prayer life, it creates a synergy between the apostolic life and the prayer life. I find this is deeply rooted in the charism (and the Constitutions) of our Order, and a most meaningful Dominican life. However, we are in need of recruitment. We are at this moment turning outwards toward other provinces (including the English province!) to see if there are any brothers who might would like to discern whether Oslo might be a meaningful option for prayer- and apostolic life.

Would you like to share any amusing or unusual anecdote from the last few months? 

Oh, what should I say... I pretty much feel like an amusing or unusual anecdote, a bit like a Viking being placed in a totally different context, very, very far from the conditions in which I grew up. But it is exactly this, my background from a small village in the mountains (with people there whom I still love very much!), my early formation as carpenter, technician and landscape architect, and I have to add, the passion I feel for all that lives and aches in the human heart, all these become points to which people may relate. I'm a friar, I always wear my habit, but when entering into dialogue, we have so much in common. I love this crossover which keep surprising both me and those I meet. The only thing that might be hard to get used to is my sideburns, always in danger of getting totally out of control. The most surprising one-liner I got during the last year came from a young female student after having celebrated Mass on campus at Oslo University: "Getting a hug from Father Haavar is like embracing a (sweet) beast!" I choose to take that as a compliment.

Thank you, Fr Haavar! We are keeping the brethren in Oslo in our prayers, we wish you well in your ongoing apostolates, and hope to see you again (in Oxford or Oslo!) before too long.

Sr Helen Prejean & the Call to Work for Justice

Sr Helen Prejean, well known as the religious sister featured in the film ‘Dead Man Walking’, recently came to Blackfriars, Oxford. The visit was organised by the Province’s Promoter of Justice and Peace, Andrew Brookes OP, contributor to Godzdogz. Sr Helen joined us for Mass and supper, and then spent an evening discussing with us the Christian call to work for justice, drawing on her own experience.

Having entered religious life before Vatican II and after being challenged to undertake concrete ministry with poor people she then responded to a request to write a letter to a prisoner on Death Row. This led to her becoming his spiritual adviser and this in turn, much to her surprise, to her accompanying him to his execution and witnessing it, so as to be ‘the face of Christ’ to him as he faced death. This also brought her into contact with the families of the victims who she recognised needed support as well. All this changed her life. She has since been spiritual advisor to a number of prisoners on death row, set up organisations to support the victims of violence and worked for the abolition of the death penalty. She was written books on this work and lectures extensively, sustaining her work with prayer and contemplation.

Sr Helen shared this journey and work with us in some detail, relating it to a rich grasp of the Gospel of Life, especially as articulated by Bl John Paul II, and wider Gospel and Church teaching. She discussed with realism issues relating to the penal system. And we heard some behind-the-scenes stories in the making of the film! She nudged us towards sharing our own experience of responding to God, and even of struggling to respond, and of our own work with prisoners and others in need, and the tensions all this throws up. Sr Helen encouraged us to take seriously a commitment to social justice as intrinsic to the command of Jesus to love our neighbour, to preach the truth, and to be instruments of God for the building of the Kingdom of God.

It was notable that Sr Helen admitted to her own initial prejudices against undertaking such work, to her misunderstandings, to making mistakes and having lots of fears at various points, but amid these what was also striking was faithfulness to both God, neighbour and the Gospel. This also showed in the integrity and courage to work with both perpetrators and victims of violence. She continually stressed the centrality of grace to initiate and sustain such work. One other thing that was particularly striking to me was the way quite extraordinary work had grown out of small and simple steps to demonstrate practical love – such as the writing of a letter. We are all capable of such small acts: who knows what a difference they can make, and where they may take us …

What I Did in the Summer ... Hospital Chaplaincy

Each year, student Dominicans do a summer Pastoral Placement, usually of around a month, and typically based in one of the other priories in our Province, sometimes sharing in the specialist ministry of one our friars. This summer I was based at the London Priory, and, along with some parish and local primary school experience, I spent most of my time engaged in hospital chaplaincy. I was working with Peter Harries OP who is the lead chaplain at University College London Hospital, and alongside the rest of the Catholic and ecumenical teams.

I spent my time visiting patients and reflecting on these visits with Peter and, to some extent, the other chaplains. It proved to be a varied and very rich experience. You never know as you go from bed to bed what situation you will encounter: a person who has just been told they are going home; one who has been told there is little or no chance of them ever going home; those whose spirits are up, those who are struggling; families and friends at bedsides who also need attention. Besides that, the hospital staff are worthy of attention. As well as all manner of sickness, and some recoveries, I was involved in about ten cases involving deaths.

Across this range of people and situations, I met some with a steady faith, some whose faith was ‘heroic’, some struggling, some questioning, some angry. Some people were obviously growing and some perhaps risked diminishing in grace. Many had more questions about life and God than they usually had, and a lot of people do, in effect, engage in some sort of re-evaluation of their life faced with illness or imminent death. All of this was true of the sick and of their carers. It was also moving how people without explicit faith often thought and acted in what I can only call a very graced way.

What did I learn? It needs wisdom and discernment to know when and what to speak, to pray or when to be quiet. Though an effective chaplain establishes very real human links, I was not there as family or long-established friend. I was there precisely as a chaplain, to bring my faith, hope and love to bear on their situations, so that Christ could minister to them. Although I committed my energy, gifts, personality and time I was aware that the real work was that of Christ, often independently of me, sometimes in spite of me, if sometimes through me. For that reason, I was glad to go and pray in the chapel between sessions and to participate in Mass every day. My own experience of difficulty in life helped. It was by drawing on my own experience of encountering God who has been, and is, present in my own brokenness, sustaining me, that I was ‘able to help others with the help with which Christ had helped me’ (cf 2 Cor 1:3-4). That is a lesson for the future and for other forms of preaching the gospel as well.