But of course a lot has already been spent. What are we doing with it all? Don't be dismayed at the amount that has had to go on unexciting things like plans, surveys and legalities - no building can ever start without all that. Once the foundations are laid, half the money has been spent.
The structure of the church itself is now sound and waterproof, after recent necessary but unspectacular work. In the autumn of 2008 we were forced to spend a great deal on restoring the Sanctuary after bits of plaster and stone started dropping during Mass. But it looks spectacular now. We still need is to complete the restoration and preservation of the internal fabric.
But there is a more pressing need to improve the facilities for the growing congregation and community. There are now nine of us living in an eight-bedroom house, which means that Fr Richard is slumming it in the cellar. Everything is getting horribly over-crowded - and we would like to be able to admit new members to the community as the opportunity arises.
So the plans are:
- expansion of living quarters for the Oratorian community, to start January 2012.
- provision of a proper library to house major collections of books and papers
- another tranche of redecoration and restoration of the church, with modern lighting and sound systems
- an endowment fund to develop the liturgical and musical tradition
- the construction of a chapel, dedicated to Blessed John Henry Newman, linked to the main body of the church through a baptistery.
- a small, enclosed cloister which will link up all the other buildings and provide a garden.
“I ask you to support this Campaign generously. The Oratory in Oxford and the memory of Cardinal Newman are great riches in the life of the Church here. The aims of the Campaign are precise and worthy. Please do support it.”Archbishop Vincent Nichols
Patron, Reaffirmation & Renewal
