History Made at Oxford's Christ Church Cathedral

Christ Church Cathedral, the Anglican cathedral of Oxford, has recently appointed a new Ecumenical Canon, the Reverend Robin Gibbons, per the Oxford University Department for Continuing Education Summer term newsletter:

Honorary Canons are people who have given distinguished service either in the Diocese or wider church and serve as ambassadors for the Cathedral in their parish, life or ministry.

Each year a number of new Canons are installed at a service in the Cathedral at the end of January and take part in the Cathedral life by becoming a member of the College of Canons.

Robin's appointment was made in recognition of his many years of close work with the Anglican Church, his role as a Chaplain for Catholics of the Eastern Rite (Middle Eastern Catholics who belong to the Greek-Catholic Church one of the many eastern churches in communion with Rome ) and for his work in theological education. . . .

Robin's appointment is historical, in that he is the first Catholic priest to be installed as a Canon since the suppression of St Frideswide’s Priory by Wolsey in 1525 to found Cardinal College (later Christ Church) and the foundation of the Cathedral in 1545/6.

The term Ecumenical Canon acknowledges the desire of the Anglican Church to work with other churches and encourage closer relationships through the appointment of individuals as Canons who share the mission and vision of the Cathedral.

Robin already helps with the termly After Eight Service in Christ Church and is involved in collaborative work on St Frideswide with the Educational Officer in the Cathedral and now acts as one of the occasional Day Chaplains.

Professor Henry Mayr-Harting was the first Roman Catholic and also first lay Canon to be appointed in 1997 when he became Regius Professor of Ecclesiastical History.

The photo above (C) Stephanie A. Mann 2016, was taken during my Oxford Experience trip in 2009: it's the tower of Christ Church Cathedral, which is part of the infrastructure of the college's main (Tom) quad, taken from inside the cathedral's garden.

All the Graces of Oxford and Cambridge!

When I attended The Oxford Experience several years ago, I noticed they maintained a tradition of saying a very Christian grace before the more formal meals, with the High Table and the Final Banquet:

The Christ Church Grace

At Oxford Experience High Table Dinners and Final Dinners the shorter version of the Christ Church Latin Grace is read:

Nos, miseri homines et egeni, pro cibis, quos nobis ad corporis subsidium benigne es largitus, tibi, Deus Omnipotens, Pater Cælestis, gratias reverenter agimus; simul obsecrantes, ut iis sobrie, modeste atque grate utamur, per Jesum Christum Dominum Nostrum, Amen.

Here is the translation:

We unhappy and unworthy people do give thee most reverent thanks, almighty God, our heavenly Father, for the victuals which thou hast bestowed on us for the sustenance of the body, at the same time beseeching thee that we may use them soberly, modestly and gratefully. Through Jesus Christ our Lord, Amen.

This even though the participants had many different--or no--faith backgrounds.

The full grace of Christ Church is surely in this book:

The custom of formal dining at Oxford and Cambridge dates back to the earliest days of college life. Before each dinner, according to ancient statutes, grace must be said in Latin, and, although the text and nature of grace for each college has changed over the years, the tradition itself remains current to this day.

Following a historical introduction, The College Graces of Oxford and Cambridge reproduces in chronological order the full Latin texts of all the graces alongside facing English-language translations. Also included are the special graces reserved for feast days, as well as an explanation of some of the traditions that accompany them, including the trumpeters that summon students to dinner to the use of the Sconce Cup and the Rose Bowl.

From the twelfth-century monastic texts and the two-word graces of the nineteenth century to the new graces written for the modern age, this meticulous collection reveals how the tradition of the Latin grace has survived and evolved over the centuries and offers a rare glimpse inside the private halls of Oxford and Cambridge.

The University of Chicago Press is distributing the book for the Bodleian Library.

Of course, one reason such a prayer before meals creates no opposition is that no one knows what the Latin means! Queens College at Cambridge provides a special page just for those students who don't know Latin. However, in 2009, one college at Cambridge gave up its tradition of Latin grace, according to this story in The Telegraph.

The 2012 Oxford Experience

I attended The Oxford Experience in 2009, choosing a class on Oxford and the Oxford Movement which I really enjoyed. Although I already knew much about Blessed John Henry Newman's role in the Oxford Movement, the rest of the background was fascinating. The tutor arranged two tours: a walking tour of various Oxford Movement sights in Oxford and a bus trip to Cheltenham, Littlemore, Dorchester and Jericho (in Oxford). Her overview of the Oxford Movement included the political and social context, with some excellent resources like the correspondence of the Anglican bishop trying to moderate the "Popish" enthusiasm of some of his ministers; evidence of the furore over "Froude's Remains" and the Oxford Martyrs Memorial; the art and architecture of Low and High Church Anglicanism, etc.

The 2012 Oxford Experience Programme of classes has been released and enrollment is open! More details here. The programme features:
~Week-long residential summer courses
~From 1 July - 11 August 2012
~At Christ Church, Oxford
~Accessible courses in the humanities
~Small study groups taught by friendly tutors
~Designed for an international audience of all ages

and costs

~Programme Fee: £1,135
~Single Ensuite Supplement optional: £180
~Twin Ensuite Supplement optional: £90
~Excursion Fee where applicable: £50-100
~Per person, per week, including room, board, and the class
~If you stay two weeks in a row, the room and board for Saturday are free!

The rooms are "undergraduate study rooms" in one of the quad buildings (see above for my elegant room in 2009); board is served, breakfast, lunch and dinner in the Great Hall of Christ Church; there are other social programs, some with a fee; tea and cookies served during a break between the two daily class sessions; one dinner at the High Table per student, which includes a pre-prandial sherry; a lovely closing dinner with wines per course. Breakfast and lunch are buffet style with orders for eggs and other English breakfast favorites taken at the former, with soup and bread and fruit usually available at the latter. As the website indicates, the rooms are modestly furnished; bathrooms are shared; no air-conditioning, but free wi-fi. I took my netbook and connected to the BBC or EWTN radio for entertainment in the room.
One of the fun things was that with an Oxford Experience ID, participants can walk right in Tom's Gate--visitors (the hoi-polloi) have to come in the back way!

Here's a list of the classes taught in 2012. I really enjoyed my week there and would love to go back! My room in 2009 was in the Canterbury Quad and I was on the stairway of the entrance to the Christ Church Picture Gallery!