Thursday, June 21, 2012

Trinity Term Festivities

Since we arrived in Oxford four weeks ago, we’ve often passed students wearing “subfusc” biking to their examinations, their gowns flapping in the breeze, and a peppy carnation tucked into their buttonhole (white for the freshers, pink for second year, and red for the final exams).  But this week the academic term comes to a close, and with it comes a slew of garden parties and end-of-term balls. 

The festivities began for us last Tuesday, when Stefany Wragg, a 2010 PC Alumna, invited the Oxford-PC students to hall at St. Cross College.  The theme of this week’s dinner was Wimbledon Picnic Hall, complete with provencal tarts and strawberries and cream.  Students from the hall wore their academic gowns, and the master led the dinner, starting with grace in Latin and knocking on the table to announce each course of the meal.  It was great to have a small PC reunion in Oxford, sharing memories about favorite professors and changes around campus.  People often comment about the strong sense of community at PC, but who would have guessed that it would extend across the pond!

Tiffany Donohue, Meredith White, me, Tom Reilly, Stefany Wragg, Beatriz
On Wednesday afternoon, after a tutorial with Fr. John on virtue ethics, I wandered across the Magdalen Bridge to South Parks.  The green expanse of meadows dotted with trees is a peaceful break from the streets of the city.  Climb to the top of the hill, turn to face the city and a panoramic view of the Oxford skyline unfolds before your eyes.  School children in their uniforms enjoyed their recess break, picnickers lounged on their blankets leisurely basking in the warm sunshine, and I sat reading and trying to identify the various spires that pierced above the roofs of the city below.

Oriel College

As the sky grew overcast, not wanting to be caught in a downpour in the middle of the meadows, I relocated to the quad of Oriel College.  It felt quite appropriate to be reading Bl. John Henry Newman’s novel Loss and Gain at the college he attended!

Wednesday evening, the Aquinas Reading Group had their end-of-term garden party.  It was lovely to get to chat with the others students and friars, and amazing to think how many good friends we’ve met in only a few weeks!
On Thursday we attended our last lectures: one in moral theology on the family, and one on Aquinas. 

The next day, Blackfriars held its end of term festivities, beginning with a garden party behind the chapel.  Friendly conversation bubbled as people sipped Pimms (it has a unique, distinctive taste, but I suppose it could be described as an alcoholic cross between fruit punch and ice tea, with orange and cucumber slices floating in it – the British love their cucumbers!) and savored the fresh strawberries and cream.  The celebrations continued after Mass with the Blackfriars Ball: first dinner at the long refectory table, then live music and dancing in the aula.  It was entertaining to see Fr. Peter and Br. Haavar dance in their long habits!




Beatriz, Shaun, Genevieve, me, and Elizabeth in the
Magdalen dining hall.
On Saturday morning, Elizabeth invited us to Magdalen college for breakfast and morning prayer.  The dining hall is gorgeous!  Long tables with candlesticks, wooden paneled walls, stained glass windows – hardly your typical breakfast setting.  Elizabeth told us that they had a several formal dinners there, and I expected that meant a few a term – but no, formal dinner is served there three times a week.  What a life!  Genevieve led morning prayer in the beautiful chapel, which houses a copy of Da Vinci’s “Last Supper,” the one that is used when renovations are being made to the original.  On our way out, Elizabeth showed us the house above the water mill where she lives.  Apparently some of the undergraduate rooms have two-stories!  Now with an attic room overlooking the deer park, Elizabeth says there is a lovely feeling of being in the country, outside the bustle of the city.
The house in the background is where Elizabeth lives.

Saturday evening we attended a “Shakespeare in Love” concert at Hereford College, which included music by Vaughan Williams and from West Side Story.

On Sunday we went to Vespers and Benediction in Latin at the Oratory.  The organ music was sublime!
The Anscombe Bioethics Centre hosted a conference on Human Dignity and Healthcare on Monday, and we were able to volunteer and attend some of the lectures.  Some of the issues that were discussed were the distinctions between inherent, attributed, and incandescent (the speaker coined this term: dignity having to do with flourishing to the fullness of the human potential) dignity.  Inherent dignity, the dignity a person has simply by existence, is the most fundamental and the basis for the other two types of dignity.  Another topic mentioned was the relationship between dignity and dependence; man has a fundamental dignity, but also a fundamental dependence.  In contrast to the Greek notion of “magnanimity” where a man would be generous to others, but would refuse to receive help himself, the Christian perspective sees a value in the virtue of humility, and blesses the poor and helpless.  Christianity acknowledges man’s basic need to receive help from others in a somewhat passive sense, in addition to respecting him as a free, active moral agent.
It was sunny on Tuesday, so Beatriz and I went out planning to buy a quick picnic lunch.  As we were walking down the street, though, we came across Heinrich, who introduced us to his friend Xavier and generously invited us to join them for lunch at Balliol.  Aren’t these spontaneous adventures always the best?  Balliol is one of the oldest colleges in Oxford, founded in 1263, and the dining hall is magnificent: again, the long tables, and paneled walls, with portraits of the masters and an organ and choir loft at one end.  Heinrich and Xavier’s conversation, one so extremely German and the other so quintessentially French, was hilarious! 
As they headed off to their physics lab, Beatriz and I ventured over to the Carfax Tower, the clock-tower at the end of Cornmarket Street.  Climbing to the top, we had an amazing view of the city, with the Cotswolds unfolding in the distance.


On Wednesday, Oxford held its Encaenia ceremony, where the honorary degrees are awarded.  We got a small peek at the procession, complete with academic regalia.  One man (I’m not sure his position, but it must have been important) had a long robe, and a little boy followed behind him carrying his train. 
In the evening, Bernhardt invited us over to dinner at his house.  It was so kind and generous of him!  There are so many incredible people at Blackfriars, and it’s rather amazing to think what wonderful friends we’ve made in such a short time.  We’ve truly been blessed to be so welcomed into the heart of the community here!

Monday, June 11, 2012

Corpus Christi Weekend: Tea and Laughter




               Amid all the exciting outings and wonderful people we’ve met, it would be difficult to narrow it down to a favorite day.  Yet this past weekend just might take the cake for the loveliest that we’ve spent in England yet.  Where to begin?  I suppose our weekend’s adventures started Friday afternoon.  We had signed up to go punting and really wanted to make sure we fit it in before the term ended (because when we sign up with the JCR, Junior Common Room, we can use the boats for free), but the weather didn’t look like it was going to cooperate.  Peering through the library windows, we tried to guess whether the rain was coming or going, and finally decided to venture out and take our chances.  As it turns out, perhaps it was good that it was such a bleak and damp afternoon, because that meant only the geese were there to chuckle at our antics as our punt turned and lunged in all imaginable, unwieldy directions.  Punting sounds so graceful: elegantly poling one’s way down the river with a picnic lunch on a nice sunny day.  Such was not us.  The sixteen foot long aluminum pole is rather more difficult to maneuver than it looks.  Especially when it’s slippery, wet, and cold.  And when you are bouncing from bank to bank of the river, running into every possible obstacle and having to duck under tree branches (still holding onto the 16 ft. pole, mind you).  Even if not the most refined punting ride, it was quite the entertaining one, and we disembarked damp, but with many a good laugh.

In the evening, we went to New College for Evensong.  The chapel was gorgeous and the polyphony was beautiful.
            
House where Shakespeare was born



Holy Trinity Church,
where Shakespeare was baptized and buried
    Saturday morning, bright and early, we strolled down to the train station to embark for our Stratford-Upon-Avon adventure.  The country side slipped by, with its vibrant green meadows criss-crossed with darker green hedges, and soon we were in Stratford, touring the house where Shakespeare was born.  We also visited his daughter’s house, the site where they are excavating the house he bought when he returned from London at the end of his life, and Holy Trinity Church, where he and his family are buried.  It was incredible to think that we were strolling the streets that he would have when growing up, and also that so many other great literary figures had previously visited the same place with the same purpose as we had, to visit the home of one of the greatest geniuses of the English language.  (Charles Dickens, for example, was instrumental in working to have the buildings preserved for the public.) On our way to Anne Hathaway’s cottage, we walked through some fields and residential areas, passing gardens with bright strawberries and children playing in wellies.  The thatched-roof cottage with its colorful flower bed in front was quite charming. 
                After having a scrumptious cream tea, we headed over the Royal Shakespeare Company Theatre.  Their performance of Richard III was phenomenal!  Richard is such a conniving, malicious, perverted character, and the actor did an incredible job portraying him.  There is this one scene towards the beginning where he is wooing Lady Anne (whose husband and father-in-law he has killed).  Reading the play, it seemed hard to believe: how could it be possible for her to be in the least sympathetic towards him?  But the actors were really able to capture the full range of emotions and make the story come alive.  And the small band of instrumentalists above the stage most definitely added to the drama.
                Since the performance ended later in the night, there were no more buses or trains going back to Oxford that day, so we ended up spending the night in a youth hostel – an unexpected adventure (neither Beatriz and I had stayed at a hostel before).  But it worked well; after a full day of traveling, falling asleep was easy, and we got to be roommates again for the night!
                The bus ride back to Oxford on Sunday morning took us through numerous small country villages, where the houses were all still centered around the church steeple, piercing the sky above the gentle folds of the pasture lands.  We made it back in perfect time to go to the Latin Mass at the Oratory.  The singing was gorgeous and the homily was beautiful: it was about how, like in the Corpus Christi procession, we are called to be monstrances bringing Christ to the world.  After Mass, Bernhardt, Sean, Aaron and Heinrich invited us to join them for lunch.  It was a treat to follow the “locals” to a favorite eating place, and even more so to enjoy their friendly company.
                The Corpus Christi procession was wonderful!  It began at the Oratory, stopped at Blackfriars for a sermon by the Bishop, and finished at the University Chaplaincy with Benediction.  Fr. Daniel led the praying of the Rosary through a megaphone, and a small band played the hymns with us, which was quite helpful in keeping the crowd (of probably around 200 people) in time!  As we processed through the streets of Oxford, passersby with puzzled looks stopped to watch and take pictures. 
                After the procession, Genevieve invited us to an afternoon tea party at the Rowlands.  They are the personification of generous hosts!  Mr. Rowland, whom we had not even met before, went out of his way to pick us up at the Chaplaincy.  Mrs. Rowland was at the door, welcoming us into their charming English home.  As we stepped inside the cozy, low-ceilinged dining room, people were gathered around the kitchen table with a very generous teapot, plates of sandwiches, tiered dishes with cupcakes, scones, and biscuits, bowls of fruit, carrot cake, and a multitude of tea cups – I’ve never seen so many in one house.  Genevieve and Theresa cheerfully bustling about the kitchen, bringing forth a seemingly endless supply of daintily prepared, tasty morsels to accompany the jolly conversations.  It was beyond lovely!  Before we left, we took a quick peek at Theresa’s pristine rose garden, the fragrant blossoms flourishing next to wizened apple trees.
                All the memories of this idyllic weekend – what treasures!

Thursday, June 7, 2012

God Save the Queen


This past weekend was a special time to be in Britain, as the Queen celebrated her Diamond Jubilee.  In fact, the celebrations weren’t confined to the four-day weekend; there are signs festively announcing Jubilee week concerts, Jubilee summer events, and simply glorifying the Jubilee year!  After Mass on Sunday, we said a special prayer for the Queen, as requested by the Catholic bishops of England and Wales:

Almighty God, we pray,
that your servant Elizabeth, our Queen,
who, by your providence has received the governance of this realm,
may continue to grow in every virtue,
that, imbued with your heavenly grace,
she may be preserved from all that is harmful and evil
and, being blessed with your favour
may, with her consort and the royal family,
come at last into your presence,
through Christ who is the way, the truth and the life
and who lives and reigns with you
in the unity of the Holy Spirit,
one God, for ever and ever.
Amen

With the drizzling rain, Sunday afternoon was a perfect time to visit Blackwells, the famous bookstore in Oxford.  It was incredible!  The store front is small and innocent looking enough, but once you step inside you’re greeted by multiple little nooks extending into the back of the shop.  As the shop expanded, they excavated underneath Trinity College to make additional accommodation.  Going down into the basement, the Norrington Reading Room an expanse of books stretches along the walls – three miles of shelving, to be exact!  After standing for a moment soaking up the vastness of the display, we scurried off to investigate our particular sections of interest.  A couple pleasant hours flew by with our noses buried in literary gems.

On Monday, Stefany, a PC alumna, generously invited us to have lunch at her hall, St. Cross College.  Over a very English meal of bangers and mash (sausage and mashed potatoes – there’s probably a reason why you don’t often hear of British cuisine) at the long wooden tables of their dining room, Stefany shared her advice for places see and things to do around Oxford.  She is studying Old English here, and it was fascinating to learn about how the English education system works; it is so different from what we are used to in the US.  Afterwards, she showed me the courtyard of her college, which even if it is one of the newer ones at Oxford, is still quite charming with its stone arches and climbing roses. 
After Mass and Vespers, Beatriz and I went to the Aquinas Reading Group.  It was started this past year as an opportunity for community members and students to join together to read and discuss Aquinas’ Summa Theologiae, under the guidance of Fr. Peter and Br. Nick.  Fr. Peter had made a delicious soup, and we got to meet many wonderful students studying at various colleges in Oxford.  After dessert, gathering around in a circle, we read and discussed a few of the questions from the Summa; this week they were covering the articles on the Old and the New Law.  The evening concluded with Compline (or night prayers), and a visit to the Lamb and Flag (across the street from the Eagle and Child; the Inklings frequented it as well).  Although Catholics are a minority in England, the community at Oxford is quite vibrant and tight-knit, and it is exciting to be able to participate in it!

On Tuesday, Beatriz and I enjoyed an English breakfast at a cafĂ© on the way to Blackfriars – it was quite hearty!  A perfect way to celebrate being in Oxford for two weeks (already!) and to begin another cozy day in the library while the rain drizzled outside.

Wednesday morning I had my second tutorial, this one on Kant’s ethics.  It was particularly instructive because Fr. John has a more sympathetic view towards Kant, and drew some connection between him and Aristotle that I wouldn’t have seen before.  After I finished, Beatriz and I went to the open market in the square at Gloucester Green to do our vegetable shopping for the week.  To the tune of the overlapping, sing-song cries of “Strawberries! Raspberries! Two for two!” (done, of course, with a British accent), we picked up fresh produce, toasty bread, and “very-mature” cheddar cheese.
In the afternoon we visited the Botanic Gardens with Genevieve (a lovely graduate student at Blackfriars, who has given us a very warm welcome here) and Sr. Thomas Moore (a Nashville Dominican – do I need to say that Beatriz has been in contact with her?).  We meandered around the trim beds of bright poppies, delicate columbines, and cascading roses, with the towers of Magdalen College in the background against regal, but rather threatening-looking, clouds.  We finished our chat just in time, before the rain began to fall again.


After all, what would our stay be like if we didn’t get to use our rain-jackets for a day or two … or three, or four?

Friday, June 1, 2012

From Boat Races to Evensong -- A British Week

The sky is overcast, the birds twitter and the pigeons coo in the garden of Wycliffe Hall.  This quintessential English morning follows several days filled with characteristically British events and outings.  To begin, on Saturday Beatriz, some friends from Blackfriars and St. Benet’s (a nearby college), and I walked down to the river to watch the boat race.  Every term, the colleges’ boat teams (what would be our American crew teams) compete in a tournament, and during the week of races you can see the marks of who the college has bumped (or passed) drawn in chalk on their quad’s walls.  The rowers may have been straining to make their boat zip through the water, but the crowds on the banks leisurely lounged in the sunshine, enjoying picnic fare. 

Later that evening, Beatriz and I attended the Pentecost Vigil at the Blackfriars’ chapel.  Since it is the Priory of the Holy Spirit, the Mass was especially solemn and sublime.  The friars’ Gregorian chant transports one into a timeless realm; you can imagine other friars singing the same melodies hundreds of years ago. 
Sunday was a leisurely day of reading in the library and wandering down new streets.  We went into the Exeter College chapel; on one end, there are brilliant stain-glass windows, on the other end an ornate organ, and in between are the choir stalls, each with a crest engraved above it.
On Monday, we went to morning Mass at the Oratory, founded by Bl. John Henry Cardinal Newman.  Around the altar are many niches with various saint statues.  The splendor of its beauty is quite different from the Blackfriars’ chapel, more ornate and detailed – yet both are stunning.

As we were making pasta in the Wycliffe kitchen, one of the students, Sam, happened to come by.  Over dinner we had an interesting chat with him as he explained the origins of the English Evangelical movement and different parts of the history of the Church of England.  He is reading history here, focusing on the Church of England in the 1960s, so he had plenty of information to share!

To get into the colleges at Oxford, a visitor has to pay an entrance fee, almost like a museum.  One of the students at Blackfriars pointed out that if you simply walk through the gate confidently, the guards won’t stop you; they’ll think you’re simply one of the students attending the college.  So on Tuesday, Beatriz and I took a deep breath, set our heads straight, and “walked confidently” into Magdalen College.  Reading on the quad takes on a whole new meaning when the quad happens to be surrounded by ivy-coved buildings and stone towers from the 15th century.  Any P.G. Wodehouse fans may be interested to know that as we were leaving, we passed a group of friends walking across the green.  One of the boys shouted out a greeting: “What ho!”  Yes, they still say it.


The next day I had my first tutorial with Fr. John O’Connor; this one was on consequentialism (which is similar to utilitarianism; the consequences are the primary way a consequentialist would determine the morality of an action).  While a moral theory should take an action’s consequences into account, the fullest, richest conception of human good is not amenable to quantification.  In directing the discussion, Fr. John set forth extreme scenarios to test the limits of the different consequentialist and anti-consequentialist arguments.  It was challenging to debate in this way with a professor, but it was an excellent learning experience – the tutorial system really forces the student to engage with his questions and ideas for himself. 
Later that evening, we attended Solemn Evensong and Benediction (Evensong is the Anglican version of Vespers, or evening prayer).    It was held at the Blackfriars’ chapel by the Ordinariates, who are Anglican converts to Catholicism, and who still retain certain elements of their Anglican tradition (such as Evensong).  The music, by the Newman Consort, was sublime.  They sang four psalms, then there were two readings (or lessons, as they call them) from the Old and New Testament, prayers (including “O Lord, save the Queen”), a sermon, and a few more hymns, followed by Benediction.  There were only four singers, but their voices filled the church in the heavenly harmonies of the psalms.  To try to capture the beauty in words is futile; instead, you really ought to visit their website (www.newmanconsort.com) to hear this talented choir for yourself!
On Thursday evening, we attended Mass at the Chaplaincy, and went to the pasta dinner hosted by CathSoc (the Catholic group for young adults).  Afterwards, they hosted a talk on Newman and Friendship by Fr. Daniel, an Oratorian.  Bringing up Newman’s motto, “Cor ad cor loquitor” (“Heart speaks to heart”), he highlighted the importance of personal connections in spreading the Faith, as you can see Newman exemplifying in his letters; instead of fishing with a net, Newman fished with a rod.

Beatriz had her first tutorial in Burford on Friday, and we made a day of it, meandering about this charming English village.  It was just as you would imagine a small English hamlet!  Each of the cottages had its own name (Clematis Cottage, Rose Cottage; we even found a Providence Cottage!), and many had flowering vines or roses climbing up their old stone walls.  The streets were decked in bunting to celebrate the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee, which added a festive touch to the quaint streets. 



From boat races, to Evensong, to tutorials, to country villages, this week has been filled to the brim with wonderful memories!