This Sunday marks the 150th anniversary of the opening of Oxford Oratory’s Church of St Aloysius Gonzaga.
On 23 November 1875, William Bernard Ullathorne, Bishop of Birmingham, celebrated a Solemn Pontifical Mass in the presence of Cardinal Henry Edward Manning and a packed congregation to bless the new church in central Oxford.
Fast forward a century and a half, and this milestone will be marked by a special celebration this weekend, drawing the parish, its history and its continuing mission into renewed focus.
