You might think that Oxford already has enough pew capacity - after all, we hear only a few white-haired old ladies go to church these days. That's probably true, actually, most of those who come to Mass are young couples with noisy small children; white-haired old ladies are definitely in the minority. It is partly because of the noisy children that a new chapel is really needed. During the 9:30 Mass there is a "children's liturgy", and the present meeting room is quite inadequate for the numbers coming these days. And some of the rowdier elements could profitably be taken into a side chapel during any of our Masses, so that their parents can hear the sermon through the speaker system - and those in Church can hear it too!
Sometimes there are small and discreet weddings, with a limited number of guests, who can celebrate together so much better in a small but full chapel rather than in a big empty church. Or a couple may want a special Mass for their Diamond Wedding, just the intimate family, gathered close around so everyone can hear.
Then of course there are Baptisms which used to take place in a very constricted side chapel, now generally milling about in the back of the church. Baptism is important - it deserves a dignified and dedicated space, the gateway to the Church, from which the congregation can process to the Altar for the final blessings.
Often those being received into full communion with the Church request a quiet evening Mass with a small group rather than a blaze of publicity. There are lots of occasions when a medium-sized Chapel will be useful.
The Secular Oratory
An Oratory speciality is of course the groups that meet for prayer, instruction and fellowship; the various forms of the Secular Oratory. These include Women's Oratory (currently on Monday evenings), Young Oratory and Brothers (Tuesday evenings), the senior Oratory (Wednesday mornings) and others from time to time. Again, for the periods of prayer, adoration and meditation, a small chapel is necessary. In most Oratories there is a suitable chapel, for instance St Philip's Chapel in Birmingham, now the Newman Shrine; and the Little Oratory in London.
How to go about it
The chosen solution returns to Hansom’s original designs for the church, building a new chapel that is accessible from the church but also has independent access, enabling use of both areas simultaneously. The link will be through the Baptistery, opening up the blocked arch at the south-east corner of the church that Hansom left on purpose; you go into the Baptistery, where sunlight drops gently onto the Font from the light tube above, and the choir in the little gallery can be heard above you...
et oh, ces voix d'enfants chantant dans la cupole ...
The Baptistery
Then you turn right and enter the Chapel. Now that John Henry Newman, our Cardinal, has been beatified the chapel can be dedicated to him. It to has natural light dropping from a cupola into the central space. Slightly surprisingly, the altar is on the long southern side, not one of the short ends, but this provides for the maximum numbver of seats, and has good Roman Baroque precedents. In fact the inspiration for the Chapel is the Chapel at Propaganda Fidei where Newman celebrated his first Mass. Light comes in (naturally) from the south, where there will also be a small sacristy; in the north-west corner is a small pipe organ in the gallery. On the end wall is a large picture or sculptural group.
Here is the cross-section looking South. On either side of the Altar are niches which will, one day, hold statues; behind the altar is a curved recess, not quite as deep as it appears to be, but with an amber glass half-dome above it, so that golden sunlight will fall onto the altar at all times. Our Architect has drawn a sarcophagus-reliquary on the beam above the altar: that was before we discovered that Newman had taken steps to ensure there would be no substantial relics. Maybe there could be a sculptured group there, lit from behind, like Bernini's well-known St Teresa.
Here is the Architect's impression of the altar basking in golden sunlight. For the Chapel, the connecting Baptistery and the adjacent buildings, the Fathers have chosen as architect Anthony Delarue. The style adopted is Roman Baroque. This was Newman's choice when he attempted to found the Oxford Oratory in the 1860s, and the reasons he gave then are still true today. The Oratory is a child of the sixteenth century in Rome, and the Chiesa Nuova is a prime example of Roman Baroque, with the adjacent Oratory buildings by Borromini. Gothic, Newman pointed out, is more expensive: with Baroque you can add a lot of the decoration, sculpture, painting etc later. In a Baroque church everyone can see the altar and the pulpit, ideal if you have Exposition of the Blessed Sacrament, and frequent Preaching, both of which are Oratory specialities. In any case, Oxford has already enough fine specimens of Gothic, and even more specimens of the international flat-topped glass-walled style. Our Oratory Baptistery, Church and Cortile will be unique, and should get us into the next edition of the Architectural Guide Book.
The CloistersBeyond the chapel, separating it from the Library and Parish Centre, is a glorified fire-escape and light-well, known to us as the cortile, a Roman courtyard with arched loggias on all sides, and a fountain in the middle. It will be in effect a a small cloister-garden, for the use both of the community and many visitors, which will greatly enhance the atmosphere of all the large public spaces, the church, library and house, and provide a place for quiet contemplation other than the church itself. It links the buildings together on three levels and will even provide the Fathers with a second-floor sitting-out place facing south-west for summer evenings.
John Henry, Cardinal Newman (1801-1890)
The Oxford Oratory was the dream of the great Cardinal, John Henry Newman, an Oxford figure of enormous influence who was one of the greatest churchmen and theological thinkers of the nineteenth century. He revitalised the religious practice of Oxford and the country at large through his preaching and writing, and charismatic personality. In St Philip Neri, the founder of the Oratory, Newman recognised a kindred spirit. He made two attempts to found an Oratory in Oxford, but it was 100 years after his death before his dream was realised.
