Newman Society's Sarum Rite Masses

In 1997 and 1998 the Newman Society organised two celebrations of Mass according to the Sarum Rite. The Sarum Rite was the rite of Mass generally celebrated in England up until the Reformation. Fr. Sean Finnigan, who was celebrant of the Masses, has now posted a video of the Candlemass 1998 Mass on Youtube. He provides a full account of the ceremonial and links to the videos on his blog Valle Adurni.



Fr Finnigan writes - For a while I worked as a priest in Oxford, and there became involved in a couple of celebrations of the Use of Sarum. Both were videod, in an amateurish way, and I thought it worth posting at least some of this to YouTube.

A clip from the offertory of the second Sarum Mass (Candlemas 1997) was posted to YouTube a while ago, and much appreciated; now it seems time to put up some more.The Sarum Use is the mediæval English rite of most mediæval English dioceses, and by the close of Catholic England at the death of Queen Mary was the Use for the whole country (Henry VIII had made it compulsory for everyone, and I don't suppose Hereford, Bangor &c did much to revive their own Uses, unless anyone out there knows different).

Vigil at the Chaplaimcy

From The New Liturgical Movement By Br. Lawrence Lew OP


On Friday 15 - Saturday 16 February, the Oxford University Catholic Chaplaincy held a Eucharistic Vigil that was jointly organised by the Catholic Society and the Newman Society with the Chaplains. Over 50 people gathered for the Vigil which opened with a votive Mass of the Eucharist in the Ordinary Form with Gregorian chant Propers and the Ordinary from Mass VIII and Byrd's Mass for three voices. Fr Benjamin Earl OP was the principal celebrant and preached at the Mass; the Liturgy of the Word was in English, and the Liturgy of the Eucharist was in Latin.

Mass was followed by a Eucharistic Procession during which the 'Pange lingua' was sung, followed by the Litany and a psalm. This was followed shortly afterwards with Compline sung by Dominican friars and then Latin Benediction given by Deacon David Rocks OP.
Vigil was kept until dawn, interspersed with the Divine Office and the public recitation of the Holy Rosary and the Vigil ended with Mass celebrated by the chaplain, Fr John Moffat SJ. A cooked breakfast welcomed all those who kept vigil before the Lord and recalled, in a small way, His fast in the desert.

Oxfordblogging

From Liturgical Notes
Fr John Hunwicke SSC writes ...

The Oxford Newman Society's colloquium on blogging was great fun; indeed, what a splendid body that society is. How fortunate the Catholic Chaplaincy is to have such a strong, intelligent group with praiseworthy views on everything; one of two bright beacons (the Pusey House congregation is of course the other) in the University (or am I being unfair to leave out the Oratory and Blackfriars?). And how fortunate Oxford is to be so rich in Catholic blogs. I learn a lot from that highly literate and engaging blog, massinformation, run by three Catholic Anglican seminarians. And, of course, there is the New Liturgical Movement to keep us updated on everything truly progressive in liturgical matters; and that's not all. Those with an interest in Dominican liturgy and/or the Anglican Book of Common Prayer can this week hear the great chant Media Vita , sung during Lenten Compline in the Dominican and Sarum (medieval English) rites and incorporated by Dr Cranmer into the Anglican funeral service (it is to be sung by the clerks, or else said, while the body is made ready to be laid into the earth). It can be heard on another great blog, Godzdogz. I wonder if anybody has ever thought of using this Dominican version and melody at Anglican funerals? It would make a lovely change from that nonsense from Scott-Holland about how Death is Nothing, which so many of the bereaved have heard at other funerals that the officiating priest is repeatedly persuaded into allowing it again ... thereby compounding the problem.

It was good to hear Fr Zed; knowledgeable about the Inside liturgical history of the last couple of decades and with his fingers on many pulses internationally. He left us with a strong sense of the grip Pope Benedict has on the cultural life of the Church: in the last year we really have turned a corner. As an Anglican, I found myself thinking: in the late 1960s and thereafter, as the RC Church lurched in the wrong direction in so many areas but especially the liturgical, Anglicans, and not least Catholic Anglicans, deemed it the proper thing slavishly to adopt each newly minted absurdity. Now that things are getting back on the rails in Rome, will the Anglican faith-community follow healthy leadership as readily as then it did the unhealthy? Many of our younger Catholic Anglican clergy are already doing so; but what about the dominant gerontocracy?

A jolly good supper, too, cooked by Mr President Yaqoub himself.

Blogging colloqium

From Lacrimarum Valle

Dr. Matthew Doyle writes ...

'Rubbing sholders with the great'

A couple of weeks ago I received an unexpected email from the President of the Oxford University Newman Society, inviting me to partake in a colloquium entitled "Blogging and the Church". I had heard very little about this Catholic Society before now, but learn it is the example for other universities to follow. It was established in 1878, and has only recently (1990) been challenged with a separate "University of Oxford Catholic Society" which sought to counteract the overt conservatism of the Newman. It is with pleasure I learn that these two societies cooperate a great deal, and had jointly arranged an all-night vigil of eucharistic adoration the same evening that the colloquium finished. It was a joy to see the standard of liturgy on offer; truly obedient to the current climate in the Church (ie. lots of Latin!)

The President made sure that I was aware of such distinguished speakers who have featured in their weekly meetings: "Archbishop Michael Ramsay, G.K. Chesterton, Evelyn Waugh, the Patriarch of All Spain, Baroness Williams and the Duke of Norfolk." Amongst others I'm sure. And, failing to be able to provide such itinerant bloggers as Fr Tim Finigan, Damien Thompson, and Fr Nicholas Schofield, they evidently broadened their horizons to the simple 'little guys' such as myself. As a result, not only did they have the key-note appearance of Fr John Zuhlsdorf, but also a balanced account of the role of Blogging in the Church from other perspectives.

At this juncture I should note that it was only possible for me to attend such an event due to the kindness of my co-workers, who thoughtfully covered for me at the hospital so that I could leave a little early and race down the M40. Upon arrival in Oxford, I was filled with the unique atmosphere I am always pleased to encounter there: streets full of noble youngsters persuing their dream of learning and truth(?), and the general hustle and bustle that go with any university town. But coupled with the welcome life of the people, there is also the matchless and timeless beauty of the university buildings, transforming this little city into a fortress of academia. The Catholic Chaplaincy is located in The Old Palace on St Aldates, just opposite Christ Church. It is a quaint wooden Elizabethan building, which on this occasion was perishingly cold owing to a broken boiler.

I was warmly greeted on entering by the President, complete with apron, who ushered me upstairs to a holding room, where the other bloggers were gathered. It was an interesting room, clearly basking in the glory of its long history, being decorated with portraits of past chaplains. Little did we know, an eastern banquet awaited us (or certainly that is how I would class it in student terms!). An amusing touch when we sat down to dinner, was a tiny statue of St Peter (modelled on the great 'foot' in the Roman Basilica) placed in the middle of the table by the President's place. A good model for leadership, by any measure! After Fr John Zuhlsdorf's Latin table blessing a good three course curry was had by all.

The actual colloquium followed, which took place in the library around a large table. I was suddenly glad to have scribbled out a short biographic to prompt myself; looking at the other bloggers, and hearing their eloquent talks one by one, made mine an impossible act to follow. Firstly Fr John Zuhlsdorf gave an excellent history behind his courageous endeavour to engage with the potential for on-line catholic communications from the very beginning, leading to the foundation of his blog "What Does the Prayer Really Say?" in the new millennium, and its recent change of course in recent months following the publication of Summorum Pontificum. Fr Z is adamant that this is the single most important document issued in recent years, and crucial for understanding the will of the Holy Father for the direction of the Church. He described the Liturgy as the spearhead of the Faith, and something which obviously needs to be sharpened to the utmost for greatest influence in the world.

Next up was Fr John Hunwicke, who is the Anglican priest-in-charge of St Thomas the Martyr. He is also compiler of the Ordo, published by Tufton Books (a volume which he wielded, but which, alas, I have very little idea of). Amusingly, introducing himself as an Anglican in a "hotbed of Popery", he declared he felt entirely at home! He gave an interesting take on the whole liturgical discussion, since his Church is fortunate enough to have use of noble English translations by Cranmer ("heretic though he was!") He suggested that if a sad barrier to the Latin tongue is what prevents priests from using the 1962 missal, would not an entire vernacular translation be a bridge to it, and preferable to the current state of affairs?

Friar Lawrence brought a beautiful spiritual dimension to the discussion, having prepared a paper entitled "The Virtues and Vices of Blogging" which was interspersed with Thomist philosophy on our battle with the tendency to sin. This is a topic which I had hoped to pick up on, and was glad that Lawrence could do so with such precision and learning. I hope he will be able to publish his talk in its entirety. [17 April 2008 - A transcript can be found here]

In conclusion, I will quote one of the bystanders from massinformation:

What emerged, then, was a sense of renewed confidence in what the Church proposes to the World, and that that ought to be presented in as many ways as possible. The Church must beat the drum to which the World marches, because if the rhythm is handed over to the World, the Church suffers. It is the Church's experiences of engagement with the World which need to be reflected on, and assimilated or discarded as She deems appropriate, rather than the other way around. We need to balance Fr Zuhlsdorf's confidence in the rights of the laity with Br Lawrence's concern to respect the bishops and their pastoral and teaching office. We need, too, to balance this with the experiences of laymen like Matthew Doyle and parish priests like Fr Hunwicke.

The whole evening was a joy, and I was very pleased to be able to partake also in the overnight vigil afterwards. With slightly sore knees, I stumbled down the dark streets of St Aldates, grabbing a quick coffee-to-go from the "open till midnight" cafe of G & Ds, which was just enough to keep me awake on the dreaded M40 on the way back to Brum!

Newman's beatification is "imminent"

Vatican City, Jan 8, 2008 / 05:16 pm (CNA).- Cardinal Jose Saraiva Martins, Prefect of the Vatican’s Congregation for the Cause of the Saints, has announced that the beatification of the great British convert and scholar, Cardinal John Henry Newman, is "imminent."

In an interview to be published on Wednesday in the daily Italian edition of L’Osservatore Romano, Cardinal Saraiva said that among the most important personalities to be beatified "soon" is "the case of Cardinal Newman, a relevant intellectual, and an emblematic figure of conversion from Anglicanism to Catholicism."

"Personally, I wish his beatification to happen very soon because it would be very important at this moment for the path of ecumenical dialogue,” Cardinal Martins said.

Cardinal Saraiva Martins also revealed the beatification, latter this year, of the parents of St, Therese of Lisieux, Louis Martin and Azelia Guérin. The heroic virtues of the parents of St. Therese, who is now one of the most popular saints in the Catholic Church and a Doctor of the Church, were proclaimed on March 26, 1944.

Cardinal Saraiva implied that the miracle needed to proclaim them Blessed has been approved by his congregation, and will be announced at the next Consistory.

"The Permanence of the Sacred" - Talk by Fr. John Saward

Last Tuesday the acclaimed theologian and local priest Fr. John Saward, whom Fr. Aidan Nichols OP has called "the Balthasar of the English-speaking world," spoke to the Society. His subject was Pope Benedict's recent motu proprio liberalising use of the traditional Latin Mass. The talk, which was called The Permanence of the Sacred: Some Reflections on Summorum Pontificum, was held following the Society's High Mass using the "extraordinary form," which was celebrated in the previous week.


Dr. Joseph Shaw has posted the following report on the New Liturgical Movement blog:

Fr John Saward is Priest in Charge of the parish of SS Gregory and Augustine in North Oxford and Lisieux Senior Research Fellow in Theology at Greyfriars Permanent Private Hall of Oxford University. In his earlier life he studied Philosophy and Psychology at St John’s College, Oxford, trained for Anglican orders at St Stephen’s House, Oxford, and was Chaplain of Lincoln College, Oxford. He was received into the Catholic Church in 1979, and after many years teaching theology at Catholic institutions, including the International Theological Institute at Gaming, Austria, St Charles Borromeo Seminary, Pennsylvania, USA, and Ushaw, England, he was ordained priest in 2003. Over the years he has published numerous books and articles, notably Redeemer in the Womb (1993), The Way of the Lamb (1997), and Cradle of Redeeming Love (2002); he was also the English translator of the Holy Father’s Spirit of the Liturgy (2000). He is married with three grown-up daughters.


There are pages giving his CV on several websites; the most complete appears to be the Gaming one; he also has a Wikipedia entry.

Fr Saward has not only a very serious academic interest in the liturgy (a current project is a ‘A spiritual commentary on the Roman rite of Holy Mass’, to be called Catena Eucharistica; something to look out for), but he has long celebrated the Traditional Roman Mass as a private devotion. When I became the local representative of the Latin Mass Society in 2005, I saw that he was a member; as assistant priest at SS Gregory and Augustine’s, he suggested celebrating regular First Friday Masses; it was not long before it was established that these would be sung in Term time. These have proved to be a staple for local singers wishing to participate in the Traditional liturgy. Since becoming Priest in Charge at that church, we have had Gregorian Chant Training days there, and regular Low Masses on Wednesdays. He has also extended the use of Gregorian Chant at his regular Novus Ordo Sunday Masses, with the assistance of the remarkable Dr John Caldwell, a musicologist and composer who is also the organist and director of the parish choir.

As advertised in advance on the NLM, he gave a talk this week to the Oxford University Newman Society on the Holy Father’s Motu Proprio Summorum Pontificum. He spoke to a capacity crowd in the Catholic Chaplaincy’s library, in the presence of the Senior Chaplain, Fr John Moffat SJ, several Dominicans, and me. In what follows I summarize his talk.

He began by noting that he was not (thank heavens) a ‘liturgist’, so would be talking about the dogmatic, not simply liturgical or indeed church political implications of the MP. The starting point of a dogmatic approach to the MP is St Thomas Aquinas’s remark ‘sed contra’ to objections to the rituals of the Mass (ST IIIa q.83 a.5 sc): ‘The custom of the Church stands for these things: and the Church cannot err, since she is taught by the Holy Ghost.’ (Sed in contrarium est Ecclesiae consuetudo, quae errare non potest, utpote spiritu sancto instructa.) It is not just the propositional statements of the Church which, when they have the appropriate degree of authority, can be relied upon as guided and guaranteed by the Holy Ghost, but the customs of the Church. What is practised for long ages by the most universally revered authorities cannot suddenly be said to be defective. This is exactly the point made repeatedly by Joseph, Cardinal Ratzinger in his books, and which is repeated clearly by Papa Ratzinger in his Letter to Bishops accompanying the MP. What was holy yesterday cannot be harmful today; indeed, the denial of this principle ‘calls the very existence of the Church into question’ (Feast of Faith). It is for this reason that it must be understood that the previous liturgical tradition was never abrogated. This is a dogmatic matter, and in making this dogmatic point the Holy Father is doing what he always does in the exercise of his office, which is guarding the Faith.

It is in this light that we can understand the recent remarks by Archbishop Ranjith, who is working closely with the Pope on this matter, that the liberation of the Traditional Mass is a condition for the renewal desired by the Second Vatican Council. Respect for tradition is the basis for Catholics’ search for truth.

Fr Saward then gave a series of examples in which the teaching of the Church, revealed and made vivid by the Traditional form or the Roman Rite, as other ancient Rites, is obscured in the Missal of Paul VI. First, many of the orations of the 1962 Missal are addressed to the Second Person of the Trinity, and two prayers, the Suscipe, sancta Trinitas at the Offertory and the Placeat tibi, sancta Trinitase are addressed to the whole Trinity, despite the fact that the majority of the orations and other prayers use the familiar form of addressing the Father through the Son in the Holy Ghost. This twofold pattern of liturgical prayer reflects and makes manifest the Catholic dogma of the Holy and Undivided Trinity. The 1970 Missal removes almost all of the orations addressed to the incarnate Son and both of the prayers addressed to the whole Trinity. These amputations from the liturgy open the way to misunderstanding. Participants in the liturgy are no longer reminded of the co-equality and consubstantiality of the Persons of the Trinity. This is not a merely theoretical point since a whole series of Trinitarian and Christological errors, tending to the denial of Christ’s Divine nature and co-equality with the Father, have been condemned or censured by the Holy See in recent decades (cf the cases of Edward Schillebeeckx OP and, more recently, of Roger Haight SJ).

A second example, mentioned by the then Professor Ratzinger in his textbook on Eschatology, is the disappearance of the word anima, ‘soul’, from the reformed liturgy of the dead and elsewhere. Prayers addressing the soul of the dead man or woman to be buried are replaced or adapted to refer to God’s ‘famulus(a)’, God’s servant or handmaid. Again, there is no heresy in the new prayers, but the loss of the references to the metaphysical reality of the soul, and especially the soul separated from the body at death, is most unfortunate in light of theological errors on this subject, which have had to be censured (e.g. by the SCDF in 1979).

A third example is the suppression, even in prayers otherwise retained, of references to the priest’s sinfulness and compunction. Do priests no longer need to express sorrow for their sins? In the cold light of day, this and the other changes enumerated seem bizarre: what positive reason could be adduced for them?

A fourth example is the ceremonial of the Mass, such as the signs of the cross, so many of which have been suppressed in the 1970 Missal. These actions had in the past given rise to a whole genre of spiritual commentaries on the Mass, which assigned dogmatic meanings to the rituals with great consistency. Many saints, including St Thomas Aquinas, contributed to this literature, and took these signs extremely seriously. With the 1970 Missal, not only are these books rendered obsolete, but the signs themselves are no longer there to communicate their dogmatic significance to the onlooker.

Fr Saward then turned to the Pope’s exhortation Sacramentum Caritatis, which is linked to the MP in an important way. The Eucharist is the sacrament of love, and the MP has charity as both its source and it object: not merely the reconciliation of Traditionalists to full communion with the Church, but more fundamentally an increase of faith and charity among the Faithful. The Mass is a source of charity since, as Aquinas teaches, the worthy reception of Holy Communion actualises charity, and makes the recipient ‘spiritually gladdened’. This is possible only, of course, to the communicant who is properly disposed, and to achieve this proper participation in the Mass, uniting oneself in intention with Christ the High Priest, is necessary.

With this is mind, we turn to the remarkably strongly-worded critique of misleading or unhelpful aspects of the 1970 Missal found in Ratzinger’s works. In The Spirit of the Liturgy Ratzinger made an extremely strong critique of Mass facing the people, warning that such Masses could and in some times and places had become a ‘closed circle’, where attention which should be fixed on God became fixed on Man; he even likened such ‘self-initiated’ and ‘self-seeking’ liturgy to the worship of the Golden Calf: the ultimate substitution of a human artifact for God as the object of worship. In that book and elsewhere, Ratzinger noted the problem of silence in the New Mass, since for the most part periods of silence in the course of Mass were only possible by bringing the liturgy to a temporary halt. On the contrary, Ratzinger argued, to be fruitful silence needs to be an integral part of the liturgy, what he calls ‘filled silence’, and not merely an artificial pause. In these and in other ways the reformed liturgy actually militates against effective participation.

In concluding, Fr Saward warned against the temptations faced by those who, like him, are ‘attached’ to the Traditional liturgy, notably pride and over-emphasis on externals. Charity, again, must be our object. To facilitate the flow of charity from our participation in Mass to our ordinary interaction, we should heed the advice of St Thomas Aquinas once more, and seek the intercession of Our Lady, always the model for the reception of Jesus Christ, and who in every danger will come to the assistance of her suppliants.

The talk was followed by questions. In the course of these Fr Saward noted the paradox that the Roman Rite, long noted for its conservatism and austerity, had lost these features in its reformed form by the addition of elements from other Rites.

He urged his audience to read books in preference to blogs!

He noted the immense importance of the published works of Cardinal Ratzinger, over the years, in forming his own thinking and that of many others, on the subject of the Mass, and how with the MP the Holy Father’s openness to criticism of the reformed liturgy was a very liberating experience. Faithful Catholics no longer feel they must suppress doubts and worries and concerns about the reform, for they have been expressed by the Pope himself.

The final question from the floor concerned the pastoral difficulty of widening the use of the Traditional Mass. There are clearly many who would, if confronted with it without further ado, find it an ‘alien experience’. One option at this point, the questioner suggested, would be to contemplate a ‘two-tier’ liturgy, the Traditional one for those who can really grasp it, and the reformed Mass for everyone else.

In response to this, Fr Saward acknowledged the seriousness of the difficulty, which he had experienced himself in his own parish. However, a two-tier liturgy is not the right answer. The Eastern Churches, Catholic and Orthodox, have no special liturgy for special groups, no ‘children’s liturgy’ for example, but one Divine Liturgy which is always sung and always rather lengthy, by Latin standards. This does not seem to create difficulties for them with regard to the young, or the less educated; on the contrary, this kind of liturgical experience is something that everyone can appreciate. It will certainly be difficult to bring the liturgical tradition, in its fullness, back into every corner of ordinary parish life, but it must at least be attempted with the help of God. The key to liturgical formation is the receptivity of children and the capacity for wonder with which all human beings are endowed. The great liturgical tradition of the Church, East and West, has the power to touch hearts.

Society honours founding member, Hartwell de la Garde Grissell

2007 marks the centenary of the death of a founding member of the Newman Society, Hartwell de la Garde Grissell, MA, FSA. Following yesterday's termly mass in Brasenose College, there was a drinks reception and small exhibition commemorating Grissell. A biography was also printed in the service book:

Born in 1839, Hartwell was the son of Thomas Grissell, a prosperous public works contractor. He matriculated to Oxford University as a commoner of Brasenose College in 1859 and graduated MA in 1866. Whilst at Oxford he moved in Tractarian circles and, in 1865, published “Ritual Inaccuracies,” an attempt to reconcile the Prayer Book to the rubrics of the Roman Missal.

Grissell converted to Catholicism in 1868 and in the following year moved to Rome, where he became Cameriere (a Chamberlain of Honour) to Bl. Pius IX. The temporal power of the Pope came to an end in 1870, when Italian troops entered Rome, but Grissell nonetheless continued to serve under Pius IX and his two immediate successors, Leo XIII and St. Pius X. He was rewarded for his service, being created a Knight Commander of the Order of St. Gregory and, in 1898, one of the four Chamberlains “di numero” (an honour usually reserved to the Roman nobility).

Whilst in Rome Grissell amassed a vast collection of relics and sacred curios, including a portion of the Crown of Thorns and the entire body of St. Pacificus. The centrepiece of the collection was the miraculous image of the Madonna called “Mater Misericordia” (now housed in the Oxford Oratory and popularly known as Our Lady of Oxford), to which the Holy Father granted indulgences at Grissell’s request. Besides being an expert in matters liturgical, Grissell was a noted numismatician and was elected to a fellowship in the Society of Antiquaries.

When not serving at the Papal Court, Grissell resided in Oxford, where he lived at number 60 The High. Here he set up a private oratory, which was frequented by many early convert members of the University. In 1877 he suggested the possibility of establishing a society for University Catholics and in the following year this idea came to fruition with the foundation of the Newman Society (which was first called the Catholic Club). Grissell was also to be influential in persuading Leo XIII to allow Catholics to enter the University; this was to result in the foundation of the Catholic Chaplaincy.

Grissell died in Rome on 10 June 1907, leaving his relic collection to the parish of St. Aloysius Gonzaga in Oxford.

Newman Society celebrates 'Summorum Pontificum'

From The New Liturgical Movement
By Joseph Shaw

Today I can report a great breakthrough for liturgical renewal in Oxford: a Catholic student society has not only held its Termly Mass in the usus antiquior, but had an extremely splendid Traditional Solemn High Mass. It took place in the presence of the University Chaplain, Fr John Moffat SJ, in the chapel of Brasenose College, on Monday 19th November, at 6pm.



The student society in question is Oxford Newman Society, (and here) founded in 1878, the oldest Catholic student group in Oxford, which must be one of the oldest Catholic student societies in the world, and one of a very small number, I should imagine, to own its own altar cards. These highly decorated altar cards have been screwed to a wall for a very long time, but now they are back in use, and with them, the Church's liturgical patrimony.



The venue, Brasenose College Chapel, available by kind permission of the College authorities, is a curious mixture of styles. Most obvious from the pictures is the classical marble surround of the altar; the chapel also boasts brightly coloured fan vaulting.



The sacred ministers were Fr Dominic Jacob of the Oxford Oratory, celebrant, Fr Anton Webb, also of the Oratory, deacon, and the NLM's own Br Lawrence Lew OP as subdeacon. Mr Richard Pickett was MC; he was assisted by a team of Newman Society servers.



The Mass was a Votive Mass of Our Lady, Salve sancta parens, offered for the repose of the soul of one of the Newman Society's founders, Papal Chamberlain Hartwell de la Gard Grissell, whose centenary it was. Grissell was a great collector of relics, which established the relic chapel at St Aloyesius, now the Oratory church but in his day a Jesuit church. Unfortunately most of the relics he bequeathed to the church were destroyed by the Jesuit fathers in a moment of iconoclastic madness in 1971. It is a remarkable act of providence that one of the few that remained to await the arrival of the Oratorians was one of St Philip Neri, housed in a splendid metal bust of the saint.



This was the Oxford Gregorian Chant Society's third Mass since its formalisation this term, and the first at which they collaborated with a polyphonic choir. In my view this is the ideal, Rolls Royce option for a Mass on a special occasion: two separate groups of singers, a Gregorian schola doing the propers and a polyphonic group doing the ordinaries and motets. I am glad to say that we, the schola side of it, didn't let the side down: with the assistance of our professional coach, Mr Adrian Taylor, our usual director Mr Julian Griffiths and another experienced local singer, Dr Brian Sudlow, the eight student singers put in an extremely polished performance.



The polyphonists were organised by Mr Andrew Knowles, who did the same thing for the Masses at the LMS Priests Training Conference. Four professional singers, two violinists and an organist (with Mr Knowles conducting) performed the Missa in G by Antonio Caldara, Christian Geist's Quam pulchra es Maria as an Offertory motet, and Alba Trissina's Vulnerasti cor meum and Luca Marenzioat's O Sacrum Convivium at Communion.



The two groups of singers balanced each other extremely well, and I don't think anyone could have left that Mass without understanding at least a little about what former generations of Catholics meant by the beauty of the liturgy.



Despite torrential rain Mass was attended by about 90 people. It was followed by a the Newman Society's splendid termly black tie dinner, which was addressed by Mr Julian Chadwick, Chairman of the Latin Mass Society, who had attended the Mass

Fr. Nicholas Schofield gives talk on 'Oxford's Cardinals'

From Fr. Nicholas' blog -

Last night I spoke to the Oxford University Newman Society on the subject of 'The Oxford Cardinals - from Robert Pullen to George Pell.' As far as I know, 27 Cardinals have connections with the University - some famous (like Wolsey, Manning and Newman), others less so (like the anti-pope Alexander V or William Theodore Heard, who rowed in the 1907 Boat Race). It was a highly enjoyable occasion, preceded by a meal at the Chaplaincy prepared by the members and followed by some lively discussion over port. Among the 20 or so who attended were three Dominicans, including blogger Br Lawrence Lew. Since the talk was quite late, I enjoyed some Jesuit hospitality at Campion Hall.


It brought back many memories since I was President of the Society back in Hilary Term 1996 - indeed, I was surprised to see my term's committee photo hanging on the wall in the room where I gave the talk. Looking at the youthful faces, I counted three students who are now priests. And judging from the people I met yesterday, there will probably be a significant crop of vocations over the coming years.

A visit to Oxford provided an opportunity to visit some old haunts - including the HQ of Family Publications, the Oratory Church of St Aloysius and my alma mater, Exeter College. A message on the door reported the tragic events of Monday which have been (I later discovered) reported in the papers. Two 'freshers' (first years) died within a few hours of each other: Sundeep Watts and Harcourt ("Olly") Tucker. The first died of of meningitis, while the other suffered a heart attack during a game of hockey. Oxford colleges are small communities and Exeter only has about 300 undergraduates, so the death of two promising undergraduates after just 7 weeks of University must be a terrible shock. May they rest in peace.

Mgr. Ronald Arbuthnott Knox 1888 - 1957

This year sees the fiftieth anniversary of the death of Mgr. Ronald Arbuthnott Knox, former Chaplain and a keen member of the Newman.

Educated at Eton and Balliol, Knox was elected as fellow of Trinity College in 1910 and served for a time as Chaplain there. He converted to Catholicism in 1917 and was ordained to the Priesthood. Between 1926 and 1939 Knox served as Chaplain to Oxford University and was created a Domestic Prelate of His Holiness the Pope in 1936.

Knox single-handedly produced a translation of the entire Vulgate Bible and was well known for his essay writing and novels, especially his detective stories. He had an advanced sense of humour and in 1926 sparked national panic in a spoof BBC news broadcast reporting the invasion of Britain (click here to listen to a BBC reconstruction).

A fuller biography can be seen here.

R. I. P.

Fr. Tim Finigan speaks about 'Humanae Vitae: 40 Years on'

From The Hermeneutic of Continuity

Last night, I was the guest at a joint meeting organised by the Oxford University Pro-Life Society and the Oxford Newman Society. There was first of all a magnificent dinner at the Chaplaincy, attended by 24 students and cooked by members of the Newman Society. The Library was full for the talk with about 40 students attending. I spoke about Humanae Vitae, 40 years on.I pointed out that Humanae Vitae was addressed particularly to married couples whereas now most people arguing about contraception are referring to non-married relationships. I looked at the breakdown of traditional Christian morality (as predicted by Pope Paul VI) and the response that we could make by upholding the teaching of Humanae Vitae and encouraging people to see that teaching as offering a nobler way of life.It was really very encouraging to meet these students and I came away with great hope for the future. The chaplains kindly arranged for me to stay at Campion Hall, the Jesuit house in Oxford. This morning, in response to requests from the students, I celebrated Mass in the old rite. The Fathers were most helpful in providing everything for the Mass which I celebrated in the St Joseph's Chapel. Jospeh Shaw took a couple of pictures of the Mass - here is one:

Joanna Bogle on her talk to the Newman Society

Recently I was invited to address the Newman Society at Oxford University. This group is proud of its claim to be the oldest of the many societies established by the student body. It takes its name, of course, from the great Cardinal John Henry Newman, who, as a Fellow of Oriel College, and Vicar of the University Church, was one of the greatest figures of the Oxford of his day.


The Newman Society meets at The Old Palace, the Catholic Chaplaincy, and an excellent dinner was provided before the meeting by a team led by the chaplain Father Jeremy Fairhead -- who met me at the front door clad in a smart white chef’s apron over his clerical attire. Conversation over the meal was lively and enjoyable. We then hurried upstairs to the large drawing-room, which was simply packed for the meeting, extra chairs being carried in and a great buzz of talk: Catholic life is thriving in Oxford at the moment.

It is all very encouraging. Adjoining the beautiful 14th-century buildings of the Old Palace is the modern chapel and associated rooms -- necessary because some 300-400 people attend Mass here every Sunday, and a good number on weekday mornings too, at the smaller weekday chapel of St. Thomas More. The modern part of the chaplaincy is ugly (it was built in the 1970s!) but serviceable. It seems absurd that in this city of churches something new had to be constructed for the Catholic chaplaincy -- but making use of some Medieval or Victorian Anglican church still presents legal and other difficulties so building something new is actually simplest.

As the meeting began, I had the delight of meeting, among the undergraduates, one who had been the winner of an award presented by The Keys, the Catholic Writers’ Guild of England and Wales, a couple of years earlier as a schoolgirl. The award, presented annually for the best essay contributed by a Catholic school pupil in Britain on a given theme, had been presented at the House of Commons by Catholic MP Anne Widdceombe, and the memory of this evidently still glowed. I was thrilled to see how much it had meant to this young student, and to see that she had continued to develop her faith and was here to attend a Newman Society meeting and enjoy being part of the university’s Catholic life.

Topic for the evening was “Women and the Catholic Church”, with the sub-title “Does the Church oppress women?”, which is the title of my booklet on the subject produced by the Catholic Truth Society. It covers, among other issues, the question of whether or not women can be ordained as Catholic priests, and gives some background and thought-material on the subject. In exploring this, it emphasizes the consistent teaching of the Church on the subject, from Christ’s choice of His Apostles -- twelve men, despite the fact that it was normal among all the pagan religions of His part of the world to have priestesses, and indeed a female priesthood was virtually taken for granted in the Roman world -- right down through all the different eras of Christian history to Pope John Paul II’s authoritative statement on the subject in Ordinatio Sacerdotalis.

I was surprised to note, in conversation with the young award-winner, that she considered it quite normal to believe that women ought to be ordained. But I remembered that, in conversation with her religious education teacher, I had become aware that this teacher certainly supported female ordination -- and she had evidently been only too successful in communicating this to her pupils.

It’s important to understand that this support for priestesses does not necessarily come as part of a “package deal” of dissent on other issues: while such dissent is certainly the norm among older campaigning feminists, this is not the case among the younger generation of Catholics. They tend, if they are practicing the Faith at all, to be generally supportive of the Church’s message on, for example, sexual morality and particularly on abortion. They have already decided that they do want to be associated with the Church -- it isn’t just a cultural thing as it may have been in the past, and of course they are acutely aware of their many friends who have simply abandoned a Faith that was poorly taught as a result of the poor religious education and ugly liturgies that have marked the Church in recent decades.

These young practicing Catholics of the John Paul II generation have a certain openness to the possibility of Catholicism being something positive. They may even be quite keen on things like use of Latin in church, once regarded as something no one young could want. They aren’t the 1970s generation and they aren’t terribly impressed by the language and literature of dissident nuns and sloganizing ex-priests. They don’t necessarily feel any sense of resonance with talk of a “patriarchal and oppressive” Church, and they don’t buy into the whole women-have-been-oppressed-by-male-clergy-down-the-centuries idea. It’s more simple than that: they have something very positive in their attitude to Christ and to the Church, but they lack formation and a sense of belonging to a great tradition of teaching.

On the subject of priesthood, for instance, many will merely assume that, just as women are now admitted to colleges that were formerly for men only (even when I left school in the 1970s, the number of women attending both Oxford and Cambridge Universities was small: most colleges were for men only and places for women were few), and just as women now do things like fly in space and fight in front-line armies, so they will and should naturally take their place in the Catholic priesthood too.

It’s a difficult message to counter: not because it’s a profound or intellectually well-grounded message, and not because it’s a particularly valuable one, but simply because it’s so superficial. It presupposes that the priesthood is simply a job -- a very beautiful one, requiring special sorts of insights and presumably a great devotion to Christ -- but a job nonetheless.

It’s worth noting that, actually, even the basic suppositions -- that it’s right and useful to have women in a front-line army, for example -- are worth challenging. It may well be that in a couple of decades’ time -- or even earlier -- we will be questioning the current fashion for encouraging young girls in the idea that wielding a sub-machine-gun is the best use of their talents.

There is certainly a need to challenge the clichés of the “unisex” culture, which has given rise to the notion that any and every difference between the sexes should always be minimized, and that, if necessary, biological, emotional, and psychological facts should be bent, twisted, or ignored in order to fit feminist ideology. But the real issue here, when discussing the Catholic priesthood, is deeper and relates to the nature of the priesthood itself: to Christ and His Church, Bridegroom and Bride, in God’s original plan.

I think we need to start with a recognition that God doesn’t make mistakes: we may see a greater understanding of His message and teachings, but He doesn’t require that we correct things that He got wrong. He didn’t and doesn’t get things wrong. In His plan, for example, marriage was always to be between a man and a woman, always to be open to the passing on of new life to the next generation, always to be lifelong, always to be faithful. We may need to teach this in new ways, and we may gain new insights into how best to live out this teaching (compare the richness of John Paul II’s “Theology of the Body” with the terse and frankly somewhat bleak sternness of the Catechism of the Council of Trent on matrimony) but the teaching itself does not and cannot change.

In looking at the priesthood, we need to understand how Christ always sees Himself as the Bridegroom: we should note how His public ministry begins at a wedding, at Cana, and how the (interesting nameless) Bridegroom and Bride are there in the picture from the start. When Christ turns water into wine -- and in this we already see a foretaste of the Eucharist, as Mary’s “Do whatever He tells you” will become Christ’s “Do this in memory of me” -- we have the beginning of something priestly, which is of crucial importance.

Christ went out of His way to show that both men and women were to be carriers of His message and part of His Church. It is to a woman at the well that He speaks of Himself as the Messiah. It is to Mary Magdalene in the garden that He shows Himself first after His Resurrection. It is a little girl -- Jairus’s daughter -- that He brings back to life and to whose parents He offers the instruction “give her something to eat”. Women will know Him as Messiah, they will rejoice at His Resurrection and in His very presence, they will be fed at His command.

Who, then, are the priests? They are certainly a mixed bunch. The call to priesthood is clearly something specific: it’s not a matter of rewarding good behavior or of using specific gifts. One denies Him, but then goes on to be the leader of the new little flock, and the rock on which the Church will be built. One betrays Him -- and alas other priests have done that since, including in our own day. One stays with Him loyally, standing at the foot of the Cross along with the women. We know the names of the Apostles, and we see the very different backgrounds from which they come -- one the owner of a small fishing business, and other a tax collector. And we note that they are all men, and all specifically called. No special gifts -- not of preaching, or of personal charm, or of spiritual insight -- seem apparent. It is just a specific call, and to men.

“But some women feel they are called too” came a voice raised at my Oxford meeting, not from the young woman with whom I had been speaking earlier, but from another, similarly placed within this Catholic community, evidently not openly disloyal to the Church, certainly not seeking to be offensive or confrontational, just genuinely puzzled. But what do we mean by “called”? Is it just a feeling? We can all have feelings that seem genuine but are unreliable and fickle. We may feel -- genuinely feel -- that we are called to marry a particular person, only to discover that he or she doesn’t feel the same way. We may feel called to have a family, yet remain childless. We may know we have certain talents, only to find that, in unexpected ways, God uses our quite different gifts and in a career or country or situation wholly different from the one we had been planning.

To check whether our “call” is from God, we have to test it against reality: to see if what we feel called to do is technically possible. If women cannot actually be priests -- if we cannot be the Bridegroom at the wedding -- then it is idle to say that we feel that we ought to be.

It is all much more nuptial than we had supposed. That Cana imagery is not mere pictures: there really is a wedding theme going right through Christ’s life and ministry -- as well as back to Genesis and forward into the vision of Heaven that we find in the last book of the Bible. Christ did not marry in this world: He had no human wife and children. But He did have a Bride -- His Church -- and you and I and all the baptized are children of that union. That is why we now refer to His Bride as Mother Church. And the wedding is celebrated again and again at every Mass -- and at the Marriage Feast of the Lamb in Paradise.

Merely feeling that we ought to be the Bridegroom can’t turn us into bridegrooms. We have to ask what we are, and why God made us what we are, and whether He loves us or not. God has plenty of plans for each one of us. Discerning these need not be done in a vacuum: Mother Church helps us. She explains His teachings, shows us how (and when, and where) to pray, gives us treats and traditions, mild reproofs and gentle nudges, food for our journey and lots and lots of encouragement. The Church’s women saints and heroines show us the way: often more saintly than the priests who served or even taught them, often better known, and more worthy of being better known.

When we explore this issue of women and the priesthood we should, I think, keep in mind what happens in the life of the Church when heresies emerge: the universal pattern is for the heresy to sweep ahead and then for the Church to check it. This means announcing the truth and binding us all once again to what is right -- a service that, incidentally, is the humblest and best of the papal tasks, and one which Pope Benedict has described as being done as “washing the feet”, i.e., done in a spirit of service. With the announcing of the truth will come much -- often passionate -- debate, and perhaps the emergence of real heroes who defend the Church’s authentic teaching against all the odds. In the end, the truth will emerge more brightly: we may even have cause to be grateful for the original error, as it did enable us to be enriched by a deeper understanding.

Thus with the priesthood. A male priesthood is more important than we had thought. The notion of a priest as Bridegroom, as a Father, is one deserving of new emphasis. The nuptial imagery of each Mass is something we need to appreciate and study. The importance of marriage -- today under threat as never before -- and its true nature as a sacrament, is bound up with this. The understanding of the Church as a Bride and a Mother is important.

When we explain and discuss all this, we should do so knowing that many younger Catholics -- certainly in Western Europe and in America -- have had poor formation and catechesis, and are living out their faith in a very hostile environment. Merely to live as decent Christians -- to be faithful to prayer and to Sunday Mass, to be chaste, to live without endlessly being obsessed with material possessions and greedy for more of them -- is really commendable, given the huge pressures from all sides to live otherwise. As recently as the 1950s, it was fairly normal to be a churchgoer, absolutely odd to be openly “living in sin”, a public disgrace to be pregnant outside of wedlock, illegal to engage in homosexual acts, and crucial to be seen to dress with general modesty and to refrain from blasphemy or sexual expletives in speech if you wanted to hold down a respectable job. None of that now applies. Young people trying to live as Catholics in a modern university and take up positions in modern Western nations have to struggle to work out just what they do believe and why, and how they should live and whether it really matters.

When we tackle issues like the priesthood, feminism, and the transmission of the great truths of the Faith, we probably need more courage and more wisdom than we had perhaps once thought necessary. I enjoyed my evening with a young University audience. As the evening finished -- and it was still at the port-and-discussion stage when I left, with the conversation lively and the atmosphere good -- I knew that the Church’s authentic teaching would be discussed and explored with rigor, humor, honesty, and passion, as well as with the occasional cliché, some pomposity, loss of temper, and, inevitably misunderstanding, and confusion.

But it can stand up to all of this. In the end the truth triumphs -- and the task of the Catholic is to communicate that truth with confidence and with generosity, knowing that the work has already been done and grateful for the ministry of Peter, which keeps us all on the right track. In another hundred years, there’ll be some other young people genuinely asking questions about some other aspects of Catholic teaching (“Why bread and wine?” “Why a Cross and not some other form of death?”), which by then will seem crucial. And the Church will go on exploring the truth and re-teaching it and giving the unchanging answers with new insights.

Statutes

THE CONSTITUTION
AND STANDING ORDERS

OF OXFORD UNIVERSITY NEWMAN SOCIETY

THE CONSTITUTION

1 Name
2 Object
3 Membership
4 Executive Committee

5 Role of Officers

6 Elections
7 Meetings
8 Expulsion of Members

9 Visitors
10 The Constitution

STANDING ORDERS

Section A: General Measures
A.1 Subscription charges
A.2 Entrance fee to be paid by non-Members
A.3 The Society's movable property
A.4 Officers’ responsibilities
A.5 Past-Presidents

A.6 Declaration of Officers
A.7 Financial liability
A.8 Disciplinary measures
A.9 Executive Committee minutes
A.10 Attendance of Officers
Appendix: The grace

Section B:

The Newman Foundation

Seaction C:

The Newman Society Association

THE CONSTITUTION OF OXFORD UNIVERSITY NEWMAN SOCIETY
Approved at the Ordinary General Meeting, Trinity Term, 1998

Name

1. The name of the Society shall be the “Oxford University Newman Society” in memory of the Venerable John Henry Cardinal Newman of Trinity College. The Society shall be affiliated to the Oxford University Catholic Society.

Object

2. The object of the Society shall be to promote the Faith and life of the Roman Catholic Church by way of spiritual, social and intellectual activities within the University of Oxford.

Membership

3.a - The Society shall admit to full membership matriculated members of the University and members of other affiliated institutions mentioned in the Proctors’ Regulations, and Registered Visiting Students who are members of Colleges but not matriculated.

b - The Society may also admit to full membership other persons not being matriculated nor being members of other affiliated institutions provided that they shall not form more than one-fifth of the total membership.

c - There shall be three types of membership: Annual, University and Life membership. Any person qualifying for membership of the Society shall be eligible for Annual membership or for Life membership. Only persons reading for a Degree of the University of Oxford shall be eligible for University membership; this may be converted into Life membership without further payment at any time after graduation if the member so requests.

d - The rates of Annual, University and Life subscriptions shall be determined by Standing Order. The Executive Committee may refuse membership to any applicant.

Executive Committee
4.a - The government of the Society shall be committed to the Executive Committee, which shall consist of the Senior Member and the following elected Officers: President, President-elect, Secretary, Treasurer, Social Secretary, and Publicity Officer.

b - The Executive Committee shall have the right to co-opt other members onto the Committee with full voting rights thereon.

c - The Senior Member of the Society shall, wherever possible, be the Senior Roman Catholic Chaplain to the University. If this shall not be possible, the Senior Chaplain shall be asked to nominate an appropriate member of Congregation as Senior Member.

Role of Officers
5. Office shall be deemed to commence from the end of Full Term immediately following election. All Officers shall serve for one term except for the Secretary and the Treasurer who shall serve for three.

a) The President -
(i) shall be a practising Roman Catholic.
(ii) shall chair all meetings of the Society, including General Meetings and Executive Committee meetings.
(iii) shall be responsible for all the activities of the Society and for representing the Society externally, including liaison with the University Catholic Society.
(iv) shall be responsible for calling meetings of the Executive Committee subject to Rule 7.a, the Ordinary General Meeting subject to Rule 7.b, and any Extraordinary General Meetings subject to Rule 7.d.
(v) shall approach a suitable person to be Returning Officer with the approval of the Senior Member before the end of Third Week

b - The President-Elect -
(i) shall be a practising Roman Catholic
(ii) shall be responsible for the organization of the Society’s programme of events for the following term
(iii) shall act as Vice-President, deputizing for the President in his absence, unless he shall direct otherwise
(iv) Shall during Trinity Term be responsible for preparing for Freshers’ Fair

c - The Secretary -
(i) shall fulfil the duties required of him in the Proctors’ Memorandum
(ii) shall take the minutes of all meetings of the Society and shall be responsible for ensuring that the archives of the Society are kept in the best order possible
(iii) shall keep the Society’s Membership List, on which shall be entered the names of all members, their Colleges or other addresses, and the date to which their subscriptions have been paid, and any other information the President may deem suitable

d - The Treasurer -
(i) shall fulfil the duties required of him in the Proctors’ Memorandum
(ii) shall present to the termly Ordinary General Meeting a statement of the Society’s accounts, audited by two independent persons.

e - The Social Secretary -
(i) shall be responsible for organizing at least one social event in his term for office with the approval of the President
(ii) shall be responsible for providing any nutritious need after any meeting according to the President’s direction.

f - The Publicity Officer shall be responsible for effecting publicity for the Society during his term of office, including the sending of a term card to ‘Daily Information’ and the production and distribution of posters according to the President’s direction.

Elections

6.a - The Society’s elections shall be held during the Seventh Week of Full Term.

b - The Committee must approve the appointment of the Returning Officer chosen by the President. Before the Sunday of Sixth Week, the Returning Officer must display on the Society Noticeboard a notice of his appointment and a Notice of Election, stating the offices to be contested.

c - The office of President shall not be contested in an election. The President-elect in any term shall be President in the term following.

d - Only members who are resident members of the University in statu pupillari may be nominated for, or hold, office in the Society.

e - Nominations must be signed by the candidate and by two other members of the Society as his proposer and seconder. Nominations must either be submitted in writing directly to the Returning Officer or written upon the Notice of Election on the Society Noticeboard, in both cases before 1 p.m. on Friday of Sixth Week.

f - Members may not be nominated so that they might hold two or more elected offices concurrently, except that the offices of Social Secretary and Publicity Officer may be held concurrently with other offices. In the event of no nominations being received for the offices of Social Secretary or Publicity Officer, it shall fall to the President to dispose of the office(s) in question as he shall think fit throughout his term of office.

g - After the close of nominations, candidates may display manifestos on the Society Noticeboard until the result of the election has been declared. Any manifestos shall consist of a single side of A4 paper, and may include a passport-sized photograph of the candidate.

h - The Returning Officer shall display a Notice of Poll on the Society Noticeboard before Sunday of Seventh Week, declaring the nominations received and giving the time and place of the Poll should one be necessary. If this be the case, the Poll should be open for not less than two hours, and should take place in the University Catholic Chaplaincy under the supervision of the Returning Officer. The Returning Officer shall follow any stipulation of the Senior Member in respect of the Poll.

i - The method of election shall be a secret ballot using a system of single transferable vote. All members paid up before the end of Fourth Week shall be eligible to vote. In the event of a tie, the Senior Member shall have a casting vote.

j - Any allegations of electoral malpractice shall be reported to the Returning Officer within twenty-four hours of the close of Poll, who shall refer them to the Senior Member. The fact of the allegation and the Senior Member’s decision shall be published on the Society Noticeboard. The Senior Member shall have the power to suspend or expel a member, to ban a member from participating in any future election, and to order a re-election. Any re-election must take place within seven days of the previous election.

k - If any Officer other than the President or President-elect shall resign before the end of Sixth Week, the Executive Committee shall have the power to fill the vacancy until the end of term. If such a resignation shall occur after the end of Sixth Week, the office shall remain vacant until the result of the election has been declared, when the incoming Officer shall enter upon his office immediately.

l - If the President shall resign, the President-elect shall become President, and shall retain the office of President-elect. If the President-elect shall resign before the end of Fourth Week, there shall be an election to fill the vacancy. The President shall appoint a Returning Officer, if the Committee has not already done so, who shall display the appropriate notices as in Rule 6.b, and nominations shall be accepted until 1pm on the seventh day after the display of these notices. The Returning Officer shall display a Notice of Poll as soon as possible after this time, and if a Poll shall be necessary it shall take place within fourteen days of the display of the Notice of Election. If the President-elect shall resign after the end of Fourth Week, the Executive Committee shall have the power to fill the vacancy.

Meetings

7.a - The President shall call at least three meetings of the Executive Committee during Full Term, of which the Secretary must give two days notice to all members of the Committee. Failure to give such notice shall render the meeting invalid unless all the Officers shall be in attendance. The quorum for each Executive Committee shall be five.

b - The President shall call an Ordinary General Meeting during each term. The Secretary shall post a notice of this fourteen days in advance.

c - The agenda of the Ordinary General Meeting shall consist of the presentation of the audited accounts for the previous term by the Treasurer and any other such business as shall have been communicated to the President and he shall have directed the Secretary to have published on the Society Noticeboard by the Sunday before the Meeting.

d - If any ten members of the Society or a majority of the Executive Committee shall present a petition to the President for an Extraordinary General Meeting, he shall call such a Meeting within twenty-one days. The Secretary shall be given two days to post a notice of the Meeting, stating its business, at least fourteen days in advance. Only this business may be conducted during the Meeting. Notice shall be given to any person in whom a motion of no confidence shall have been proposed.

e - The quorum for a General Meeting shall be fifteen, at least five of whom shall not be members of the Committee. The necessary majority for the removal of an Officer or Executive Committee member shall be two-thirds of those present. If the removal of the President is to be discussed, the Senior Member shall preside.

Expulsion of Members
8.a - The Executive Committee shall have the power to expel any member who shall, in its opinion, offend against the rules of the Society, or whose conduct it shall judge to bring the Society into disrepute. Such a member shall be given seven days’ written notice by the Secretary to appear before a meeting of the Executive Committee informing him of the complaint against him.

b - No member may be expelled without the opportunity of being heard and answering the complaint made against him. Any expulsion must be made by a two-thirds majority of the full Executive Committee. If an expelled person wishes to make a reapplication for membership, the consent of the Executive Committee must be obtained.

Visitors

9.a - Visitors shall be entitled to attend all meetings of the Society except Executive Committee and General Meetings. Visitors shall pay an entrance fee to be determined by Standing Order.

b - No person who has been expelled from the Society may attend any meeting without the express permission of the Executive Committee.

The Constitution
10.a - The Society shall at all times be administered in accordance with such regulations as the Proctors may impose on University Societies.

b - The Executive Committee shall have power to interpret the Constitution subject to the approval of the Senior Member. The Constitution may only be amended by a two-thirds majority of those voting at a General Meeting. All amendments must be stated in full in the meeting’s agenda, and must be approved by the Proctors.

c - The Executive Committee may regulate any matter by Standing Order. Valid Standing Orders may not contradict the Constitution, and shall be passed by a two-thirds majority of those voting.

Gregory Flash Coll. S. Hugonis
Secretary die 6 Novembris, 1998

STANDING ORDERS
Standing Orders are formed under the Constitution of Oxford University Newman Society, Rules 3.d [membership subscription], 9.a [entrance fee], and 10.c [regulation of any matter].

SECTION A:
GENERAL MEASURES

Subscription charges
A.1. The rates of subscription to the Society shall be £6.00 for Annual membership, £12.00 for University membership and £20.00 for Life membership, save that the subscription rate for University membership shall be £10.00 during the first two weeks of Michaelmas full term.

Entrance fee to be paid by non-Members
A.2. Should the Executive Committee believe it to further the objects of the Society it
shall be empowered to charge non-members of the Society to attend any event it may hold. The amount shall be at the discretion of the Executive Committee.

The Society's movable property

A.3.-(1)It shall be the President’s prerogative to determine which individuals shall be entrusted with the Society’s moveable property, and to reallocate items at any time.
(2) At the President’s behest, the Treasurer shall oversee the transfer of such items from one individual to another.
(3) The Treasurer shall maintain an inventory recording the condition of the Society’s property and the persons to whom it has been entrusted. At the transfer of an item, the new custodian shall sign the inventory acknowledging responsibility for the item.
(4) At the beginning of each Michaelmas term, the Treasurer shall arrange to inspect each item of the Society’s property, to photograph the item and to update the record of its condition in the inventory. The custodian of the item shall sign the inventory to acknowledge his continuing responsibility for its care. A copy of the inventory shall be lodged with the University Insurance Officer.
(5) The Executive Committee may enable the Treasurer to sign the inventory in place of a member, provided he shall have first inspected the item.
(6) The Bodleian Library shall not be required to sign the inventory acknowledging its custody of the Society’s archive. However, the Treasurer must still make an annual inspection.
(7) The Treasurer shall, at the behest of the President or Executive Committee, take all appropriate action to recover the Society’s property that is not in its possession.

Officers' responsibilities
A.4 (1) It shall be the duty of officers to do those things required of them by:
a) The Constitution
b) Standing Orders
c) University regulations, in so far as they apply to the Society
d) in the case of Executive Officers, action designated under Standing Order or agreed in a meeting of the Executive Committee

(2) Further to the duties delineated in the Constitution, the Officers of the Society shall have further personal responsibilities, as are herein described.

(3) Each Officer shall maintain a file containing a copy of the constitution and standing orders and such further papers as relate to his office. He shall pass this file on to his successor upon completion of his term of office. Should his successor be not elected, he shall pass the file to the Secretary, who shall pass it to the successor upon his election.

(4) The President shall -
(a) be responsible for entertaining the Society’s speakers (including the provision of
drinks before dinner and/or after the meeting, as may be appropriate)
(b) write to thank each speaker
(c) be responsible for organising the termly Mass and dinner
(d) make announcements after the Solemn Mass at the Chaplaincy on Sundays (should he be absent for a good reason, he shall delegate another Officer to fulfil this duty)
(e) should the position of Social Secretary remain vacant, fulfil the duties of the Social Secretary
(f) should the position of Publicity Officer remain vacant, fulfil the duties of the Publicity Officer

(5) The Senior Member shall say the Society’s grace at formal dinners [see Appendix].

(6) The President-Elect shall -
(a) subject to the veto of the Executive Committee, invite speakers to address the Society in the forthcoming term
(b) dependant on the Society having sufficient funds, offer to pay speakers’ travel
expenses, and arrange accommodation if needed;
(c) consult the Catholic Chaplain over the production and distribution of the Society’s
term card
(d) after his election, call on the Senior Member to discuss his term as President
(e) after his election, call on the Chaplain to discuss his term as President

(7) The Treasurer shall -
(a) make arrangements for the reimbursement and payment of speakers’ travel and
accommodation expenses;
(b) submit the accounts to the Executive Committee in order that it might query them, and also pass them to the Secretary in order to be audited by the Senior Member and submitted with the proctorial registration form;

(8) The Secretary shall -
(a) maintain the minute book for Meetings of the Society (recording therein the date and place of meetings, the names of the speakers, the titles of talks and debates, the name of the chairman of meetings, and the names and colleges of the members in attendance)
(b) maintain the minute book for meetings of the Executive Committee (recording
therein the full minutes of each meeting)
(c) return the proctorial registration form to the Clubs Committee by the requisite date at the beginning of each new term

(9) The Social Secretary shall -
(a) in advance of each Meeting, arrange for Officers to assist with the preparation
and clearing of dinner and with the provision of drinks after the Meeting
(b) at the direction of the President, arrange the termly drinks party

(10) The Publicity Officer shall -
(a) subject to the President, send out regular (preferably weekly) e-mails to members,
informing them of forthcoming events
(b) at the direction of the President, send out formal invitations to the termly dinner
(c) display posters for Meetings on the notice board and in such other places as may be deemed appropriate

(11) The Returning Officer shall:
(a) be responsible for maintaining discipline in the Society;
(b) be responsible for the running of elections in accordance with the Constitution,
Standing Orders, custom, and stipulations of the Senior Member;
(c) inform the Executive Committee of any disciplinary measures taken;
(d) at the request of Officers, inform them of their duties according to the Constitution, Standing Orders, and custom.

Past-Presidents

A.5. The Past-Presidents who remain in residence and make them selves known to the Executive Committee shall hold co-opted office on the said Executive Committee.

Declaration of Officers
A.6. Except the Senior Member, each Officer shall sign the following declaration in the presence of the Executive Committee before he shall exercise office -
“As an Officer of the Oxford University Newman Society I shall uphold the faith of the Holy Catholic Church. I have read the Constitution and Standing Orders Secation A of the said Society and I promise that I shall abide by them.”

Financial liability
A.7. The President shall have financial responsibility for all events (unless the Executive Committee shall have explicitly made another Officer responsible in a particular instance). Should he have engaged in expenditure without the authorisation of the Executive Committee, the President shall be liable for any loss. It shall be the Treasurer’s duty to recover such a loss from the President. Should the President fail to make payment, it shall be the duty of the Treasurer shall bring charges against him.

Disciplinary measures
A.8 (1) The following shall be offences within the Society:
(a) breach of the Constitution or Standing Orders
b) non payment of monies owed to the Society
c) misappropriation of Society assets
d) electoral malpractice
e) neglect of duty
f) malicious complaint
g) conduct bringing the Society into disrepute

(2) Any member of the Society believing another member to be guilty of an offence may make a written complaint to the Returning Officer.

(3) Upon receipt of a written complaint or upon his own initiative the Returning Officer shall consider the nature and circumstances of any alleged offence and should he find the accused member to be guilty shall either:
a) issue a Disciplinary Notice and impose a fine, which shall not exceed £10.00 or
b) in more serious cases, convene the Disciplinary Tribunal

(4) The Disciplinary Tribunal shall be comprised of the President, Past-Presidents, and Returning Officer.

(5) Should the Disciplinary Tribunal be convened to hear a case against the President, a Past-President, or the Returning Officer then that officer shall not sit on the tribunal during the proceedings against himself.

(6) An accused member who's case is to be heard by the Disciplinary Tribunal shall have the right to appear before the tribunal and defend himself. The Returning Officer shall provide him with three days written notice stating the date, time, and place of the hearing and the nature and circumstances of the alleged offence.

(7) Should the Disciplinary Tribunal find a member to be guilty of an offence it shall issue a Disciplinary Notice and impose a fine, which shall not exceed £50.00.

(8) Disciplinary Notices shall be copied to the Senior Member and the Treasurer and shall state the date of the notice, the nature and circumstances of the offence, the amount of the fine, the date by which the fine must be paid to the Treasurer (which shall be more than seven days from the date of the notice), and the procedure for appeal outlined in Standing Order A.8 (9).

(9) A member in receipt of a Disciplinary Notice shall have seven days from the date of the notice to lodge a written appeal with the Senior Member. The lodging an appeal shall automatically suspend the date by which a fine must be paid.

(10) The Senior Member shall consider any appeal made to him and shall have the power to sustain or overturn any decision of the Returning Officer or Disciplinary Tribunal and to sustain or decrease any fine.

(11) Having considered an appeal the Senior Member shall provide the appellant with a dated notification of his decision, which shall be copied to the Treasurer. Should he sustain or decrease a fine the Senior Member shall inform the appellant that he has seven days from the date of the notification to pay it to the Treasurer.

(12) Should the position of Returning Officer be vacant, or should the Returning Officer be accused of an offence, the most junior Past-President shall fulfil the Returning Officer's duties described in this Standing Order.

(13) The forgoing disciplinary provisions shall not relate to cases of electoral malpractice, which shall be dealt with in accordance with article 6 of the Constitution.

(14) The forgoing disciplinary provisions shall not prejudice the right of the Executive Committee to expel members in accordance with article 8 of the Constitution.

(15) According to the same conditions and procedure as that given in article 8 of the Constitution for expulsion of members the Executive Committee shall have the power to remove a member from office or to suspend an officer for a specified period of time.

(16) The Executive Committee shall have the power to censure a member for a just reason.

Executive Committee minutes
A.9.-(1) All minutes of the Committee Meetings of the Society are private, and are not to be given to none members of the Committee; not withstanding the following exceptions.

(2) The Committee, through the process of a motion passed by simple majority, shall be empowered to provide these minutes to people who are not members of the committee, and in exceptional circumstances those who are not members of the Society. Unless specified in the enabling motion itself, the person shall be entitled to receive a copy of the approved minutes of all Committee meetings subsequent to the one in which the motion was passed. This motion requires the assent of the Senior Member to be valid and binding.

(3) It should be noted that any person to whom the minutes are given under section (2) of this standing order is still bound by section A of the same order; if the person receiving the minutes shall provide them to anyone who is not a member of the Committee he shall have this privilege automatically revoked.

(4) Minutes shall not be provided to more than five persons who are not members of the Committee, at the same time.

Attendance of Officers
A.10. Except the Senior Member resident Officers of the Society are expected to attend the majority of events the Society holds. To this end any Officer who misses more than a majority of events in any one term without informing, and gaining the permission of, the Executive Committee or President beforehand shall deemed to have resigned from Office.

Appendix

The grace mentioned in Standing Order 4.(5):
Ante Cenam

V. Repleti sumus misericordia Tua
R. Et delectasti sumus omnibus diebus nostris
DOMINE DEUS, qui amorem divinum hoc in pulvere primum sollicitasti et circumvolantes per umbras alma nos ducis luce, benedicas et nobis et his donis Tuis, et, per intercessionem famuli Tui Johannis Henrici et beatorum hujus Universitatis martyrum, facere digneris ut ante radium Tuum omnia providentem genua nostra flectere prediscamus et cor loquatur ad cor. Per Jesum Christum Dominum nostrum. R. Amen.

SECTION B:

OXFORD UNIVERSITY NEWMAN SOCIETY FOUNDATION

Name and patronage

B.1 - (a) There shall be a body of Oxford University Newman Society (hereafter 'the Society') called 'Oxford University Newman Society Foundation' or simply the 'Newman Society Foundation' or the 'Newman Foundation' (hereafter 'the Foundation')(b) The Foundation shall exist as a memorial to the Venerable Servant of God John Henry Cardinal Newman.

Objects B.2 - The objects of the Foundation shall be the promotion of the Catholic faith according to the objects of Oxford University Newman Society and particularly through:(i) the propagation of the Catholic faith among the members of Oxford University(ii) the provision of financial and other support for the Society(iii) the provision of public lectures called 'The Newman Society Lectures'(iv) the awarding of Newman Society Scholarships and such further bursaries, awards, prizes, or grants as may from time to time be determined(v) fostering the objects of the Society among old-members (meaning Life Members not being in statu pupillari and former members) and friends of the Society(vi) such further religious, educational, or charitable activities as may from time to time be determinedMembership of the Foundation

B.3 - The governing members of the Foundation shall be:(i) The President(ii) The Senior Member(iii) Up to three senior members of Oxford University nominated by the Newman Society Academic Board(iv) Up to three alumni of Oxford University nominated by the Newman Society Association(v) Up to three members of the Society nominated by the Executive Committee(vi) Up to three further persons nominated by the Foundation

B.4 - (a) The other members of the Foundation shall be:(i) Newman Society Scholars during the tenure of their scholarships(ii) members of the Academic Board during the period of their service on the Academic Board(iii) such further persons to whom the Foundation may award membership to for the purpose of their carrying out particular offices or positions or otherwise

B.5 - Membership of the Foundation shall confer Life Membership of the Society. A person acquiring Life Membership in this manner shall be exempt from payment of any membership subscription.

B.6 - A person nominated as a governing member shall have tenure as a governing member for a period of time determined by by-law or otherwise for one year.

B.7 - A member of the Foundation shall loose his membership if he shall:(i) be expelled from the Society(ii) become incapable by reason of mental disorder, illness, or injury of managing and administering his affairs(iii) resign his membership of the Society or Foundation by notice in writing(iv) in the case of governing members, be absent from three consecutive meetings of the Committee and/or for good and sufficient reason three quarters of the governing members shall pass a resolution that such a governing member shall be removed from service provided that a governing member faced with removal shall have the right to be heard by the Committee before a vote shall be taken.

The Newman Foundation Committee

B.8 - There shall be a committee called the 'Foundation Committee' (hereafter 'the Committee') which shall be comprised of the governing members of the Foundation.

B.9 - Each governing member shall have the right to attend and bring business before the Committee and to exercise a vote.The powers of the Committee

B.10 - In furthering the objects of the Foundation the Committee shall have the power to:(i) act as the governing body of the Foundation with the mandate of advancing the objects of the Foundation(ii) form by-laws for the regulation of the Foundation (iii) act using the name and achievements of the Society(iv) hold and administer assets(v) establish and operate both current accounts and deposit accounts provided that cheques drawn on such accounts shall not be signed by less than two authorised signatories and to make other investments(vi) raise funds and invite and receive contributions from any person or persons whatsoever by way of subscription, donation, and otherwise(vii) employ and pay any person or persons to supervise, organise, and carry on the work of the Foundation(viii) promote and carry out or assist in the promotion and carrying out of research, surveys, and investigations and publish the useful results thereof for the benefit of the public(ix) appoint Patrons of the Society and award such further honorific offices as it may determine(x) do those things proper to the Foundation as mandated by Standing Order or resolution of the Executive Committee(xi) do all lawful things as are necessary for the attainment of the said objects.

The officers of the Foundation

B.11 - The Committee shall from time to time appoint a Chairman, Treasurer, and Secretary.

B.12 - The Committee may establish further positions by by-law and may from time to time appoint to such positions.

B.13 - The tenure of officers of the Foundation shall be determined by by-law or otherwise shall be a default period of one year.

Proceedings of the Committee

B.14 - (a) The Chairman shall call meetings of the Committee upon the instruction of the Committee or upon his own initiative by giving notice.(b) Should the position of Chairman be vacant the Senior Member shall have the power to call a meeting of the Committee by giving notice. (c) Any three Committee members jointly may also call a meeting of the Committee by giving notice to which their names shall be subscribed.(d) Notice shall state the date, time, and place of the meeting and shall be communicated by electronic mail to all members of the Committee.(e) Unless by-law shall determine otherwise notice shall be given seven clear days before the date of any meeting.

B.15 - A number of Officers being greater than four determined by by-law or otherwise four Committee members shall form a quorum and a meeting of Committee at which a quorum is present shall be competent to exercise all or any of its powers.

B.16 - If at any meeting of the Committee the Chairman is not present within ten minutes after the time appointed for the same the members of the Committee may choose one of their number present to be chairman of that meeting.

B.17 - (a) The powers of the Committee shall be exercised through a motion being carried by the Committee. (b) A majority of votes (each Committee member present having one vote) shall carry a motion.(c) The majority shall be a simple majority except in cases where Standing Orders or by-law provide otherwise.(d) In case of an equality of votes the chairman of the meeting shall have a casting vote.

Records and accounts

B.18 - (a) The Committee shall cause minutes to be kept of all its resolutions and proceedings and any such minutes purporting to be passed by the Committee and signed by the chairman of the meeting or the next succeeding meeting shall be conclusive evidence of the matters stated in such minutes.(b) The taking of minutes shall ordinarily be the duty of the Secretary. In his absence another officer shall be deputised to take them.

B.19 - (a) Each Committee member shall commence his position upon signing and dating the Register kept by the Secretary in the presence of the Committee.(b) The Secretary shall record against the appropriate entry in the Register the date upon which any Committee member shall have ceased to serve.

B.20 - The Committee shall ensure that accounts are kept and that they shall contain:(i) entries showing day to day all sums of money received and expended by the Committee, and the matters in respect of which the receipt and expenditure shall take place; and(ii) a record of the assets and liabilities of the Committee.

B.21 - (a) At the end of each University term the Treasurer shall present accounts for audit and approval by the Senior Member. The Senior Member shall cause these accounts to be submitted together with the Society's general accounts when registering or re-registering the Society with the Proctors.(b) At the end of each academic year the Treasurer shall collate the audited termy accounts and place them before the Committee for approval as the Foundation's annual accounts.

The Academic Board

B.22 - There shall be a body called 'Oxford University Newman Society Academic Board' or simply the 'Newman Society Academic Board' (hereafter 'the Board').

B.23 - The purpose of the Board shall be to:(i) advise the Committee on the choice of themes and lecturers for the Newman Society Lectures(ii) award or cause to be awarded such scholarships, bursaries, awards, and prizes as may be brought into being(iii) give academic and other advice to the Society and the Foundation (iv) undertake such activities as may be agreed between itself and the Committee.

B.24 - (a) The members of the Board shall be senior members of Oxford University or other suitably qualified persons.(b) The members of the Board shall be the Senior Member and such further persons as shall be nominated by the Committee acting on its own initiative or on the recommendation of the Board.

B.25 - (a) The Senior Member shall be ex-officio chairman of the Board.(b) The Senior Member shall from time to time call meetings of the Board, which shall not meet less than once in each academic year.

Revision and abrogation of Standing Orders Section B

B.26 - (a) Any motion abrogating or revising Standing Orders Section B shall come into effect either:(i) upon being proposed by the Committee and passed by the Executive Committee and in the case of a motion of abrogation Standing Order B.27 being complied with, or(ii) upon being passed by the Executive Committee, communicated in writing to the Chairman, and one hundred clear days having elapsed from the date of the said communication.

B.27 - Upon coming into effect a motion abrogating Standing Orders Section B shall dissolve the Foundation. Before the Foundation shall be dissolved any assets administered by the Committee remaining after the satisfaction of all debts and liabilities shall be given for any such purpose or purposes described as objects of the Foundation as the Committee shall in its absolute discretion decide.B.28 - Should the Society be dissolved or cease to function:(i) the Foundation shall become an independent body called the 'Newman Society Foundation' and shall be constituted by Standing Orders Section B, in so far as they apply(ii) the Committee shall have the power to form a new Constitution and thereby abrogate Standing Orders Section B(iii) persons having governing membership at the time of the Society being dissolved or ceasing to function shall continue to serve as governing members of the Foundation until such time as any newly formed Constitution shall provide otherwise.

Disputes and nullification of improper actions

B.29 - (a) In the case of a dispute the Senior Member shall be competent to rule on whether the provisions of Standing Orders Section B have been properly applied. He shall have the power to declare null and void any action by which a provision has been improperly applied.(b) - Should the office of Senior Member be vacant the Committee shall have the power to appoint an Adjudicator who shall have the power to do those things mentioned in Standing Order B.29 (a) until such time as a new Senior Member shall be appointed.

SECTION C:

OXFORD UNIVERSITY NEWMAN SOCIETY ASSOCIATION

The Association

C.1 - (1) ‘Oxford University Newman Society Association’ (hereafter ‘the Association’) shall be a body of Oxford University Newman Society (hereafter ‘the Society’).(2) The Association may be known simply as the ‘Newman Society Association’.

Objects

C.2 - The Association shall exist to advance the objects of the Society among old members (meaning Life members not being in statu pupillari and former members), members, and friends of the Society.The Committee and Officers

C.3 - There shall be a ‘Newman Society Association Committee’ (hereafter ‘the Committee’) which shall have the power to govern the Association subject to the Executive Committee.

C.4 - The Committee shall have the power to form by-laws for the regulation of the Association’s business provided that such by-laws shall for the time being be approved by the Executive Committee.

C.5 - The Committee shall from time to time appoint a Chairman, Treasurer, and Secretary of the Association. Tenure and duties of these officers shall be determined by by-law.

C.6 - Until such time as by-law shall provide another method for appointment to the Committee the members of the Committee shall be appointed by the Executive Committee. The tenure of such members shall be stated in the motion of appointment.