17th & 18th Sundays of the Year (C)
7th & 8th Sundays after Pentecost
The next Parish Newsletter will appear on Sunday 10th Auugst.
A warm welcome to our visitors & best wishes to our parishioners and regular worshippers who are on holiday in the month of August.
HOLIDAY ARRANGEMENTS FOR THE MONTH OF AUGUST
The Children’s Area in the library will be open as usual on Sunday mornings during August.
Sunday morning coffee after the 10am and 11am Masses is suspended and will resume on 7th September.
The Confraternity of the Precious Blood will not meet until Sunday 14th September.
There will be no Benediction on Tuesdays (incl. 29th July).
St Gregory’s Library will close at 6pm on Thursday 31st July closed and re-open at 11am on Monday 1st September. Books may be returned at any time at the reception of the Oratory House.
The Oratory Bookshop will be open whenever possible. To confirm opening hours, please phone the Oratory House (02078080900).
VOLUNTEERS NEEDED
We need volunteers to reorganise and pack the note cards for sale in the Oratory Shop. If you are willing to help, please email generalenquiries@bromptonoratory.co.uk.
ST PHILIP NERI CIRCLE FOR MEN
The circle meets once a month for spiritual discourse in a familiar way on a work of spirituality or theology with the aim of drawing lessons for our own life from the work studied. The next meeting will be on Wednesday 20th August, from 8.00pm to 9.15pm. Our new reading will be Christ the Life of the Soul by Blessed Columba Marmion OSB. Several editions of the book are available (click here). The book is also accessible online (click here). The circle is open to men only. For more information, email Fr Michael Lang at michaellang@rcdow.org.uk.
SUPPORT THE LONDON ORATORY SCHOOL’S THEATRE REFURBISHMENT CAMPAIGN
Thank you to all who supported the London Oratory School’s first-ever Giving Day, which raised nearly £92,000 towards the School's Theatre Refurbishment Campaign. We are now just £8,000 away from our £100,000 target, which we hope to reach by 15th August to begin these much-needed works. The School’s 300-seat theatre – used daily for concerts, drama, assemblies, and more – is also a vital rehearsal space for the Schola Cantorum, who sing at the 6pm Saturday Vigil Mass here at the Oratory. After more than 30 years of continuous use, the theatre space is in urgent need of renewal. Whether you are a parishioner, Old Oratorian, parent, or friend of the School, your gift – of any size – will help us cross the finish line. Please donate or learn more at thelondonoratoryschool.givingday.co.uk. With a donation of £150 or more, you can name a seat in the newly refurbished theatre – a lasting tribute to your legacy. With sincere thanks for your prayers and support! The London Oratory School Development Office, email devoffice@los.ac.
JUBILEE YEAR INDULGENCES
The Diocese of Westminster has produced a guide how to obtain the plenary indulgence for the Jubilee Year, without the need to travel to Rome or other pilgrimage centres around the world. The guide is available as https://rcdow.org.uk/jubilee-2025/the-jubilee-indulgence-step-by-step/
2025 Leadership formation programme
The Stonyhurst Christian Heritage Centre’s annual programme for Y12/LVI students is open to applications from students who want to engage more deeply with their Catholic faith, who want to transform tomorrow’s society, and who want to lead by example in the public square. The programme offers: philosophical and theological input from top Catholic academics, media skills training and team building, personal development in virtues and spirituality, an opportunity to meet like-minded peers from around the country, and a certificate from St Mary’s University, Twickenham. No financial requirements: subsidies are available to any successful applicant as required. For more information and to apply, see www.christianleadershipformation.com
Upper Room Leadership Programme 2025-26
Organised by Westminster Youth Ministry, the programme is aimed at 18–30-year-olds interested in leading a parish youth group. Starting in October 2025, the year-long programme will accompany future leaders on their journey of faith and equip them with the necessary practical skills such as activities planning, safeguarding training, public speaking and more. The entire programme concludes with an opportunity to participate in the Diocesan Pilgrimage to Lourdes, and hopefully establishing/leading a regular parish youth group beforehand. There is no cost of joining the programme but the parish priest’s recommendation is required. More information at https://youth.rcdow.org.uk/outreach/upper-room-leadership-programme/.
CONFRATERNITY OF THE HOLY FACE
Devotion to the Holy Face of Christ, which flourished in the late medieval and early modern period was revived in the nineteenth century by the saintly Sr. Marie de St. Pierre (1816-1848), Carmelite nun from Tours, France. Subsequently, the Archconfraternity of the Holy Face was founded, which has among its principal objects the rendering of a special homage of respect and love to the Holy Face of Christ, which was disfigured in His Passion. For more information and how to be enrolled in the Confraternity of the Holy Face, please click here.
HELPING THE HOMELESS AND NEEDY IN OUR AREA
HTB (Holy Trinity Brompton) run a morning shelter to assist those who are homeless or in vulnerable at St Augustine's Church, 117 Queen's Gate, SW7 5LP, every Wednesday 8am–1.30pm and Thursday 9.30am–1.30pm. They need all sort of help (serving, hosting, washing up, sewing, cleaning). If you are willing to spare some time for this service (you do not need to stay the whole time) or would like to know more on how you can help, please email HTB (mentioning that you heard about this from the Oratory) at shelter@htb.org.
ORATORY SCOUT GROUP
Our Scouts Group has moved under the umbrella of the Catholic Scouts of Europe and is now ready to accept new applications for boys from School Years 3 to 6 (Cubs), Y7 to Y11 (Scouts) and girls between Y3 to Y6 (Guides Cubs), Y7 to Y11 (Guides). Email oratoryscoutgroup@bromptonoratory.co.uk.
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.
MASS INTENTIONS
CONTACTLESS GIVING AVAILABLE
Click here for more information.
You can also donate by bank transfer or via Stripe (see here). For a larger donation, please consider a bank transfer, because we have to pay a percentage fee for any card payment. Our account details are:
Account Name: London Oratory Charity
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.
UNABLE TO GET TO MASS ON SUNDAYS?
The Oratory runs a bus service staffed by volunteers to help the elderly and/or incapacitated attending the 11am Mass each Sunday. The minibus has a lift for wheelchairs and volunteers help passengers go to Holy Communion if required. The service is available to parishioners and those who live in the Fulham and Earl’s Court areas. Please email generalenquiries@bromptonoratory.co.uk or telephone 020 7808 0900 if you are interested in making use of this service, or if you would like to volunteer as a driver or helper.
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.
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.