Oriel College, Oxford

Oriel College will surely be on our itinerary should we visit Oxford next year on our day trip from London. (The picture above is from our last trip together to Oxford.) It was founded in 1324 under the patronage of King Edward II. During the English Civil War it was the home of King Charles I's Privy Council.

Before the Oxford Movement in the nineteenth century, it was home to the Oriel Noetics, Richard Whately and Thomas Arnold. John Henry Newman came under the influence of Whately for a time. Then the Oxford or Tractarian Movement began in 1833, with Fellows John Keble and Blessed John Henry Newman as leaders, writing Tracts and giving sermons.

Sir Walter Raleigh, Cardinal William Allen, Samuel Wilberforce, Anglican Bishop of Oxford, and many other famous alumni attended Oriel.

Last year when I attended the Oxford Experience at Christ Church Oriel was closed to visitors every day--so I really hope we can visit it next year, especially since Oriel is responding very well to the beatification of Newman (like Trinity, they sent representatives to the Mass on September 19).