The Oxford Oratory's ‘Reaffirmation & Renewal’ Campaign started in 2007. The aim is to raise £5 million in order to carry out extensive building work and renovation on the Church and its associated buildings.
In 2012 and 2013, we embarked on our biggest building project so far. We:
- Built a new accommodation block containing 5 bedrooms, to relieve pressure in the house and to let us accept new members, students and visitors
- Built a new parish office, and a new kitchen and bar for the existing parish hall
- Redecorated the parish hall and installed new heating and proper insulation
- Converted the upper floor of the existing parish centre into a library
We are currently raising money to finish off paying for the cost of the building work. After that, we should be able to finish the library by having permanent shelves built.
In the Church, we have:
- Restored the Lady Chapel of the Church (in 2007)
- Repaired and redecorated the Sanctuary of the Church, which had been damaged by damp (2008–2009)
- Cleaned and repaired the 52 statues of the Reredos behind the High Altar (2008–2009)
- Fitted new energy-efficient lighting in the Sanctuary (in 2009)
- Repaired and restored the Relic Chapel (in 2009)
- Repaired and replaced flooring in the Church that had been damaged by damp (in 2010)
- Built the Shrine of Blessed John Henry Newman (in 2010)
There is still a lot to do!
In the Church, we still need to:
- Redecorate the ceiling of the nave
- Restore the Sacred Heart Chapel
- Redecorate the remaining parts of the Church
In the longer term, we hope to continue building work. We have planning permission to:
- Build a new chapel dedicated to Blessed John Henry Newman, the founder of the English Oratory
- Build a new baptistery to house the font and provide a worthy space for performing baptisms
- Build a new cloister, or cortile, linking the Newman Chapel with the parish centre, to provide an outdoor space for parish events
To find out more about who we are, what we do, and more about the Church building itself, visit our Parish website, www.oxfordoratory.org.uk.
