Subject: News from the University Church of St Mary the Virgin Oxford

 

Thomas Merton - a photographic exhibition


by Esther de Waal


How do you see the world! A perennial question, one that seems very immediate in an Oxford summer when the streets are thronged with tourists and sightseers endlessly taking photos on their ?? Cell phones / iPhones


In this exhibition which runs from — to September 15 th we have the chance to see the work of an American Trappist monk who handled a camera as an instrument of contemplation.


Born in 1915 in the south of France Thomas Merton had artistic parents - an American mother who was an interior decorator and a New Zealand father who was a very fine watercolourist. Educated in France and in England (a disastrous year at Cambridge) he found himself in New York leading a highly unsatisfactory life. But then he made his way to the Trappist ( Cistercian) abbey of Gethsemani in Kentucky. Here he found a community of brothers, he taught the novices, he was encouraged to write. Yet increasingly he longed for more solitude and silence. His wish was granted when the abbot allowed him to go off and live in a hermitage on the edge of the property. And here by chance a visiting journalist lent him a camera.


Thomas Merton called his photography his “serious work”. He saw it as a meditation.He wanted what he photographed to be viewed without haste or pressure, giving it time for its essence to reveal itself. He never tried to alter or arrange. He did not seek to capture or to possess what he saw. Here only the immediate environs of the hermitage were available to him. Yet the familiar opened up under his gaze. He was captivated by the inner life of things. He was fascinated by the play of light. Above all he struggled to express silence.


“Enjoy it. Drink it all in. It is in all this that you will find your answers. Here is where everything connects,”


“Talking is not the principal thing. Here you do not feel that much needs to be said. We already know a great deal about it.Now we need to grasp it.”

SUMMER OPENING HOURS


July brings with it our summer opening hours:

Monday - Saturday: 9.30am – 6pm

Sunday 12noon – 6pm


Please note the church might be closed at short notice for specific events. For the most up to date information, always check our website.

Livestreamed Services

at the University Church

Due to the sound system installation, we won't be able to livestream the Sung Eucharist this Sunday, 17 July either.

We are aiming to restart properly on Sunday 7 August. Should anything change, we will keep you updated.

Livestreamed Services Playlist

Please subscribe to our social media channels to ensure you see the videos in your newsfeed and you are alerted to all our other events.

Concerts

at the University Church

SATURDAY, 16 JULY, 7.30PM

Notices


CHORAL EVENSONG: SUNDAY 17 JULY – 3:30PM

Join us today (and on Sunday afternoons throughout July) for an uplifting service of choral music, sung by the University Church choir. This week features repertoire by Walford Davies, William Smith, Orlando Gibbons and Giovanni Pierluigi da Palestrina. This service, devised during the English Reformation by Archbishop Thomas Cranmer, draws on the Christian Scriptures and the ancient monastic offices of Vespers and Compline; it offers a simple, elegant framework for reflection and prayer.


QUIET CREATIVITY

SATURDAY 16 JULY, 10AM – OLD LIBRARY

You are warmly invited to bring your own creative project and enjoy a relaxed morning of quiet productivity in the company of like-minded people. Snacks, coffee, and tea will be provided. For more details, contact ana-maria.niculcea@universitychurch.ox.ac.uk


THOMAS MERTON – A PHOTOGRAPHIC EXHIBITION,

15 JULY - 15 SEPTEMBER, ADAM DE BROME CHAPEL

From 15 July we are hosting a new free exhibition in the Adam de Brome chapel, of photographs belonging to the Trappist monk, Thomas Merton. Our own Esther de Waal has graciously curated a series of his photographs, accompanied by his own words and created a deeply moving and thought-provoking experience. Free to see during our normal opening hours. There will be a launch drinks reception after evensong on Sunday 24 July. Email ana-maria.niculcea@universitychurch.ox.ac.uk for more details.


VOLUNTEER MEETING: 20 JULY 3:00PM IN THE OLD LIBRARY

The Revd Canon Bruce Kinsey will give a talk on mental health awareness and visitor engagement for our welcomers. The talk is open to anyone in the congregation, so if you are interested in the subject, please just come or email ana-maria.niculcea@universitychurch.ox.ac.uk if you have any questions.


THE OXFORD PROMS

The Oxford Proms are delighted to announce five evening concerts taking place in St Mary's during August. Tickets and more information are available on the Oxford Proms website: www .oxfordproms.org


VOLUNTEERS AT THE UNIVERSITY CHURCH

If you are interested in volunteering opportunities, please speak to Ana-Maria Niculcea or email her: ana-maria.niculcea@universitychurch.ox.ac.uk


SUPPORTING UKRAINIAN REFUGEES

The Diocese of Oxford has joined Citizens UK in providing a safer, more streamlined system designed to provide support for those undertaking the sponsorship process for supporting Ukrainian Refugees. For more information on hosting or supporting refugees visit: www.oxford.anglican.org/everyday-faith/becoming-a-christian/how-to/make-a-difference-in-ukraine.php


STILE ANTICO: ENSEMBLE IN RESIDENCE

Stile Antico, our Ensemble in Residence, will be offering two events in the

autumn. There is a concert, A Garden of Delights, which will take place at 8.00pm on 23 September 2022, and a workshop for singers on Saturday 12 November 2022 beginning at 2.30pm. Please make a note in your diaries if you would like to attend either of these events. You can book on the church website.


NEW TO ST MARY’S? If you are new to St Mary’s and have started coming to services in the last six months or so, we may not have your contact details. If you would like to find out more about what is going on at the University Church, please email admin@universitychurch.ox.ac.uk with your name, address and telephone number and ask for your name to be added to the Parish Directory. This directory is used only by parish staff but it enables us to get in touch with you as the need arises.

Events elsewhere in Oxford


AN EVENING ABOUT ELVIS PRESLEY, HIS FAITH AND RELIGIOUS MUSIC

St Michael at the North Gate, Wednesday 27 July, 5.30pm

The brief (15 min) Service of Compline will be followed by a talk exemplifying Elvis' music, and exploring his faith and religious music. The Talk will be given by Revd Anthony Buckley, the Oxford City Rector and Vicar of St Michael at the North Gate, Oxford. Anthony has been a lifelong fan of Elvis.

There will be a collection to help towards the cost of refreshments.

Please register for your free ticket here.

St Mary's Church, High Street, OX1 4BJ, Oxford, United Kingdom

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