Oxford Oratory
The Catholic parish church for central Oxford — completed in 1875 as a Jesuit foundation, taken over by the Birmingham Oratory in 1990, with a shrine to St John Henry Newman, restored Pippet murals, and a parish history that includes Gerard Manley Hopkins.
On Sundays and Holydays you can hear two Latin Masses — a non-Tridentine Solemn Mass sung in Latin, and a Tridentine Low Mass. The parish Mass is sung in English. The two Gabriel Pippet murals, painted over in the 1970s, were restored in 2024 by Cliveden Conservation — worth a look. The Newman shrine, established in 2010 after his beatification, is one of the few in England.
Oxford Oratory Church of St Aloysius Gonzaga is the Catholic parish church for the centre of Oxford. It is at 25 Woodstock Road, next to Somerville College, and is served by the Congregation of the Oratory.
From Jesuit foundation to Oratorian community
St Aloysius' was founded as the Jesuit parish of central Oxford. The building was funded by £7,000 donated by the Catholic convert Baroness Weld and was completed in 1875 — an important step in the refoundation of a Roman Catholic presence in Oxford. Among the Jesuits who served the parish was Gerard Manley Hopkins, from December 1878 to September 1879.
In the 1980s the Jesuits left, and the parish was taken over by the Archdiocese of Birmingham. In 1990, the Archbishop of Birmingham invited members of the Birmingham Oratory to run the parish and found a new Oratorian community in Oxford. Two priests arrived in September 1990, and in 1993 the Oxford Oratory was established as an independent Congregation.
The building
The church was designed by Joseph Hansom in a Gothic Revival style — a single nave with five side chapels. The interior was extensively repainted over in the 1970s and the altar moved forward; the building is being gradually restored. Two 'lost' murals by Gabriel Pippet were restored in 2024 by Cliveden Conservation.
A shrine dedicated to St John Henry Newman was established in 2010, after his beatification.
Liturgy
Most Masses are celebrated in English. On Sundays and Holydays, however, a non-Tridentine Solemn Mass is sung in Latin, and a Tridentine Low Mass is also celebrated — the Parish Mass remains in English. The Oratorian tradition prizes a dignified celebration of the liturgy.
Nearby
Within a few minutes' walk
