Milton Manor

The annual Latin Mass Society Mass in Milton Manor is one of three annual Masses we have in the historic homes of the Catholic gentry whose private chapels served as the centres of Catholic life for centuries after the Reformation. Milton Manor's chapel is particularly lovely.

The snow reduced the size of the congregation, as we took the opportunity to sing from the back of the chapel, instead of the little loft they have.

Afterwards we had a very agreeable lunch in an Italian restaurant in nearby Abingdon, Limoncello.

Masses in Reading and Oxford

I've not been processing videos recently, since I need new processing software and anyway I've not had the time. But we have had some splendid Masses already this term.

We sang in SS Gregory and Augustine three Masses in succession: Sunday 15th January, Epiphany, and Candlemas. We had a very large schola for 15th Jan, including polyphonists.

Epiphany was a beautiful candlelit Mass, with the blessing of candles.

Candlemas also included the procession, at which there are a number of special chants.

Last Sunday we were in Reading.


We had polyphony there too and had a very jolly lunch afterwards. This Saturday we are singing at Milton Manor, in the private chapel of the Barret (now Mockler-Barret) family, an opportunity to see this lovely house and the chapel dedicated by the saintly Bishop Richard Challoner. Mass is at 11.30am, and will be celebrated by Fr Anthony Conlon.

Hillary Term Term Card

Christmas Vacation

6th January: Epiphany, 6pm
SS Gregory & Augustine's


First Week

Sunday 15th January, 12 noon
SS Gregory & Augustine's


Third Week

Thursday 2nd February: Purification of Our Lady, 6pm
SS Gregory & Augustine's


Fourth Week

Sunday 5th Februrary, Septuagesima, 11am,
St William of York, Reading

Saturday 11th February, Our Lady of Lourdes, 11.30am
Milton Manor, near Didcot


Sixth Week

Sunday 19th February Quinquagesima, 12 noon
SS Gregory & Augustine's

Wednesday 22nd February: Ash Wednesday, 6pm
SS Gregory & Augustine's


Seventh Week

Saturday 3rd March: Ember Saturday of Lent, 11am
St Anthony of Padua

Eighth Week

Saturday 10th March (Forty Martyrs), 11:30am
LMS Pilgrimage to Our Lady of Caversham
Our Lady and St Anne, Caversham, near Reading


Tenth Week

Sunday 18th March, Laetare Sunday, 12 noon
SS Gregory & Augustine's

Final Mass of Michaelmas

We have been asked to sing at the regular monthly Sunday Traditonal Mass at SS Gregory and Augustine's, which takes place on the third Sunday of the month. So last Sunday we sang the Mass Rorate caeli desuper, the 4th Sunday of Advant. The texts of the chants are very much focused on the mystery of the Incarnation, and the role of Our Lady in it.

We'll be back to sing in SS Gregory and Augustine again for Epiphany, at 6pm. Till then, a very happy Christmas to all our supporters!

More Masses of Michaelmas Term

Our first Mass of the term was the LMS Oxford Pilgrimage, always a splendid occasion, this year for the first time it was in the Dominican Rite, and we had to sing Dominican Chant. The priestly gesture, above, is not something you see in the Roman Rite. We also accompanied the procession to the site of the martyrdoms of 1589, with a newly blessed statue of Our Lady of Walsingham.

The following weekend, we had our training day with a local chant expert, Chris Watson.
The day was concluded with a Sung Requiem in the stunning church of St Birinus, which has a rood screen.



Among the later Masses of term (which included the Remebrance Sunday Mass, in the post below) was one in Mapledurham, a historic Catholoic house with a private chapel. This chapel, and its more hidden predecessors, was the centre of Catholic life for the area for centuries.


You can see more about this Mass here.

Rembrance Sunday in Reading

Yesterday the Schola sang Brumel's Missa pro defunctis in the Church of St William of York, for Fr Armand de Malleray FSSP. This was the regular 11am Traditional Mass celebrated in that chuch, which is always sung.

Readers from overseas may be surprised that a Requiem Mass can replace a Sunday Mass. It is by a special dispensation sought by the Bishops of England and Wales after World War I.

Fr de Malleray had a rather splendid catafalque, and we had the 'ablutions': we sang the very moving responsary Libera me, while the celebrant blessed the catafalque (basically an empty coffin, representing those for whom we are praying), first with holy water, and then with incense.

I hope to get videos of this Mass uploaded at some point.

Afterwards we had lunch in Reading's Loch Fyne Restaurant.

Freshers' Fair!

We were there!


So were a lot of choirs...




The choral diversity of Oxford is a wonderful thing. The OUGCS certainly adds to it: along with some enthusiastic responses we had a fair number of complete bafflement. If we have introduced the concept of Gregorian Chant to a few freshers then our time was not spent entirely in vain! More to the point, however, we had a decent haul of people wanting auditions, and good luck to them!