Finally, our icing on the cake experience in Oxford was visiting the Oratory church:
Where Cardinal John Henry Newman (1801-1890) preached; Gerard Manley Hopkins (1844-1889) was a priest; and J.R.R. Tolkien (1892-1973) worshipped:
Think that the side altar below may be devoted to St. Philip Neri (1515-1595), the founder of the Congregation of the Oratory:
Have just read that the Oxford Oratory Church of St. Aloysius Gonzaga was completed in 1875 as a Jesuit church, as a significant part of an ongoing return of a (Roman) Catholic presence in Oxford.
Have also just read that in the 1990s, the church was handed over to Birmingham Oratory, with the Jesuits having left in the 1980s.
As the opportunity came about, we attended Low Mass at the Oratory in the evening. I was expecting a Tridentine/Old Latin (Low) Mass, but as things turned out, it was a kind of hybrid (Tridentine/Novus Ordo) Mass, with the priest facing east towards the altar, while the prayers were said out loud in English. In Traditionalist Catholic circles, such a liturgy is often referred to as a 'Unicorn Mass' (or Reverent Novus Ordo Mass) as it can be incredibly difficult to find, especially in Western Europe.
On one hand, I was disappointed to have not attended a Tridentine/Old Latin Mass, which I have attended for most of my life (up to four years old, and then from 17 to 58), but on the other hand, I had attended a hybrid (Tridentine/Novus Ordo) Mass, probably for the first time in my life. Moreover, my friend, a non-Catholic, said that he found the Oratory Mass "very peaceful".
After the Oratory Mass, the priest recited prayers at (what I think was) the St. Philip Neri side-chapel:
All in all, the Oratory Mass seemed a fitting end to our short but fruitful visit (kind of informal pilgrimage) to Oxford.
From every angle, Oxford Oratory church was incredibly beautiful:
The High Altar being the centre of things, of course.
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