The Oxford Oratory, also known as the parish of St Aloysius and situated in the centre of the city, has already received more people into the Church in the first two months of this year than in the entirety of last year.
The striking statistics show exceptional growth in the parish of around 1,000. Five years ago, in 2021, the Church received 12 adults into full communion with the Catholic Church, already an impressive figure for a city parish. This year to date, the parish has already received 32 adults, made up of nine baptisms, 17 Christians from other denominations and six who were baptised as Catholics but not raised in the faith. The converts are also notably young, with those receiving Baptism all under 30 and the average overall age just 29.
Ably led by Fr Oliver Craddock, ordained priest in 2018, the programme has adapted itself to the needs of the time. The fathers had traditionally accompanied those interested in converting one by one, as is the tradition within Oratorian spirituality. Fr Oliver quips that where St Ignatius fished with a net, St Philip fished with a rod. However, in 2024 the number of converts became so great that the priests decided they would need to introduce classes. Still, all are assigned to a priest or a brother for spiritual counsel during the process, giving the journey a personal touch. Now that the current class has been completed, the next one will begin, with 20 already having signed up.
Participants do not follow the traditional RCIA route, but instead a bespoke programme created by the fathers. The course is comprised of 13 lessons and offers the chance for fellowship, one of the advantages of group classes, Fr Oliver notes. There are other opportunities for fellowship. Fr Oliver explains that the programme involves “people who have already been received into the Church from past years” acting as sponsors.
Fr Oliver says there are three names that come up consistently as sources of inspiration to join the course: St Augustine, St Thomas Aquinas and St John Henry Newman. However, he is also sure that social media is playing its part. “Catholic influencers are having a lot of influence and doing a lot of good. The name that comes up consistently is Father Mike Schmitz.”
Alongside administering the sacraments of initiation, the fathers also show exceptional care for those already within the Church. Confession is available before every Mass, with significantly more opportunities leading up to Lent and Easter. This availability has meant that the priests now hear around 1,200 confessions per month, perhaps a record for a parish of this size. The fathers are known for their kindness in the sacrament, encouraging the faithful to remain close to the Church and to attend regularly.
Holy Mass is celebrated three times a day on weekdays and five times on Sundays, with four priests in residence and three brothers in formation. Alongside the busy sacramental life, the community also offers men’s and women’s groups, young adult meetings, organises pilgrimages and has its own coffee shop and bookshop.
As is normal among Oratorian communities, the Oxford Oratory is known for its beautiful and reverent liturgies. Holy Mass is celebrated both according to the 1962 Missal and the 2002 Roman Missal, always with due reverence. The priest faces ad orientem and Communion is received at the altar rail. The priests are particularly known for their preaching in straightforward terms. St Philip called it “familiar discourse on the word of God”, which does not stray unnecessarily into secular topics.
Whilst the church itself was built in 1875 and initially placed under the care of the Jesuits, the Oratorians have served it only since 1990. The Oxford Oratory was one of several Oratorian communities to be founded across the UK in recent decades. There are now a total of eight, with more brothers in formation for the priesthood across the houses than in any single diocese in the United Kingdom.
