Provincial Day in London - Part 2

At the close of the Provincial Day on December 17th, the friars celebrated Solemn Vespers. After a period of silent prayer in St Dominic's Church we gathered in the cloister for the start of the liturgy. The video below shows clips from Vespers. The music is a long responsory sung by four cantors during the liturgy:

Qui venturus est, veniet, et non tardabit: et iam non erit timor in finibus nostris: quoniam ipse est Salvator noster.

Deponet omnes iniquitates nostras, et proiciet in profundum maris omnia peccata nostra /quoniam ipse est Salvator noster.

Gloria Patri et Filio et Spiritui Sancto / quoniam ipse est Salvator noster.

The one who is to come shall come and not delay, and there will be fear in our land no longer, for he is our Saviour. 

He will tread all our iniquities underfoot, and cast all our sins into the depths of the sea / for he is our Saviour.

Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit / for he is our Saviour.

During the liturgy, the Provincial instituted three of the student brothers - frs Graham Hunt, Mark Davoren and Gregory Pearson - as Lectors. 

This lay ministry is conferred on those who are training for the priesthood although it is not restricted to these men. The lector is instituted to proclaim in the liturgies the readings from Sacred Scripture, with the exception of the gospel reading. They are to develop a warm and lively love for Scripture and hand on this love through their proclamation of the word of God and their instruction of people in the faith.

Please remember us in your prayers that we may faithfully and joyfully preach the word of God and continue always to contemplate that word in our own hearts.

Provincial Day in London - Part 1

Dominican friars from five houses in England and two houses in Scotland gathered in St Dominic's Priory, London, on 17 December 2008 for a Provincial Day. The morning session focused on the theology and preaching of St Paul. 


Mr Jonathan Gorsky, who lectures at Heythrop College, was invited to speak from a Jewish perspective about St Paul. He highlighted the unique Jewish and Hellenistic background of St Paul, and helped to place his writings in their context. Fr Richard Ounsworth OP, who teaches Scripture at Blackfriars Hall, considered the 'new perspective' on St Paul's writings current among certain Scripture scholars, and he pointed out ways in which this was helpful or otherwise for preachers today.

Discussion followed the presentations, and all were agreed that the singular peculiarity of Jesus and his uniqueness is what finally explains St Paul's distinctive writing and theology, which are nevertheless rooted in his particular Jewish background.

The Provincial Day was also a chance for the brothers to spend time together in fraternal conversation and prayer.

Christmas responsory

Above is a live recording from Second Vespers of Christmas celebrated in Blackfriars, Oxford. This is the responsory sung after the scripture reading.

Descendit de caelis Deus verus a Patre genitus: introivit in uterum Virginis, nobis ut appareret visibilis, indutus carne humana a proto parente edita, et exivit per clausam portam Deus et homo, Lux et Vita, Conditor mundi.

Tamquam sponsus Dominus procedens de thalamo suo.

Lux et Vita, Conditor mundi.

Gloria Patri et Filio et Spiritui Sancto.

Lux et Vita, Conditor mundi.

He came down from heaven: true God, begotten of the Father: he entered the Virgin's womb, that he might be made clearly manifest to us, clothed in human flesh put forth by the Creator, he went out through the closed door, God and man, Light and Life, Author of the world.

Like a bridegroom, the Lord coming forth from his chamber.

Light and Life, Author of the world.

Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit.

Light and Life, Author of the world.

26 December - St Stephen, Protomartyr

A homily for St Stephen's Day by Fr Vivian Boland, the master of students, may be found here

Happy Christmas from Godzdogz

Father all-powerful and ever-living God, we do well always and everywhere to give you thanks through Jesus Christ our Lord.

Today you fill our hearts with joy as we recognise in Christ the revelation of your love.

No eye can see his glory as our God, yet now he is seen as one like us.

Christ is your Son before all ages, yet now he is born in time.

He has come to lift up all things to himself, to restore unity to creation, and to lead humankind from exile into your heavenly kingdom ...

Verbum Abbreviatum

Below the sanctuary of the ancient Roman Basilica of Santa Maria Maggiore, or St Mary Major, in Rome is the Crypt of the Nativity. Here several pieces of wooden board are preserved which traditionally are held to be relics of the Nativity Crib. Each year on Christmas Eve they are placed on the High Altar of the Church to be publically venerated. For most of the year, however, these rather ordinary pieces of wood, slightly hidden in their elaborate reliquary, can so easily go unnoticed by the many visitors who come to this Church to observe the splendour of its magnificent interior. And yet these simple relics conceal something of great depth, for they point to that momentous event which we celebrate each Christmas when God, by taking our humanity, came into the world to dwell among us.

When thinking about the nativity of Jesus in Bethlehem Christian thinkers of the past have often been struck at the way in which something seemingly so commonplace and everyday as a new-born baby in its crib could, at the same time, conceal such a profound meaning and significance for the world. Commenting on this paradox, a medieval Cistercian Abbot named Guerric, a student of Saint Bernard of Clairvaux, wrote: ‘is it not astonishing that the Word of God should have abbreviated all his words to us when it willed to be abbreviated itself and made insignificant, so to speak, that it somehow contracted its immeasurable greatness and entered the confines of a mother’s womb, and that he who holds the world in his hands allowed himself to be laid in a crib?’

This medieval writer draws our attention to the way in which all those many words that God had spoken in various ways and at different times to his people in the past (Hebrews 1:1) are now summarised in this one incarnate Word of God, this Verbum Abbreviatum or Abridged Word, who lies as a new-born child in the crib at Bethlehem. For Christians Jesus is not the first word spoken to the world by God, but he is God’s word to the world expressed definitively and in all its fullness, the culminating point of the salvation history of Israel. For in the person of Jesus Christ, God has now made it possible for us to experience him as he really is. Jesus is God’s self-expression to the world, his presence among us.

The joy of this discovery by the first Christians, and their eagerness to share their encounter with God in the person of Jesus Christ, is recorded for us in the New Testament: ‘that which we have seen and heard we proclaim also to you, so that you may have fellowship with us; and our fellowship is with the Father and with his Son Jesus Christ. And we are writing this that our joy may be complete’ (1 John 1:3-4). The biblical writer clearly perceives that our relationship with God has a clear ecclesial dimension - it is only in the fellowship of the Church that our spiritual growth towards God can properly take place.

One of the reasons for Christian joy comes from the knowledge that Christ is able to provide the answer to the deepest questions about the meaning and direction of our lives and can thus satisfy that yearning for happiness and fulfilment deep within each of us. The journey of the Magi to Bethlehem in search of the infant king of the Jews has been seen as emblematic of the persistent human search for the answer to the deepest longings of the heart. The Magi found their answer in the fragile form of an ordinary human child, seemingly so ordinary and humble, lying in the manger at Bethlehem. Saint Peter Chrysologus, one of the Church Fathers, wrote about this event: ‘The Magi are filled with awe by what they see; heaven on earth and earth in heaven; man in God and God in man; they see enclosed in a tiny body the One whom the entire world cannot contain’.

This reflection is by Brother Thomas Skeats OP, a student of the English Province who is currently studying at the Angelicum University in Rome

O Emmanuel - 23 December

O Emmanuel, our King and lawgiver, for whom the nations wait, their Saviour: come to save us, Lord, our God.

O Rex Gentium - 22 December

O King of the Nations, whom they desire, and the cornerstone, who join two together into one: come and save mankind, whom you formed from the clay.

Anniversary of the Approval of the Order of Preachers

Seven hundred and ninety-two years ago today, Pope Honorius III gave official approval of the creation of the Order of Preachers by our Holy Father Dominic. Let us thank God for his blessings on the Order and pray that he will sustain and fortify us. Below is the text of the Bull of approval and an image of the original:

Honorius, bishop, servant of the servants of God, to the beloved sons Dominic, prior of St. Romanus in Toulouse, and his brethren, both present and future, professed in the regular life. In perpetuum.

It is fitting that apostolic protection should be extended to those choosing the religious life, lest temerarious attacks should possibly turn them away from their purpose or, God forbid, destroy the vigour of the sacred religious institute. Wherefore, beloved sons in the Lord, we benevolently assent to your just requests. We take the Church of St. Romanus in Toulouse, where you have given yourselves to the service of God, under the protection of St. Peter and our own, and we secure it with the present written privilege.

In the first place, indeed, we decree that the canonical Order which is known to be established according to God and the Rule of St. Augustine in the said Church should be inviolably preserved forever.

Moreover, that whatever possessions and whatever goods the said church at present justly and canonically possesses or shall be able, the Lord granting, to acquire in the future through the concession of the popes, the liberality of kings or princes, the offerings of the faithful, or other just means, should belong firmly and inviolably to you and your successors. Among these goods, we have deemed it well to name the following: the place itself where the said church is situated, with its properties; the church of Prouille with its properties; the estate of Caussanel with its properties; the church of St. Mary of Lescure with its properties; the hospice in Toulouse, called “the Hospice of Arnold Bernard,” with its properties; the church of the Holy Trinity in Loubens, with its properties; and the tithes which, in his good and provident liberality, our venerable brother Foulques, the bishop of Toulouse, with the consent of his chapter, has given you, as this is more explicitly contained in his letters.

Also let no one presume to exact or extort from you tithes from the fruits of the lands which you cultivate with your own hands or at your own expense, or from the produce of your animals.

Moreover, you may receive and keep, without opposition from anyone, members of the clergy or the laity who are free men and unencumbered by debt, who flee from the world to enter the religious life.

Furthermore, we prohibit any of your brethren, after they have made profession in your church to depart from it without the permission of their prior, except for the purpose of entering a stricter religious institute. If one should leave, let no one dare to receive him without the authorization of a letter from your community.

In the parochial churches which you hold, you may select priests and present them to the bishop of the diocese, to whom, if they are worthy, the bishop shall entrust the care of souls, so that they may be responsible to him in spiritual matters and to you in temporal matters.

We decree further that no one may impose new and unjust exactions on your church, or promulgate sentences of excommunication or interdict on you or your church without a manifest and just cause. When, however, a general interdict shall be laid on the whole territory, it will be permitted to you to celebrate the divine office behind closed doors, chanting in a low voice, not ringing the bells, and excluding those under excommunication and interdict.

The sacred Chrism, holy oils, the consecration of altars or basilicas, and the ordination of clerics who are to be promoted to holy orders, you shall obtain from the bishop of the diocese, so long as he is a Catholic and in grace and communion with the most holy Roman See and is willing to impart these to you without any irregularity. Otherwise, you may approach any Catholic bishop you may choose, provided he be in grace and communion with the Apostolic See; and armed with our authority, he may impart to you what you petition.

Moreover, we grant this place freedom of burial. Let no one, then, place an obstacle to the devotion and last will of those who choose to be buried there, provided they are not excommunicated or under interdict. However, the just rights of the churches from which the corpses are taken must be safeguarded.

When you, who are now the Prior of this place, or any of your successors shall go out of office, no one shall be appointed by secret craftiness or violence; but only he whom the brethren, by common agreement, or whom those brethren who are of more mature and sound judgment shall choose to elect according to God and the Rule of St. Augustine.

Furthermore, the liberties, ancient immunities, and reasonable customs granted to your church and observed up to this time, we ratify and command that they shall endure inviolably for all future time. We decree, therefore, that no one may rashly disturb the aforementioned church, take away its possessions or, having removed, keep them, diminish them, or harass them by any kind of molestation, but all these goods shall be preserved intact entirely for the control, sustenance, and use of those for whom they have been granted, saving the authority of the Apostolic See and the canonical rights of the diocesan bishop.

If, therefore, in the future any ecclesiastical or secular person whosoever, having knowledge of this our document, shall rashly attempt to contravene it, and if, after a second or third admonition, he refuses to correct his fault by fitting satisfaction, let him forfeit the dignity of his power and honor; and let him know that he shall stand guilty of the perpetrated evil before God’s judgment and shall be denied the most sacred Body and Blood of our God and Lord, our Saviour Jesus Christ, and shall, at the last judgment, be delivered to strict vengeance. Nevertheless, may all those who uphold the rights of the said place have the peace of Our Lord Jesus Christ, receive the fruit of good action here on earth, and, before the Just Judge, receive the rewards of eternal peace. Amen, amen, amen.

I, Honorius, Bishop of the Catholic Church.

Perfect my steps in your ways. Fare ye well!

[Then follow the signatures of eighteen cardinals.]

Given at Rome at St. Peter, by the hand of Ranerio, Prior of Santo Fridiano in Lucca, Vice-Chancellor of the holy Roman Church, on the eleventh of the kalends of January, the fifth indiction, the 1216th year of Our Lord’s Incarnation, the first year of the Lord Pope, Honorius III.

O Oriens - 21 December

O Rising Sun, splendour of eternal Light and sun of righteousness: come and shine upon those who sit in darkness and the shadow of death.

Fourth Sunday of Advent

There can be a natural human tendency to believe that we can achieve anything through our own efforts. As we approach the final straight of Advent, with Christmas in our sights, we may feel that we can pat ourselves on the back and say to God: “Haven’t I done well over Advent”. In many ways King David, with good intentions, has a similar attitude. He believes that, with his power and position, he can now prepare a suitable dwelling for God. God, however, tells David, through the prophet Nathan, that his journey from shepherd-boy to victorious King is only through the action and participation of God in his life. God inverts the offer of David and declares that the Lord will make him a house, meaning not simply a dwelling place but a great dynasty.

This truly great dynasty is established in the creation of a suitable dwelling place for the Lord: Our Lady, Theotokos, the God-bearer. Through her Immaculate Conception she has been prepared for the acceptance of her task, God’s greatest intervention is fulfilled, 'let what you have said be done to me', and God becomes man.

Let us follow the example of the Handmaid of the Lord and realise that everything we do is sustained and aided by God, without whom we have nothing, are nothing, and can do nothing. Let us pray that this Christmas we may be stripped of pride, allow ourselves to hear God’s voice, and respond in humility.

O Clavis - 20 December

O Key of David, and sceptre of the house of Israel, who open and no one shuts, who shut and no one opens: come and bring out the captive from the prison-house, him who sits in darkness and in the shadow of death.

O Radix - 19 December

"O Root of Jesse, set up as a sign for the peoples, before whom kings will stop their mouths, to whom the nations will pray: come to set us free, delay no more."

O Adonai - 18 December

O Adonai, and leader of the house of Israel, who appeared to Moses in the fire of the burning bush, and who gave him the law on Sinai: come to redeem us with outstretched arm.

Oxford Priory Christmas Concert

Advent Talk 3 on video

This year's third and final Advent talk, delivered by Br Daniel Mary Jeffries, O.P. on Wednesday night, is now available in a pre-recorded video for readers who cannot join us for our weekly talk, meditation and Compline.

O Sapientia - 17 December

The text of today‘s antiphon is

O Wisdom, who came forth from the mouth of the Most High, reaching from one end to the other, powerfully and sweetly ordering all things: come to teach us the way of prudence.

Jesus, the Word or Wisdom of God, is like a bridge reaching from heaven to earth and from earth to heaven. We are invited to journey towards our Father by stepping on this bridge and following where it leads. Walking this 'way of prudence' helps to make the kingdom of God visible in our time. The one who utters the invitation is none less than the Messiah himself.

Rorate Caeli (Introit)

The Fourth Sunday of Advent recalls the Annunciation when the Word of God took flesh in the womb of the Virgin Mary. As such, we find that the entrance chant (Introit) for both this final Sunday of Advent and the feast of the Annunciation (25 March) are the same. The words are taken from Isaiah 45:8 but given a specifically Christ-centred interpretation: "Shower, O heavens, from above, and let the skies rain down the Just One; let the earth open, that the Saviour may sprout forth, and let it cause justice to spring up also; I the LORD have begotten him."

Below is a video of this chant sung by the Dominican brothers at Blackfriars Oxford. As is typical of an entrance chant, the 'Gloria Patri' is sung after the verse from Isaiah, and then the refrain is repeated.

Third Sunday of Advent - The One Who Is Coming

On this, the third Sunday of Advent or Gaudete Sunday, we sense a definite mood change. The austerity of what can be a sombre though hope-filled penitential season is replaced by a shift of emphasis. We see a burst of colour appearing at the Mass today as rose coloured vestments replace the violet and we are enjoined at the Introit to: Rejoice in the Lord and again I say rejoice or Gaudete in Domino semper, hence Gaudete Sunday. But why this shift in emphasis? We are edging that bit nearer to celebrating the coming of Our Lord at Christmas, that is undeniably true, but looking at today’s Gospel we also see that we have built upon last week’s message of preparation in Mark’s Gospel and now we see John the Baptist actively proclaiming the Coming. ‘There stands among you – unknown to you – the one who is coming’. John the Baptist’s proclamation is sure and certain, filled with hope and, one must assume, wholly joyful. Can we also feel in the depths of our hearts such joy as we hear this news? Amidst the tumult of our everyday lives - the rush to find the right presents, get the cards away on time, and attend the obligatory functions – are we allowing ourselves to find the time to truly prepare and more dauntingly perhaps, truly proclaim, this wonderful news? That Christ is in us, each and every one, and that, in little over a week, we will celebrate the most astonishing and fantastic event that is Christ’s birth here in our midst should truly fill us with such joy and peace. However, it can only do so if we allow ourselves the time to reflect, to pray and to prepare. Only then will we, like John the Baptist, be so moved by the Spirit that we will also wish to proclaim this blessed coming of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, in a world that greatly needs to hear His message.

Blessed Francesco Coll y Guitart O.P.

On Tuesday the 9^th of December, the Holy Father approved several miracles and declarations of heroic virtue, moving nine people closer to canonization. One of the miracles was attributed to the intercession of Blessed Francesco Coll y Guitart O.P.

Francesco was born in Spain in 1812. He received his early education in the Diocesan Seminary of Vic and received the Dominican habit in Genoa in 1830. The Order was expelled from Genoa in 1835 by a hostile government. He was ordained the following year and would spend the next forty years preaching across Catalonia and living a life of exceptional austerity. He was named Director of the Secular Order of Dominican Tertiaries in 1850.

In 1856 he founded the Congregation of the Dominican Nuns of the Annunciation, for the care of the poor and the marginalised. In his final years his health and eyesight began to fail and he was cared for by the nuns of his congregation. He died in 1875 at the age of 62. His remains lie in the chapel of the Motherhouse of the congregation he founded. He was beatified by Pope John Paul II in 1979.

Conditor alme siderum

The Vespers hymn for Advent, 'Conditor alme siderum', dates to the 7th-century. This hymn spans all of salvation history, from creation to the end of time when the entire created order will be redeemed and caught up in the life of the Trinity. It is particularly well-suited to the season of Advent because it alludes both to Christ's coming at Christmas for our salvation, and to His final return in glory. At the centre of the hymn, then, is a reference to Philippians 2:8-11: "And being found in human form he humbled himself and became obedient unto death, even death on a cross. Therefore God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name which is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father."

Below is a video of this hymn with its distinctive tune recorded by the brothers at Blackfriars Oxford.



Conditor alme siderum,
aeterna lux credentium,
Christe, redemptor omnium,
exaudi preces supplicum.

Qui condolens interitu
mortis perire saeculum,
salvasti mundum languidum,
donans reis remedium.

Vergente mundi vespere,
uti sponsus de thalamo,
egressus honestissima
Virginis matris clausula.

Cuius forti potentiae
genu curvantur omnia;
caelestia, terrestria
nutu fatentur subdita.

Te, deprecamur hagie,
venture iudex saeculi,
conserva nos in tempore
hostis a telo perfidi.

Laus, honor, virtus, gloria,
Deo Patri et Filio
Sancto simul Paraclito,
in sempiterna saecula. Amen.

Creator of the stars of night,
Thy people's everlasting light,
Jesu, Redeemer, save us all,
and hear Thy servants when they call.

Thou, grieving that the ancient curse
should doom to death a universe,
hast found the medicine, full of grace,
to save and heal a ruined race.

Thou camest, the Bridegroom of the Bride,
as drew the world to evening tide,
proceeding from a virgin shrine,
the spotless Victim all divine.

At whose dread Name, majestic now,
all knees must bend, all hearts must bow;
and things celestial Thee shall own,
and things terrestrial Lord alone.

O Thou whose coming is with dread,
to judge and doom the quick and dead,
preserve us, while we dwell below,
from every insult of the foe.

To God the Father, God the Son,
and God the Spirit, Three in One,
laud, honor, might, and glory be
from age to age eternally. Amen.

Advent Talk 2 on video

This year's second Advent talk, delivered by Br Robert Verrill, O.P. on Wednesday night, is now available in a pre-recorded video for readers who cannot join us for our weekly talk, meditation and Compline.

Advent Talks 2008

If you are in Oxford on any of the Wednesdays before Christmas you are welcome to join us for an Advent talk followed by meditation and Compline. Details are on the poster above.

The Immaculate Conception - Wonderful Gift of God’s Grace

“Hail, full of grace, the Lord is with you” (Luke 1:28). This greeting of the angel Gabriel at the Annunciation tells us so much about Mary’s deep and wonderful relationship with God. Mary was chosen from before her birth. Mary, from her first moment of conception, was preserved free from all stain of original sin. This was done through a unique grace granted her by Almighty God through the merits of Christ. While the act of grace performed for Mary that we celebrate today is unique, we are all called to live the life of grace which helps each person, made in the image and likeness of our Creator, to participate fully in God’s life.

Mary shows us what being fully open to that life of grace can do for us. So joyful is she because of God’s extraordinary love that she cries out in Luke’s Gospel : “My soul magnifies the Lord, and my spirit rejoices in God my Saviour.” Each of us is warmly invited into that deep and loving relationship with God. We are called to be full of grace and to glorify God with our lives. Later in Luke Jesus tells us : “My mother and my brethren are those who hear the word of God and do it” (Luke 8:21). We are called to celebrate what God has done in Mary, a human being, and to imitate her in our lives so we can share forever in the transforming love of God. As St Augustine said: "Mary is blessed because she ‘heard the word of God and kept it’. Her mind was filled more fully with Truth than her womb by his flesh".

O Mary conceived without sin, pray for us who have recourse to thee

Advent Vespers

On 5 December, the community at Blackfriars Oxford marked the end of term with solemn Vespers and carols, followed by a reception for students and staff of Blackfriars Hall and Studium.



Above is a video montage of photos from solemn Vespers with music recorded at the service, which will give you a glimpse into our liturgical celebration. 

Below are photos from the reception that followed the service:

Second Sunday of Advent- A Voice Cries

Readings: Isaiah 40:1-5, 9-11; 2 Peter 3:8-14; Mark 1:1-8

Different kinds of landscape evoke different responses in us, perhaps even shape different kinds of people: the rugged coastlines of Scotland or Ireland contrast with the green hills of Tipperary or Derbyshire. In Palestine too there are contrasting landscapes, in the north the rich and fertile valleys and hillsides of Galilee running down to the sparkling waters of the Lake, in the south the parched and merciless hills of Judea ending in a sea of salt, the Dead Sea. John the Baptist appeared in the wilderness and not in the rich pasturelands of Galilee. He cut a strange figure, as rugged and austere as the countryside through which he moved. Close to nature in one sense—dressed in camel skin, eating locusts and wild honey—he seemed to be quite detached from it in another—focussed exclusively on his ‘baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins’.

The wilderness already had an honoured place in the history and consciousness of Israel. The great trek to freedom saw the people following Moses and wandering in that wilderness for forty years, before Joshua finally led them across the river Jordan into the promised land. The prophets often recalled those years as the years of Israel’s first love, when she was a young bride being betrothed to her Lord in integrity and faithfulness.

Times of power, settlement and comfort led, as they must, to corruption and compromise, to betrayal and the loss of integrity. Only the profoundly shocking experience of the exile made Israel sit up and take notice. But by then all was lost: the people were exiled from the land, the political leadership was overthrown, cities and towns were pillaged, it seemed that God’s promises were torn up, the covenant dissolved, the glory of the Lord left the Temple—the relationship forged in the wilderness years had, it seemed, irretrievably broken down.

At this lowest point in Israel’s history the prophet we call Second Isaiah raised a voice of encouragement and hope: ‘Comfort my people’, he cried out, ‘the time of trial is over. Speak a word of comfort to the heart of Jerusalem.’ The voice in the wilderness says to prepare a way for the Lord, a highway through the desert, filling in valleys, lowering hills, levelling out the rough and straightening the crooked. The people are to be led back—chastened, wounded, still hurting perhaps—but renewed, restored, revitalised.

It is a wonderful vision and it is the one to which the gospel writers spontaneously turned when they set out to record the story of Jesus. This good news began, says Mark, in the wilderness. The voice of comfort, encouragement and hope is the voice of this strange man John the Baptist. He is the voice crying in the wilderness, announcing an imminent visitation from God. ‘Someone more powerful than I is coming after me’, he says, ‘who will baptise you not just externally with water but internally with the Holy Spirit’, not just in the strength of our human longing but in the strength of God’s own love.

The wilderness of our hearts, the dead and dry places of our lives, these are to be visited by God—by God’s truthful and caring love—so that the renewal, restoration and revitalisation will be radical in us, happening deep within, in the darkness of our most intimate thoughts, desires, fears and longings.

This is not just a Sunday afternoon outing to the banks of the river to see a strange and eccentric street entertainer. The Second Letter of Peter makes that very clear. Radical upheaval is to be expected if there is to be the kind of change that is promised. The dramatic picture painted there (2 Pet 3.8-14), of the entire structure and landscape of the planet being thrown into disarray, recalls Israel’s experience of the exile, of complete disintegration.

How prepared can we be for the kind of radical change in our lives which the coming of God’s love might bring about? The comfort of Galilee with its gentle landscape and beautiful sunsets must give way at some point to the austerity and bitterness of Judea. Only by passing through the wilderness—for Jesus, the wilderness of Gethsemane and Calvary—do we have access to the real comfort of God, the place of rest, the salvation Jesus brings, the glory revealed in Him and promised to us.

Rorate Caeli

"Truly, I say to you, many prophets and righteous men longed to see what you see, and did not see it, and to hear what you hear, and did not hear it" (Matthew 13:17). The Advent prose, Rorate Caeli', reflects these words of Our Lord as it sings of the longing of the prophets for a Redeemer, for the Just One to rain down upon the earth and satisfy the thirst of the human heart for justice, peace and salvation. The refrain is taken from Isaiah 45:8, "Shower, O heavens, from above, and let the skies rain down righteousness".

In the video below, the Dominican brothers at Blackfriars Oxford sing two verses of this beautiful chant.



Rorate caeli desuper, et nubes pluant iustum.

Ne irascaris Domine, ne ultra memineris iniquitatis: ecce civitas Sancti facta est deserta: Sion deserta facta est: Jerusalem desolata est: domus sanctificationis tuae et gloriae tuae, ubi laudaverunt te patres nostri.

Consolamini, consolamini, popule meus: cito veniet salus tua: quare maerore consumeris, quia innovavit te dolor? Salvabo te, noli timere, ego enim sum Dominus Deus tuus, Sanctus Israel, Redemptor tuus.

Drop down dew, ye heavens, from above, and let the clouds rain the Just One.

Be not angry, O Lord, and remember no longer our iniquity : behold the city of thy sanctuary is become a desert, Sion is made a desert. Jerusalem is desolate, the house of our holiness and of thy glory, where our fathers praised thee.

Be comforted, be comforted, my people; thy salvation shall speedily come. Why wilt thou waste away in sadness? why hath sorrow seized thee? I will save thee; fear not: for I am the Lord thy God, the Holy One of Israel, thy Redeemer.

Advent Talk 1 on Video

This year's first Advent talk, delivered by Br Dennis Murphy, O.P. on Wednesday night, is now available in a pre-recorded video for readers who cannot join us for our weekly talk, meditation and Compline.

Alma Redemptoris Mater

During Advent, it is customary in some places to sing the 11th-century antiphon, 'Alma Redemptoris Mater', in honour of the Blessed Virgin Mary. The Dominican chant tone heard on this recording is somewhat different from the solemn Roman version that is perhaps more well-known. It was recorded by a group of Dominican students in Blackfriars, Oxford.



Alma Redemptoris Mater, quae pervia caeli
Porta manes, et stella maris, succurre cadenti,
Surgere qui curat, populo: tu quae genuisti,
Natura mirante, tuum sanctum Genitorem
Virgo prius ac posterius, Gabrielis ab ore
Sumens illud Ave, peccatorum miserere.

"Kindly Mother of the Redeemer, who art ever of heaven
The open gate, and the star of the sea, aid a fallen people,
Which is trying to rise again; thou who didst give birth,
While Nature marvelled how, to thy Holy Creator,
Virgin both before and after, from Gabriel's mouth
Accepting the All hail, be merciful towards sinners."

(translated by Cardinal Newman)

First Sunday of Advent - Waiting and Hoping

Readings: Isaiah 63:16b-17, 19b, 64:2-7; 1 Corinthians 1:3-9; Mark 13:33-37

Beginning a new year often prompts us to take stock, to celebrate the events that have gone well, and to review those that haven’t gone so well, when we’ve been injured by others; or, worse, found ourselves becoming injurious to others, even if we didn’t intend to. And this sense of attention, of alertness, preparedness, is central to today’s gospel. Jesus tells us all to ‘stay awake’. Mark uses the same language ‘stay awake’ in the next chapter of his gospel, when he describes Jesus and his disciples in the garden of Gethsemane.

And, of course, the disciples fail. They fall asleep, and soon will fall away. They are not alert to God working in and through Jesus: at the Cross, it is the pagan centurion who affirms that Jesus ‘Truly was God’s Son’; and even after the Resurrection the women who witness the empty tomb ‘said nothing, because they were afraid’.

Like the first disciples, we, too, fail. Our disordered appetites leave us being tossed about in every wind like Isaiah’s dry leaves, and our shame at our failure to live up to the commitments we’ve assumed as disciples leaves us cowering in filthy clothing before the all-Holy God. Yet, Isaiah finishes by making the audacious claim that the people of Israel, and, by extension, ourselves, are God’s responsibility, His treasured possession, the work of His hands.

This is so, St Paul reminds us, because God has called us, poured out the gifts of His Spirit upon us, and joined us to his Son. God’s face does shine on us, if we will only recognise that, turn back to him, and seek forgiveness. Every year this season is given to us to renew our sense of what really is important, and to seek God’s gift of forgiveness, sacramentally or otherwise.

Visit our newly relaunched websites!

On the first Sunday of Advent, as the Church begins a new liturgical year, the English Dominican Province is happy to announce the relaunch of two of our websites:

1) English.op.org, which is the main website for the English Province, has been completely redesigned and rewritten. There is a new photo gallery, new articles, and various downloads including the Dominican Ordo for this new liturgical year. Do take a look and explore the site.

2) Torch.op.org is the online preaching site for the English Province and has also been revamped with a new look and interface, as well as a foray into audio-recorded sermons, and new short daily reflections for Advent. Most of the students who write for Godzdogz move on to write for Torch after their ordination, so do visit it, subscribe, read and listen. 

Have a blessed Advent.

Thanksgiving at Blackfriars

Each year, the community of Blackfriars in Oxford celebrates Thanksgiving with students of the Hall and Studium many of whom are American.

Thanksgiving is a time for family and reunions, and it was wonderful to see two of our former Hall students from last year who chose to spend the holiday with us.

Above, fr David Sanders OP, who is Dean of the Hall, celebrates with one of our new students. Thanksgiving is a chance for us to celebrate together and to give thanks to God for His providential care.

fr Gregory Murphy OP carves one of the four turkeys, and the tables are laden with dishes prepared by the students.

"Every joy and suffering, every event and need can become the matter for thanksgiving which, sharing in that of Christ, should fill one's whole life: 'Give thanks in all circumstances' (1 Thess 5:18)" - Catechism of the Catholic Church §2648.

Remembering... fr John Martin McGowan OP (1949-2008)

Godzdogz readers may recall an announcement on this blog about the sudden death of fr John Martin McGowan OP on 16 June 2008. fr John Martin was born on 11 May 1949 together with his twin brother, George, who was born shortly after him and who survives him. They grew up in Wishaw, north Lanarkshire, and before entering the Order, John Martin trained as a plumber.

While in Edinburgh, he moved into a room in the University chaplaincy which is still run by the Dominicans and which has limited accommodation for lay students. A student who was also in the community then was Gilbert Markus; both he and John Martin were later to join the Order of Preachers.

In 1980, fr John Martin was the first Dominican novice since the Reformation to be clothed in the habit of St Dominic in Scotland. He was professed on 14 November 1981 as a cooperator brother. Cooperator brothers are friars who are not ordained but who "take part in the community apostolate not only by providing for the needs of the convent but also by a ministry properly so-called, either working with their brother priests or exercising their own talents in the apostolate" (from the Order's Constitutions, no. 100 § 2). Also professed at this time with him, as a clerical brother, was fr Aelred Connelly OP. 

After his novitiate, fr John Martin lived his Dominican life in Leicester, Glasgow, Newcastle, and finally back in Edinburgh. John Martin exercised a ministry of great compassion and was known wherever he lived as a true friend to those most in need of help and support. He devoted his time to the fabric of the priory buildings, and in his final years travelled the breadth of the Province, ensuring the safety of their electrical equipment. This chore was always enlivened by his cheerful conversation and humour, and his annual visits to Oxford were appreciated by all the student brothers. We missed not having him come down to test our electrical appliances this year although he lives on in our memories and fond anecdotes. He was also much loved by the university students who frequented the chaplaincy in Edinburgh.

But this big-hearted brother eventually died of a heart attack, and the swiftness of his death was a shock to us all. He was aged just 59, and had been professed for 27 years. His funeral on 27 June 2008 was held in the Mercy Convent, Edinburgh, a short walk from the Dominican priory. The Requiem Mass was celebrated by the Provincial in the presence of the Archbishop of St Andrews & Edinburgh, Keith Patrick Cardinal O'Brien.

Institution of Acolytes

On Friday 21st November, the Presentation of the Blessed Virgin Mary, two of our brothers, fr Robert Verrill OP and fr Daniel Mary Jeffries OP were instituted as acolytes by the Prior Provincial, fr John Farrell OP during the Conventual Mass.

The ministry of acolyte was created by Pope Paul VI in 1972 along with the ministry of lector to replace the minor orders that existed up to that point in the Latin Church. The idea of ministries as opposed to orders was that the then Holy Father wished to open up what had previously been clerical orders to a wider group so that any layman could be instituted in them. 

The acolyte's function is to assist the priest and deacon. "It is his duty therefore to attend to the service of the altar and to assist the deacon and the priest in liturgical celebrations, especially in the celebration of Mass" (Ministeria Quaedam). The acolyte is instituted to assist in the distribution of Holy Communion when there are not enough priests and deacons, to take communion to the sick, and to expose the Blessed Sacrament for the adoration of the faithful. However, the acolyte may not give Benediction. 

For clerical brothers of religious institutes and seminarians, being instituted as an acolyte is seen as a step towards ordination, God willing, that enables the brother or seminarian to take a more active role in the sacramental and pastoral service of his community. As he passes from lector to acolyte, the increased intimacy with the Sacrament of the Altar that his being instituted brings, requires of him a greater love for the Lord and his Mystical Body, the Church, so that that which is symbolised in the Sacred Liturgy might truly represent the reality of the community. So the acolyte not only assists at the Eucharist but also brings Holy Communion to the sick and housebound helping them to maintain their link with the sacramental life of the community.

Below are photos from the Mass in which our brothers were instituted as acolytes:

The provincial addresses the brothers who are to become acolytes, reminding them that their closeness to the altar is to be marked by a growth in charity: "In performing your ministry, bear in mind that as you share one bread with your brothers and sisters, so you form one body with them. Show a sincere love for Christ’s Mystical Body, God’s holy people, and especially for the weak and the sick…"

A prayer of blessing is said over the acolytes, and the provincial prays God to "make them assiduous in the service of the altar, faithfully distributing the bread of life to their brothers and sisters, growing always in faith and charity."

As the paten with bread and chalice with wine is handed over to the acolytes as a sign of their ministry, the provincial says: "Take this vessel... for the celebration of the Eucharist. Make your life worthy of your service at the table of the Lord and of his Church."

Above, fr Robert Verrill OP receives the bread and wine, and below, fr Daniel Mary Jeffries OP.

The newly-instituted acolytes assist at the preparation of the gifts, because they have been called to "assist priests and deacons in carrying out their ministry."

The Martyrs of Vietnam

Today we remember the Dominican Martyrs of Vietnam. Many of them were European missionaries supported by the King of Spain. The Spanish monarch exhorted missionaries to proclaim the faith and cultivate home-grown vocations in the territory. Scholarships were provided for Vietnamese men to study in Juan De Letran College in Manila. One friar to follow this path was Saint Vincent Liem Le Duang.

He was born into the Christian community of Thong-Dong in 1731. From a young age he showed great devotion and ability. He was sent to the Philippines at the age of fifteen and took the habit in 1753. After completing his studies at the University of St. Thomas, he was ordained priest and returned to his native land. As he could speak Vietnamese he started his apostolate immediately. He spent the next fourteen years ministering to Christian communities, teaching at the seminary of Trung-Linh and preaching in the non-Christian areas.

From 1767 the Church in Vietnam came under attack from the authorities. Vincent nevertheless continued to proclaim the Gospel openly,  regardless of the obstacles and threats. He was captured in 1773, beaten and imprisoned. He was placed in a cage and displayed like a wild animal. However the local Mandarin believed that this ritual humiliation would not help the authorities’ attempt to crush the Christian religion. Vincent was released from his cage and allowed to walk about the prison. He took advantage of his relative liberty and preached the Gospel to his fellow prisoners and all who would come to listen. This status was short lived and he was put back in his cage and taken to Hanoi and the Imperial Court.

At the Court the Emperor arranged a disputation between Vincent, a Buddhist, a Confucian and a Taoist. His reasoning, clarity and elegance, in defending the true faith, left a deep impressio, so much so that an Imperial Prince declared the superiority of Christianity. However Vincent’s fate was decided after a stormy dialogue with the Queen Mother. He was sentenced to death and was beheaded on the 7th of November 1773.

The persecutions of the Vietnamese Church would continue. In 1975 the exodus of Vietnamese friars would result in the formation of a new vicariate outside their motherland: the Vicariate of St Vincent Liem. Every day, the brothers of the vicariate, pray for the conversion of Vietnam, through the intercession of St. Vincent. Let us join them today in that prayer -

Dear God, 

You have granted the Vietnamese Church 

a courageous witness in St. Vincent Liêm, 

in order that the seed of faith may bring forth fruits in abundance 

on the ground of our country Vietnam. 

Accept his intercession 

and help us to follow the example he left to us: 

courageously to bear witness to Christ 

and be faithful to the end.

We ask this through Christ our Lord. 

Amen.

A Life Poured Out

November is a time for remembering the dead, and on 18th November, Blackfriars was privileged to host a special talk commemorating the life, vision and eventual martyrdom of the Dominican bishop of Oran in Algeria, Pierre Claverie. Bishop Claverie was confident that dialogue through friendship was essential for a Christian living with Muslims in Algeria, and his assassination in 1996 showed the depth of his love. On 1st August of that year, Bishop Claverie was assassinated by the 'Islamic Salvation Front' in a booby trap explosion at the entrance to his house. His young Algerian driver, Mohammed Bouchikhi, died with him and the mingling of their blood was seen by many as a symbol of the bishop's desire to find a home in the hearts of the Algerian people and to participate in their sufferings.

The talk was given by fr Jean-Jacques Pérennès OP, who is the General Secretary of the Dominican Institute for Oriential Studies in Cairo, to a full hall of Dominican friars, sisters and laity, as well as students and friends of Blackfriars, and Muslim scholars. fr Jean-Jacques, who was Bishop Claverie's friend and fellow friar, has spent years editing the enormous body of correspondence generated by Claverie - he wrote a letter a week to his parents for four decades. The result is a fascinating biography, now available in English, called 'A Life Poured Out'.

Bishop Claverie's cause for canonization, along with 18 other martyrs of the Algerian civil war, was opened in 1997, and thanks to fr Jean-Jacques, Claverie's clear thinking and important contribution to the subtle and sensitive area of inter-religious dialogue can be appreciated. In his talk, fr Jean-Jacques frequently referred to passages from Claverie's writings which included the bishop's homilies and pastoral letters. fr Timothy Radcliffe OP, who wrote the foreword to the book and also knew Bishop Claverie personally, read these excerpts aloud for us.  

As John L. Allen has written: "A perennial temptation with saints, whether of the formally canonized variety or not, is to reduce their lives to bumper stickers." However, as fr Jean-Jacques emphasised, the issues are too complex and the writings of Bishop Claverie too subtle and nuanced to be simplified in this way. In a classically Dominican way, friendship stood at the core of Claverie's thinking and is the basis for dialogue, which will include disagreements and persuasion. Allen continues: "In a time when discussion of Christian/Muslim relations is dominated by ideology and abstract theological debate, Claverie represents an utterly different path: a life lived as a 'guest in the house of Islam', not blind to the challenges and never fuzzy about his Christian identity, but relentless in his commitment to friendship. Claverie's interest was what he called the 'real, living Islam', meaning people rather than theories."

fr Jean-Jacques also commented on Claverie's approach which gave priority to friendship. He said: "If you start with formal theological exchanges, you come very quickly to big, difficult problems. We will argue about the Trinity and other matters, which requires a lot of skills, reflection, and preparation to deal with it well. But if you start at the human level, it's different. Often Claverie would say, 'We don't have the words for dialogue yet.' So, let's start first by living together, addressing together common challenges. This is what he tried to do, to build what he called 'platforms of encounter,' meaning places where people can work together on human rights, women's issues, and so on. Then you feel that you are all human beings, you come closer to each other." fr Claverie's approach to dialogue is ever more needful today in a world where fear of the other robs all of us of our common humanity. Such dialogue also has deep roots in the example of St Thomas Aquinas who did not hesitate to listen to others (whether pagan Greek, Jew or Muslim) to draw from their wisdom, and to befriend them for the sake of the Gospel.

fr Pierre Claverie's commitment to dialogue, and to his friends in Algeria, was such that even when it became clear that his life was in danger he refused to leave. Many years earlier, as people fled Algiers, he found himself one of the few who had chosen to enter, and so he chose to stay and be with those whom he loved. His example, which has inspired Christians and Muslims alike, was deeply moving, and I felt humbled and privileged to be a brother in St Dominic to someone like him, and to the many other Dominicans who still suffer for their faith.