150th Anniversary Magazine

A souvenir edition of the Oxford Oratory Magazine, celebrating the 150th anniversary of the church.

One hundred and fifty years ago, the opening of St Aloysius’ Church marked a new era for the Catholics of Oxford. More than two centuries of official persecution had been followed by nearly a century of celebrating Mass in an almost-hidden chapel on St Clement’s. Oxford had once been a great centre of religious life in this country, from the time of St Frideswide to the sixteenth century. The opening of the new church began a new era of hope.

It is a great joy for us to be able to celebrate those hopes having come to fruition, in this Jubilee Year dedicated to hope. Thanks to the hard work of those generations of Catholics who have gone before us in this place, our parish is still flourishing today. Thanks to them, God has a fitting house in the heart of our city.

This magazine is a celebration of the past one hundred and fifty years of our church. It cannot claim to be a full history, but it is a window into the life of this parish from its beginnings until the present day. Some of the objects we will talk about have been lost, and some things you can find in church today are quite new, but they are all part of a living history, which is still being made by parishioners today.

A significant part of celebrating the history of a place like ours is looking towards its future. Major renovation works are being planned to restore our church to its full glory.

From 1875 until now, our church has been a part of Oxford’s history. Thousands have been baptised in our font. Cardinals, bishops, and even a future Pope have celebrated Mass on our altars. But above all, thousands of Oxford’s Catholics have come here, week in and week out, to encounter their God. The Good Lord has blessed this church abundantly over the last one hundred and fifty years — may he long continue to do so.