Happy Spring Bank Holiday!

Happy Memorial Day to all of you back home, but if you're in the UK, you're "celebrating" Spring Bank Holiday today (does it get any more generic?)  There weren't any huge celebrations here today; classes were held as normal at Blackfriars.  The only discernible difference was that the grocery store opened late this morning.

This weekend, however, was filled with a bit of festivity.  It was nice to enjoy my first weekend in Oxford with the Blackfriars students after being in Salisbury last weekend.

On Thursday night, I attended a Solemn Mass at the Oxford Oratory for the Feast of St. Philip Neri, the founder of the Congregation of the Oratory, of which Cardinal Newman was a member.  The Mass was celebrated by Archbishop Antonio Menini, who is the Apostolic Nuncio to Great Britain and is the Pope's personal representatives to Catholics in England.  The Mass was absolutely beautiful; the Oratory has a fantastic choir and had a full orchestra for the Mass on Thursday.  After Mass, we had the opportunity to go over to the parish center for a pot luck dinner (to which we contributed the brownies shown in my previous post) and were able to meet some of the parishioners there as well as Archbishop Menini.

Mass for the Feast of St. Philip Neri at the Oxford Oratory

A (blurry but nonetheless existent) photo of
Nathan, Abp. Menini, and me

Friday was mostly spent in the library finishing my reading and preparing notes for my tutorial.  In the evening, I helped James, one of the other Blackfriars students, to cook dinner, which we ate with Nathan, Emile, and some of the students from St. Benet's Hall down the road.  It was great to talk to students from one of the other halls to hear about their experiences at Oxford and to learn about how things vary from hall to hall and college to college around here.

On Saturday, Blackfriars hosted a graduation party for some of its students who had completed their degrees last year or earlier this year.  Graduations are held several times each year as students complete their degree requirements at different points during the year and choose to graduate at different times.  It was a great celebration with the friars, faculty, and students.

On Saturday afternoon, I had my first tutorial session with Fr. Guy Nicholls, who is an Oratorian priest from Birmingham and is an expert on the educational thought of John Henry Newman.  We met at Blackfriars and spent about an hour and a half discussing the texts that I'd read as well as some other general points in Newman's thought on the university and education.  We also spent a bit of time talking about the state of Catholic education in the United States and how Cardinal Newman might have assessed and responded to the situation.  Fr. Nicholls was very nice and a pleasure to talk to; he was also quite knowledgable, not only about Newman, but he was also able to answer some of my questions about the relationship between Cardinal Newman and Thomas Aquinas (I just can't leave good St. Thomas behind!).  Fr. Nicholls gave me some other reading suggestions, and we will meet another two or three times during my stay here.  I've also come up with a few essay ideas to work on between now and our next meeting, so hopefully I'll have some productive days in the library soon!

On Saturday night, I joined a number of the Blackfriars students in the JCR (the common room at Blackfriars) to watch Manchester United play against Barcelona in the Champion League Final in football (soccer).  It was a pretty exciting game accompanied by great conversation as well as plenty of great food and drink!  In the end, Barcelona came out on top by a margin of 3-1, leaving most of the Blackfriars students disappointed, but all in all, it was a great night.

Sunday was a pretty laid-back day.  I went to Mass at the Oratory in the morning, and in the afternoon, I joined a group of Blackfriars students for a trip to the Turf Tavern Pub to get traditional English Sunday roast dinners.  The Turf dates back to the thirteenth century, and the pub area is a bit more recent (1600s).  It really makes you feel like you're in a medieval village with its narrow passageways, low-beam ceilings, cobblestone floors, and beautiful walled-in gardens.  We had dinners of roast beef, boiled potatoes, carrots, peas, parsnips, and yorkshire pudding.  The food was pretty bland, but for one like myself who likes things plain, it was delicious!

The Turf
(photo courtesy of NY Times Travel Guide.
I forgot my camera, but the place was too cool  not to show you;
we sat at the table right in the foreground!)

After dinner, Nathan and I went to Vespers at the Blackfriars Chapel and then went for a walk around the gorgeous Christ Church meadows and gardens and got some ice cream. It was a great end to a wonderful day!

Scenes from Christ Church gardens

A view of the tower of Magdalen Chapel from Christ Church meadow

Today was a very cold and rainy day - the sort of weather I had expected to be the norm in Oxford, but, surprisingly, the weather has actually been quite pleasant on the whole.  The precipitation, however, made today a good day to spend indoors.  I went to Fr. Aidan Nichols's Mariology lecture on the Assumption this morning, spent some time in the library finishing a book on Aquinas's educational thought, and made tacos for dinner. 

For the rest of the week, I'll be reading A.G. Sertillange's classic work The Intellectual Life as well as John Henry Newman's memoirs, My Campigain in Ireland and starting an essay about the comparitive thought Newman and Aquinas on education.  In addition, the weather is looking to be quite nice for the rest of the week, so I'm looking forward to exploring Oxford a bit; I'll be sure to update with pictures of my adventures.

Of Things Intellectual, Ecclesiastial, and Culinary

It's been almost a week since I last updated, and I certainly have a week's worth to report, so please pardon the length of this post!

On Saturday, I was able to attend a conference at Sarum College in Salisbury entitled "John Henry Newman: Theologian for the Contemporary Church."  It was an interesting conference, which featured speakers from a number of different theological backgrounds and denominations.  Some of the most interesting talks included one given by an Anglican bishop on Newman's understanding of the relationship between faith and reason, and another was given by Peter Hampson, a visiting research fellow at Blackfriars, on Newman's understanding of the mind and psychology.  Although none of the papers specifically addressed Newman's educational thought, the conference was quite valuable because it gave me a better insight into the newest developments in Newman scholarship and how he is understood by Catholics and Anglicans.  I was also able to meet a number of different Newman scholars, including a permanent deacon from the Diocese of Portsmouth in England who is currently working on his D.Phil. degree on Newman's understanding of tradition at St. Benet's hall, which is right down the street from Blackfriars; hopefully we will be able to meet up again to discuss our research further.

Sarum College in Salisbury

On Sunday morning, I left my B&B and walked down to a quaint little church in Salisbury, where I attended Mass.  I always enjoy visiting local churches when I travel because it gives me a sense of what the community is really like.  This church was quite tiny, but Mass was beautiful with excellent music (the Anglicans aren't the only Englishmen who like good hymns!), and I was very warmly welcomed by some of the parishioners as I made my way out laden down with a backpack and duffel bag on my way to the train station.

The interior of St. Osmund Church in Salisbury

When I returned to Oxford Sunday evening, I met up with Nathan for dinner at a pub down the street, and then we joined Emile and James, two other Blackfriars students, for a stroll through Oxford, some pleasant conversation, and, of course, ice cream.

The Red Lion Pub in Oxford

On Monday morning, I attended my first course lecture at Blackfriars.  Unlike American university lectures, they do not require reading, papers, or examinations, and often, questions aren't even taken.  This lecture was part of a Mariology course given by Fr. Aidan Nichols, OP, a renowned Dominican scholar who lives and teaches at the University of Cambridge (and, incidentally, is a former holder of the Randall Chair at Providence College!).  On Monday, Fr. Nichols lectured on Mary's title of Co-Redemptrix and her role in effecting man's salvation.  It was a really interesting lecture on a topic that had often confused me in the past.  I'm looking forward to continuing to go to his lectures for the next several Mondays!

Most of my days so far this week have been spent in the library getting ready for my first tutorial meeting on Saturday.  I finished the assigned readings today and am preparing some notes and questions for my meeting with Fr. Guy Nicholls.  At the suggestion of Fr. Finn, the Regent of Studies at Blackfriars, I'm also getting ready to start a book on the educational thought of St. Thomas Aquinas by Fr. Vivian Boland, OP, who teaches at Blackfriars.  I just can't seem to resist injecting a little bit of Thomism into my research!

Tuesday was the Feast of the Translation of St. Dominic, which commemorates when his body was moved from its first very humble tomb to a more fitting place of rest and the process for his canonization was begun.  The Dominicans at Blackfriars celebrate this day as the principal feast of St. Dominic (which the Dominicans in the US celebrate on August 8), so there was a beautiful solemn Mass celebrated at the Blackfriars Priory on Tuesday night with lots of incense, Dominican chant, and a great homily by a local Franciscan priest (the Dominicans and Franciscans have a tradition of inviting a member of the other order to preach on their founder's feast day).  It was a beautiful celebration!

The Priory Chapel of the Holy Spirit at Blackfriars Hall

On Tuesday night, I made my way down to the Oxford Catholic Chaplaincy for a meeting of the Oxford Newman Society, which is an organization of Catholic students which sponsors lectures and other weekly social events.  The society has a rich patrimony at Oxford; it was founded in 1878, and the famous Jesuit poet Gerard Manley Hopkins was among its first members.  The Society always has a great list of speakers, and in the past has featured such intellectual giants as G.K. Chesterton, Hilaire Belloc, Evelyn Waugh, Graham Greene. On Tuesday, we heard from John Smeaton, who is the founder and director of the Society for the Protection of Unborn Children, a pro-life advocacy group in London.  Mr. Smeaton talked to us about the current challenges facing pro-lifers in the UK and the legal battles that the SPUC is currently engaged in.  It was really quite frightening to hear about the real culture of death that seems to be so prevalent in England right now.  Mr. Smeaton noted that unlike the United States, England doesn't seem to have a young and vibrant pro-life movement, and even the Catholic Church in the UK doesn't seem to be doing all it can to promote the dignity of the human person.  I had never read much about life issues in the UK before, but that lecture certainly opened my eyes.  I was also able to meet a number of students at the Newman Society meeting, including a few students from Blackfriars and St. Benet's, whom I had not yet met.  Everyone was very welcoming and hospitable, and I'm looking forward to going back in the future!

Finally, I should mention that Nathan and I have embarked on a bit of a culinary adventure this week.  While many of the Blackfriars students take their meals next door at St. Benet's Hall, Nathan and I are given a weekly food stipend and have access to the kitchen in Nathan's house.  Neither of us has much experience with cooking, so this week has been a bit of a trial run, and it has been pretty successful so far, although we have been pretty much limited to pasta and soup (but not from a can!).  Perhaps we'll be able to expand our repertoire as the weeks progress.  Last night, we also made brownies to bring to a pot luck dinner being sponsored by the Oxford Oratory, the local Catholic parish, in honor of the Feast of St. Philip Neri, the founder of the Congregation of the Oratory (of which Cardinal Newman himself was a member) whose feast day is tomorrow.  The Oratory is celebrating a special Mass this evening with a potluck supper to follow.  We are hoping that our brownies will be an acceptable contribution and that, in turn, we will be able to mooch all the other food that the kind parishioners bring so as not to have to cook our own dinner tomorrow - I'll be sure to let you know how that turns out. 

(Mostly) Homemade Pasta and Vegetable Soup!



Brownie Making Adventure for the Oratory Potluck


Until next time!


P.S.  Because I'm sure you are wondering...Yes, Michelle Obama did come to Oxford yesterday.  No, I did not spend my afternoon waiting to catch a glimpse of her motorcade, although it seems like the rest of Oxford did.

Checking in from Salisbury

Slowly but surely, I've been settling into life at Oxford this week.  I've unpacked all my suitcases, learned the best route to walk from Blackfriars to my house, located the local grocery stores, bookshops, and churches, and even claimed my cubicle in the Blackfriars library.



My Desk at the Blackfriars Library
(in the Thomism section, of course)

On Wednesday night, the Dominicans at Blackfriars invited Nathan and me to have dinner with them in the priory.  It is a tradition for them to have small groups of students join them for a meal once a week, similar to the Dinner with Dominicans tradition at PC.  We had a lovely porkroast with rice and peas, and, more importantly, some great conversation.  I'm really looking forward to getting to know these friars better during the course of my stay.

Last night, I was able to attend the Senior Seminar at Blackfriars, which featured a talk by a visiting researcher of the Hall, Robert Vischer, who teaches at the Law School of the University of St. Thomas in Minneapolis.  He gave an excellent paper on the role of conscience in civil society and the need for its protection not just for individuals but also for associations in order to preserve the particular charisms of different organizations.  Afterwards, there was some great discussion among the students and faculty present.

Apart from those events, most of my time has been spent in the library as I get ready for my first tutorial meeting, which isn't until next Saturday, but my tutor, Fr. Guy Nicholls, C.O. (a member of the Oratorians - the same religious congregeation to which Cardinal Newman himself belonged) has assigned a fair a bit of reading in preparation for our meeting.  I'm currently working my way through Dwight Culler's The Imperial Intellect before tackling Fr. Nicholls's own book on Newman's educational thought.  It's been really interesting to read about Newman's own educational background - I didn't realize until just this week that he was quite the mathemetician!

But lest you think that I would be stayingn put in Oxford after being here for only four days, think again!  This afternoon, I boarded a train to travel to Salisbury, where I will be attending a conference on Cardinal Newman tomorrow.  After arriving at the train station, I made my way to B&B, where I'm staying, which is very nice and run by a interdenominational religious group which uses the building as a retreat center but rents out the rooms for travellers when there are no retreats.  My room is quite nice, and I have an amazing view!

My room at the Alabare Guest House in Salisbury

I can see Salisbury Cathedral from my window!

After settling in there, I decided to go exploring through the city.  I had hoped to visit the Stonehenge, which was built around 3,000 BC just about 12 miles north of Salisbury.  Unfortunately, the bus service that runs between the city and Stonehenge had just closed for the day, and I didn't think I was up for a 24-mile hike.  Instead, I walked through the marketplace, which is filled with gorgeous medieval and Gothic styled architecture.

One of the main roads in the marketplace

Along the riverwalk

I also had a chance to visit Salisbury Cathedral, which is one of the great European Gothic cathedrals constructed in the thirteenth century.  I arrived in time to hear the conclusion of Anglican Evensong, which was sung by their magnificent choir school.  Salisbury Cathedral has the largest spire of all the churches in the United Kingdom, and the clock on its clocktower is said to be the oldest working clock in the world, dating back to 1386.  By the time I got to the cathedral, they had ceased giving tours or allowing visitors to climb the steeple, but I'll be back there for my conference tomorrow, and I hope to be able to climb to the top.

Salisbury Cathedral

It's really a formidable and imposing structure when you see it up close for the first time, and it is so mastefully crafted; you have to take a moment to stand in awe of it.  The entire city really stands in the shadow of this magnificent church, and it can be seen from every vantage point in Salisbury.

Tomorrow, I'll be attending a conference on the life and work of John Henry Newman at Sarum College, which is located right next to the cathedral.  There is a wide variety of speakers, both Catholic and Anglican, and I am really looking forward to hearing their papers and meeting some other folks who are interested in Newman!  I'll be returning to Oxford on Sunday afternoon, and you can expect an update soon.  Cheers!

Greetings from Oxford!

We made it!  My friend and classmate Nathan Ricci, who is also a Fr. Smith fellow at Blackfriars but is working on a different project, and I left Boston around 7:30 Monday evening and arrived at Heathrow in London around 6:30 Tuesday morning after a relatively uneventful  flight.  After a ninety minute bus journey led by our jolly driver named Steve, who most certainly could have been mistaken for a character in the Harry Potter books, we were greeted at the Oxford bus terminal by PC student Tom Nailor, who is studying abroad at Blackfriars for the year as well as the junior dean of Blackfriars, Mikolaj. 

We dropped off our belongings and received a brief orientation to Blackfriars, meeting the vice-regent, Fr. Conrad, visiting the library, and receiving computer log-in information.  Afterwards, Nathan and I went to lunch with Tom at the Eagle & Child, a pub next door to Blackfriars where C.S. Lewis, J.R.R. Tolkien, and the other Inklings used to meet.  After some delicious fish and chips, we had a chance to spend a while wondering through Oxford, which, by the way, is absolutely beautiful.

Later, I went to the 6:15 Mass at Blackfriars, followed by Vespers, where I saw another familiar face, Tom Reilly, who graduated from PC last Spring and is pursuing a second bachelor’s degree at Blackfriars.  After Mass, I made a quick trip to the grocery store to pick up a sandwich and a Fanta (you’re not in Europe until you’ve had a Fanta) for dinner and returned home for the evening.  While Nathan is living in a house about a block from Blackfriars with some of the other American undergraduates, my room is in the other house owned by Blackfriars, about a mile away in a scenic area filled with shops. I have five housemates, who are all graduate students at Blackfriars, and we each have our own room; everyone has been very welcoming and hospitable so far. 

While there is a bus from Blackfriars which drops me off right at my doorstep, it was a nice night, so I decided to walk home.  I got observe a number of interesting sights, including the Oxford Cribbage Club in full swing with a number of games going inside their building and spilling out onto the lawn.  After getting home, I had a quick dinner, unpacked my suitcases, and headed to bed.  After a refreshing 10 hours of sleep, I think I may have defeated my jetlag already, and I’ve just arrived at Blackfriars to see what my second day brings…

P.S.  There will be pictures coming once I figure out how to get an internet connection in my room, which will hopefully happen today!

Greetings and Salutations!

Welcome to my blog, where I will be recounting my adventures and studies in Oxford, where I will be living and studying from May 16 until June 28 through the generosity of Providence College's Fr. Phillip A. Smith, O.P. Student Fellowship for Service and Study Abroad.  This program allows PC students to travel abroad for a period during the summer to undertake a self-designed research or service project related to the Catholic and Dominican mission of the college.

During my time at Oxford, I will be working out of Blackfriars Hall, which is run by the Dominicans of the English Province.  My research will center on the writings of Blessed John Henry Cardinal Newman, who spent many years as a student and later tutor and fellow at Oxford.  Among his many intellectual accomplishments, Cardinal Newman wrote a great deal both about education and about the Church's role as a teacher.  While at Oxford, I will be undertaking research concerning Newman's The Idea of a University, which is a series of nine lectures he gave at the Catholic University of Ireland in which he outlined what he believed to be the most important characteristics of a university.  Through my research, I hope to gain an understanding of the relevance of Newman's thoughts to the contemporary university, particularly Catholic universities in America.  As my fellowship proceeds, I'll certainly be posting about the insights I uncover concerning Newman's educational thought through my reading, conversation, and travels around England.


Bl. John Henry Cardinal Newman
1801-1890

During my time abroad, I will not only be working in Oxford, but I will also have the opportunity to travel to Salisbury to attend a conference on Newman, to Birmingham to visit the oratory he founded and in which he was interred, and to Switzerland to visit the Dominicans at the University of Fribourg.  I am also looking forward to exploring Oxford with its vibrant social and intellectual life as well as getting to know the students and faculty at Blackfriars!

I am currently in the throes of packing and organizing and checking off to-do lists as I make the transition from Providence College to a brief 24-hour stay at home before heading off to the airport to depart for London!  I plan to post frequently with pictures and updates about my activities - I do hope you'll check in often, and please feel free to leave your comments.  I would love to hear from you!