Third & Fourth Sundays of the Year (B)
Third Sunday after Epiphany & Septuagesima
The next Parish Newsletter will appear on Sunday 4th February.
Thursday 25th January concludes the Octave of Prayer for Christian Unity.
Tuesday 30th January is the feast of Bl. Sebastian Valfré of the Oratory. Solemn Benediction will be at 6.30pm.
CANDLEMAS
On Friday 2nd February, there will be a Solemn High Mass at 6.30pm, with Blessing of Candles and Solemn Entrance, for the Feast of the Presentation of the Lord (Candlemas). There will be no 6.00pm Mass.
ORATORY LATIN CLASSES
Latin classes will start again on Wednesday 24th January at 6.45pm (Beginners) and 7.30pm (Intermediate) in St Joseph’s Hall. For further information, email generalenquiries@bromptonoratory.co.uk.
CATHOLIC ART GROUP
New group: Join us for monthly art visits and music events with a focus on religious works. Exhibition venues to include National Gallery, V&A, Tate Britain and various private galleries. Days/times: last Sundays of the month, also “Friday lates”. Contact: catholicartgroup@gmail.com.
HELPING THE HOMELESS AND NEEDY IN OUR AREA
HTB (Holy Trinity Brompton) run a shelter to aid those who are homeless or in dire need at St Augustine's Church, 117 Queen's Gate, SW7 5LP every Wednesday morning from 9am-12pm. If you would like to help (mentioning that you heard about this from the Oratory), please email: shelter@htb.org. You can also help them by buying from HTB wish list via Amazon and sending your gifts directly to them to distribute: click on this link.
THE CLCC HOMELESS PROJECT
WHO WE ARE
Set up at the beginning of the pandemic, Central London Catholic Churches (CLCC) came into being in April 2020 as an emergency provision aimed at helping the homeless of Central London at a time when all day centres and retail outlets were closed. Our name reflects the fact that CLCC was a consortium of volunteer groups from different Catholic churches, under the leadership of Fr Dominic Robinson, Parish Priest of the Church of the Immaculate Conception in Farm Street. Initially, CLCC volunteers operated out of a van parked in Trafalgar Square dispensing snacks, water, and hot drinks to up to 200 people a day. Today, however, we run a twice-weekly lunch service, catering to 50 to 60 people on average each time and based at the London Jesuit Centre in Mount Street W1, next door to Farm Street Church.
WHAT WE DO
We are currently open on Wednesdays and Saturdays from 11.30am-2.00pm, providing our guests with tea, coffee, soft drinks, snacks, and a hot sit-down meal served at the table in a relaxing, warm, and welcoming environment. In addition to providing food, drink, and a listening ear we can refer guests to medical facilities and advisory services dealing with legal, employment and accommodation matters. We also provide a haircutting service and run occasional job fairs and scripture study groups.
HOW YOU CAN HELP
If you would be interested in working with us, please contact the acting volunteer coordinator at delia.gaze@btinternet.com to find out more or arrange a trial shift. Our volunteers range in age from 20 to 85 and we are considered a very friendly group. It costs approximately £1,500 per week to run the service at present but we receive no statutory funding and are entirely dependent on donations to continue our work. So we would be most grateful for any donation you can make.
Bank: NatWest, Piccadilly
Sort Code: 60-02-20
Account Name: Farm Street Church
Account Number: 04835891
Ref: CLCC
CATHOLIC MEDICAL ETHICS
An exciting group for current university students of the healthcare professions interested in learning about the Catholic Church’s response to difficult ethical questions. This semester, Dr Mehmet Çiftçi of the Anscombe Bioethics Centre, Oxford, alongside other guest academics and professionals, will lead a seven-week virtual Bioethics lecture series for the group. The lectures will take place on Mondays between 7pm and 8pm on Microsoft Teams with the first titled “An Introduction to Catholic Moral Thinking & Catholic Anthropology” scheduled for Monday 5th February. To sign up for the group, or for more information, please email Laurence Jasper, Catholic Lay Chaplain of King's College London: Guy’s Campus (laurence.jasper@kcl.ac.uk) using your university email account.
SPIRITUAL EXERCISES FOR MEN
Five-day Ignatian retreats for men only conducted in English by the Fathers of Abbaye Saint-Joseph de Clairval in Flavigny (France): Saturday 13th to Thursday 18th July in Creeslough, Co. Donegal, Ireland, Tuesday 23rd to Sunday 28th July in Co. Waterford, Ireland, and Sunday 15th to Friday 20th September in Godalming, Surrey. Contact by phone: (33) 03 80 96 22 31, or email: abbey@clairval.com. For more information, click here.
PRINT OF THE ORATORY CHURCH ON SALE
Mike Quaia, an artist and designer based in Brighton, has made a framed print of the interior of the Oratory Church on cotton rag paper using archival inks. The print in limited edition it is on sale in the Oratory Bookshop for £70.
CHILDREN’S AREA
On Sunday mornings, St Gregory’s Library at the back of the Church is made available to parents whose children become restless during Mass. There are books and some toys. Entrance is through the Sacred Heart Chapel at the back of the church. Children must be supervised by their parents at all times. We need more help to maintain this much appreciated service, especially during the 11am and 12:30pm Masses. If you can spare a few hours on a Sunday occasionally, please contact David Campbell (phone 07768176848).
ORATORY SCOUT GROUP
We meet in St Michael’s Hall at the Oratory and have four sections offering a Catholic scouting experience for all children – boys and girls aged 6 to 18.
Beavers (aged 6–8): Friday 5:30–6:30pm. Leaders: Gio, Richard, Julia, Lilian, Louis.
Cubs (aged 8–10½): Friday 6:15–7:45pm. Leaders: Richard, Adam, Alex, Dan, Genevieve, Stephanie.
Scouts (aged 10½–14): Friday 6:30–7:45pm. Leaders: Silvia, Socorro, Mark, Gabriel, Mattia.
Explorers (aged 14–18): Fridays 7:00–8:00pm. Leaders: Mattia, Valeria
Please note that there is a waiting list to join the Beavers, Cubs, and Scouts. Please email our Group Scout Leader Mattia Barbarossa at oratoryscoutgroup@bromptonoratory.co.uk
We are currently seeking volunteers to assist as leaders. All ages accepted, but younger members of the Oratory congregation would be especially welcome. No prior experience is necessary. Please contact Mattia Barbarossa at oratoryscoutgroup@bromptonoratory.co.uk.
ORATORY BOOKSHOP & REPOSITORY
The shop is usually open: Sunday 9.30am–4.30pm. Wednesday 11.00am–1.30pm, Thursday 11.00am–2.00pm & 3.15pm–5.45pm, Friday 5.00pm–6.00pm, Saturday 10.45pm–1.15pm & 3.15pm–5.45pm. In order to keep to these opening times, we need more volunteers. If you are willing to help, please contact the Oratory House.
COST OF LIVING CRISIS
Caritas Westminster has an updated list of organisations that can offer help in the present cost of living crisis. Click here for more information.
CONTACTLESS GIVING AVAILABLE
Click here for more information.
You can still make a donation via Stripe (see here) or make a bank transfer. Our account details are:
Account Name: The Oratory
Sort Code: 60 04 04
Account Number: 18192947
Please add your surname and first name as a reference, to help our bursar.
The Oratory very much depends on your contributions, and we thank you in advance for your generosity.
GIFT AID – HELPING THE ORATORY
If you are a UK taxpayer, the Oratory can claim back from the Inland Revenue 25p of every £1 you give, at no cost or inconvenience to you. Setting up a Gift Aid arrangement helps the Oratory to increase its income (click here for the forms).
PRIEST REFERENCE FOR SCHOOL APPLICATIONS
Parents who wish one of the Oratory Fathers to give their child a school reference must register with the “Mass Attendance” scheme. Registration forms are available from the Oratory House.
MASS INTENTIONS
SUNDAY MORNING COFFEE
We need more volunteers to maintain this much-appreciated weekly offer. If you can spare a few hours per month, please contact Fr Michael Lang on michaellang@rcdow.org.uk or 020 7808 0900.
PSYCHOTHERAPY AND LIFE COACHING
Wilfrid’s House is a BACP-accredited, registered charity based at the Oratory and committed to helping people cope with life’s challenges`. Through low-cost counselling and psychotherapy, they support individuals who are going through challenges such as anxiety, depression, inability to cope with daily life, relationship issues, and bereavement. Through low-cost life coaching, they support individuals who are feeling overwhelmed and unable to move forward with purpose. Whether you are struggling with change, big decisions or simply day-to-day life, coaching offers emotional and practical support, enabling clarity and structure and helping you achieve your goals. Further information at www.wilfridshouse.org.
VARIA
Disclaimer: The Oratory cannot guarantee the accuracy or endorse any of the information provided.
Nurse Associate attending daily Mass and working in local hospitals searches accommodation around SW3. Willing to help with cleaning, care and company if needed to reciprocate the help and support. Please contact Angela at 07541168167.
Cleaning services, West London preferred. Reasonable rates. Please call/text/WhatsApp me on 07799762837.
Male postgraduate student seeking a room until September in or in the vicinity of SW7. Please contact gregorio_maglione@hotmail.com.
For job vacancies in the Diocese of Westminster, see https://jobs.rcdow.org.uk/.
INFORMATION FOR MARRIAGE
If you would like to be married at the Oratory, we will need at least 6 months notice. For the initial enquiry please come to the Oratory House in person and ask to speak to the priest on duty (see Hours of Duty below). All subsequent meetings, bookings and arrangements will be done through him, so please make a note of his name! No wedding bookings will be taken over the telephone or by email.
If you do not normally worship at the Oratory, please state the name of the church where you usually attend Mass and give the reasons you wish to marry here (for instance, personal connection to the Oratory or one of our schools). It is important to approach the church first before making your plans for a reception venue. We do not have weddings on a Sunday.
There are various arrangements and legalities, both civil and ecclesiastical which need to be attended to. You will also need to undergo a course of preparatory instruction about the sacrament of marriage. Speak to the priest for more details.
Hours of Duty:
Monday-Saturday: 9.30am-12.00pm; 3.00pm-5.30pm.
INFORMATION FOR BAPTISM
According to canon law, “Parents are obliged to see that their infants are baptised within the first few weeks. As soon as possible after the birth, indeed even before it, they are to approach the parish priest to ask for the sacrament for their child, and to be themselves duly prepared for it” (Code of Canon Law, can. 867 §1).
Those wishing to have their child baptised should contact the Oratory House and ask to speak to the priest on duty. All subsequent meeting, bookings and arrangements will be done through him. It will be necessary to meet with the priest for a class on the sacrament of baptism.
Normally baptisms take place in the parish where a family is resident. If you do not live within the territorial boundaries of the Oratory parish but have a good reason for wanting to have your child baptised here, please explain that to the priest on duty. In such cases your own parish priest will need to give permission for the baptism to take place at the Oratory.
The choice of godparents (sponsors), who are to help the baptised to live a good Christian life and faithfully to fulfil the duties inherent in baptism, is an important one. “There is to be only one male sponsor or one female sponsor or one of each” (Code of Canon Law, can. 873). A godparent must be a Catholic of not less than sixteen years of age, who has been confirmed and who lives a life of faith that befits the role to be undertaken. A baptised person who belongs to a non-Catholic ecclesial community may be admitted in company with a Catholic sponsor as a Christian witness.