Christmas Eve
5:30pm Vigil Mass at St John Fisher Church [OF]
7:30pm Vigil Mass at Mary Immaculate Church [OF+] Solemn
With Christmas Eve falling on a Sunday this year and two Mass obligations requiring two Mass attendances, a Christmas Eve Mass before midnight on Sunday can fulfil either your Sunday or Christmas obligation but not both. Another Mass attendance is required to fulfil the other obligation.
Christmas Midnight
Midnight Mass at Mary Immaculate Church [EF] Missa Cantata
Christmas Eve and Midnight Masses are preceded by half an hour of carol singing
Christmas Day
7:30am Mass at Mary Immaculate [OF]
9:00am Mass at Mary Immaculate Church [EF] Missa Cantata
New Years Midnight
Midnight Mass at Mary Immaculate Church [EF] Missa Cantata
We encourage you to make a personal resolution to the Lord to make a good confession before Christmas and the New Year. Confession times, including some extra opportunities to receive this sacrament of mercy and new beginnings before Christmas, are available in the parish newsletter.
Category: Updates from Brisbane Oratory in Formation
New Developments at the Oratory
Our own progress towards official establishment by the Holy See has taken a step forward at the diocesan level in recent months, with a Memorandum of Agreement being signed between ourselves and the Archbishop. The Memorandum spells out various practical matters of the relationship between the Oratory, the parish, and the Archdiocese, and gives us the necessary permission to make more permanent moves regarding our Oratory house at Annerley. This is a significant step towards our permanent and perpetual establishment.
One of the projects that has been undertaken in the parish over the last little while has been the reassembling of all the parts of the second confessional in Mary Immaculate Church, and it’s reinstatement for use as a confessional.
The restored confessional
Most of the parts had been stored in the room adjacent to the choir loft. With the help of experienced tradesmen, the result is very pleasing visually, and now very
Evening at the Oratory
In the liturgical year, we celebrate Gaudete Sunday, taken from first words from the introit of the Mass, “Rejoice in the Lord always! Again I say, rejoice! The Lord is near!” On this day our joy shines forth as we realise the birth of the Lord is close at hand! To celebrate Gaudete we invite you to a special Advent “Evening at the Oratory”!
We will also have special guests Artes Christi Choir and Orchestra, a group from Sydney seeking to bring Christ to others through beauty in music, providing the music for the evening. There will be plenty of opportunities not only to experience the harmony of Artes Christi but also to join in the singing of carols!
Last years Advent Oratorio with Artes Christi.
We are also very happy to welcome Bishop Jarret who will be celebrating Mass for us and also be giving a sermon to inspire us during this season
A Tremendous Musical Oratorio!
Mr Warrick Adeney, Musical Director of the Brisbane Oratory, shares with us a summary of the Musical Oratorio held in November
A healthy number of souls heard our recent Marian Oratorio, devoted to the tremendous repertory of Marian marvels in church music, and commemorating the centenary of Fatima. We opened with some chant of St Hildegard, wistfully sung by Eleanor Adeney. Our choir, somewhat augmented for the occasion, sang representative Renaissance compositions on the texts Ave Maria and Alma Mater Redemptoris.
Mother and daughter, Michele and Eleanor Adeney.
The Brisbane Oratory Choir and Schola giving glory to God through music.
The work of Palestrina, a personal friend of St Philip Neri, was performed. Children’s voices were heard ringing in our beautiful acoustic, and this is a feature we will develop. The programme also included instrumental works and culminated in Haydn’s glorious Salve Regina, a fully developed work cast in five movements for strings, organ, small choir,
Marian Oratorio 2017
St Philip Neri realised the power and beauty of sacred music. He often sought different ways to promote and encourage not only people to attend events where this music was conducted, but also to encourage composers. Many people are not aware that St Philip had a profound influence on the great composer Palestrina. Palestrina was St Philip’s penitent and disciple from his early youth, where he gained that insight into the spirit of the liturgy, which enabled him to set that spirit forth in polyphonic music as it had never been done before.
Like St Philip sought to help people raise their hearts and minds to God through sacred music, we also seek to provide this opportunity for you! Throughout the year, the Brisbane Oratory presents our Musical Oratorio’s. Evenings of Sacred Music provided by the Oratory Choir and Schola, and other distinguished guests.
A photo from the 2016 Christmas Oratorio.
The latest
Oratorian Vocations
As a man joins an Oratorian community, he passes through various stages leading to full membership in the community. The first three years consist of the first probation (one year) and then the second probation (two years), during which the novice is formed in zeal for virtue and also formed to become adapted to the family life of the Oratory community. As well as becoming imbued in the mind and spirit of the Oratory, his suitability is also tested. At the end of these three years, if the novice has given a good account of himself in the life of the community, and has the intention of remaining forever, then the community takes a secret ballot and decides by absolute majority whether the man is to be fully aggregated into the community or dismissed. Brother Tyson completed his second probation at the beginning of September, and so the vote was
All Saints Day and All Souls Day 2017
In the beginning of November, the Church, after commemorating the Feast of All Saints, commemorates the Feast of All Souls Day. On the Feast of All Saints, we commemorate the Church Triumphant, who are all the saints in heaven. Not only does this include all those canonised saints, but all the souls who are in heaven who have no feast day of their own. We do this to thank God for the graces he gives to all the elect, to excite ourselves to imitate their virtues, to implore their intercession, and to make up for any lack on our part in honouring God in his saints on their particular feast days. All Saints this year was celebrated at the Oratory with a Low Mass in the morning, and a Solemn English Mass in the evening.
Our prayers are strengthened when we unite them to the Sacrifice of the Mass.
Fr Andrew said
The Oxford Adventure Begins
Br Shawn and Br Tyson landed in Oxford on the 28th of September, weary and jet lagged but soon hit the ground running and was brought up to speed in the Oxford Oratorian rule of life and studies at Blackfriars. Here in Oxford, they begin their theological studies in preparation for the priesthood at the Brisbane Oratory.
The brothers outside Blackfriars where they study.
Br Shawn getting into his essay at Blackfriars Library.
The Station of the Cross that inspired JRR Tolkien’s conception of the Orcs in Lord of the Rings inside Blackfriars Chapel which he would frequent.
One of the first things Br Shawn and Br Tyson participated in was the feast day of Blessed John Henry Newman. The founder of the Oratory in the English speaking world. There was a “triduum” involving daily prayers and devotions for three days leading up to the feast day. One highlight was a night pilgrimage from
Beginning the Secular Oratory
Men’s and Women’s Secular Oratory are regular sessions of prayer, formation and fellowship for laypeople are the backbone of Oratorian work. Beginning in October, the Fathers of the Brisbane Oratory in Formation will begin monthly evening sessions of Secular Oratory for men and women aged 18+. The sessions will include a short sermon, meditation, prayer and time for discussion – all centred on growth in the Christian life. Secular Oratory begins at 7:30pm at Mary Immaculate church and goes for an hour. The dates for the next few months are: 12th October (Men’s Oratory), 7th November (Women’s Oratory), 14th December (Men’s Oratory), 6th February (Women’s Oratory).
August 2017 Newsletter
In this month’s newsletter, Fr Adrian shares with us in the Moderator’s Message an exciting announcement on the establishment of the Secular Oratory for lay people. In the Reflection, Fr Wise shares with us his journey of 30 years as a priest. Keep your eyes peeled for the latest events happening at the Oratory. And have a look at some of the ways to be involved in the Oratory community through our lay associations.
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