Blackfriars, Oxford
Encyclopedia
Blackfriars, Oxford houses three distinct institutions: the Priory of the Holy Spirit, the religious house of the friars, whose current prior is John O'Connor OP; Blackfriars Studium, the centre of Theological studies of the English Province of the Dominican Friars (although it numbers members of other orders and lay people among its students and lecturers); and Blackfriars Hall, one of the constituent educational institutions of the University of Oxford
. The name Blackfriars is commonly used to denote a house of the Dominican Friars
in England.
Blackfriars Hall is not a college but a Permanent Private Hall
, meaning that it is owned and governed by an outside institution (in this case, the English Province of the Order of Preachers
) and not by its fellows as a college is. Located in St Giles'
, Blackfriars Hall is a centre for the study of Theology and Philosophy informed by the intellectual tradition of St Thomas Aquinas. It admits men and women of any faith for Oxford undergraduate degrees in Theology schools, and for PPE, and for a wide range of postgraduate degrees.
's medieval and early life are imprecise, Blackfriars' history is unusually well documented, largely as a result of the hall being part of an international fraternity of scholarship, which was able to monitor and document its fortunes, even during times of the hall's collapse.
The Dominicans arrived in Oxford on 15 August 1221, at the instruction of Saint Dominic
himself, little more than a week after the friar's death. As such, the hall is heir to the oldest tradition of teaching in Oxford, a tradition that precedes both the aularian houses that would characterise the next century and the collegiate houses that would characterise the rest of the University's history.
Like all the monastic houses in Oxford, Blackfriars came into rapid and repeated conflict with the University authorities. With the Reformation
, all monastic houses, including Blackfriars, were suppressed
. The Dominicans did not return to Oxford for some 400 years, until 1921 when Blackfriars was refounded as a religious house, within 600 metres of the original site. The Dominican Studium at Blackfriars had a close relationship with the University, culminating in the establishment of Blackfriars as a permanent private hall in 1994.
Blackfriars Hall is the home of a number of other institutes,the Las Casas Institute on ethics, governance and social justice. Launched in November 2008, the Institute combines scholarship with major speakers and an extensive community engagement programme, and so contributes to the Hall's founding vision to be a centre of the social as well as the sacred sciences. Its founding Director (from October 2008 to January 2011) was Francis Davis. In March 2010 the Las Casas Institute hosted a conference - part of the UK's first ever social weeks - attended by 250 participants from over 20 countries. Keynote speakers included Professor Mary Jo Bane (Harvard), Professor Chris McCruddeon (Oxford), Professor Johan Verstraaten (Leuven) and Professor Margaret Archer (Lausanne). The Institute was specifically praised both by the University and its College Visitor in reviews undertaken during this period and the Vice Chancellor of the University was a keynote speaker at Institute events.
The International Young Leaders Network exists to identify and nurture young and emerging leaders aged 18 to 33 from the Christian community globally.
The Aquinas Institute was established in 2004 under the directorship of Fergus Kerr OP. It aims to foster study of St Thomas at Oxford through seminars, occasional conferences, summer schools, and programmes that will bring international research scholars to the university each year. It seeks to foster the study of St Thomas from three perspectives: theological, philosophical, and from the viewpoint of medieval studies. Members of the Institute include Revd Dr Vivian Boland OP (Director), Revd Dr Fergus Kerr OP (Founding Director), Prof. Steve Baldner (Visiting Fellow, Trinity term 2006), Dr William Carroll (Aquinas Fellow Hilary Terms), Revd Dr Simon Gaine OP, Revd Peter Hunter OP, Revd Dr Aidan Nichols OP and Revd Dominic Ryan OP. The Institute puts on a weekly seminar in Hilary term each year in which leading international scholars address a theme connected with the teaching of St Thomas. In Michaelmas term, the Director runs a weekly advanced reading class on Aquinas for University and Studium students. In Trinity term, the Director runs a seminar on Medieval authors before and after Aquinas. Patrons of the Institute include Professors John Haldane, Alasdair MacIntyre Ralph McInerny (d.2010) and Eleonore Stump.
University of Oxford
The University of Oxford is a university located in Oxford, United Kingdom. It is the second-oldest surviving university in the world and the oldest in the English-speaking world. Although its exact date of foundation is unclear, there is evidence of teaching as far back as 1096...
. The name Blackfriars is commonly used to denote a house of the Dominican Friars
Dominican Order
The Order of Preachers , after the 15th century more commonly known as the Dominican Order or Dominicans, is a Catholic religious order founded by Saint Dominic and approved by Pope Honorius III on 22 December 1216 in France...
in England.
Blackfriars Hall is not a college but a Permanent Private Hall
Permanent Private Hall
A Permanent Private Hall at the University of Oxford is an educational institution within the university. There are six Permanent Private Halls at Oxford, five of which admit undergraduates. They were founded by different Christian denominations....
, meaning that it is owned and governed by an outside institution (in this case, the English Province of the Order of Preachers
Dominican Order
The Order of Preachers , after the 15th century more commonly known as the Dominican Order or Dominicans, is a Catholic religious order founded by Saint Dominic and approved by Pope Honorius III on 22 December 1216 in France...
) and not by its fellows as a college is. Located in St Giles'
St Giles', Oxford
St Giles is a wide street leading north from the centre of Oxford, England. At its northern end, the road divides into Woodstock Road to the left and Banbury Road to the right, both major roads through North Oxford. At the southern end, the road continues as Magdalen Street at the junction with...
, Blackfriars Hall is a centre for the study of Theology and Philosophy informed by the intellectual tradition of St Thomas Aquinas. It admits men and women of any faith for Oxford undergraduate degrees in Theology schools, and for PPE, and for a wide range of postgraduate degrees.
History
Despite the fact that many of the dates and figures of OxfordOxford
The city of Oxford is the county town of Oxfordshire, England. The city, made prominent by its medieval university, has a population of just under 165,000, with 153,900 living within the district boundary. It lies about 50 miles north-west of London. The rivers Cherwell and Thames run through...
's medieval and early life are imprecise, Blackfriars' history is unusually well documented, largely as a result of the hall being part of an international fraternity of scholarship, which was able to monitor and document its fortunes, even during times of the hall's collapse.
The Dominicans arrived in Oxford on 15 August 1221, at the instruction of Saint Dominic
Saint Dominic
Saint Dominic , also known as Dominic of Osma, often called Dominic de Guzmán and Domingo Félix de Guzmán was the founder of the Friars Preachers, popularly called the Dominicans or Order of Preachers , a Catholic religious order...
himself, little more than a week after the friar's death. As such, the hall is heir to the oldest tradition of teaching in Oxford, a tradition that precedes both the aularian houses that would characterise the next century and the collegiate houses that would characterise the rest of the University's history.
Like all the monastic houses in Oxford, Blackfriars came into rapid and repeated conflict with the University authorities. With the Reformation
English Reformation
The English Reformation was the series of events in 16th-century England by which the Church of England broke away from the authority of the Pope and the Roman Catholic Church....
, all monastic houses, including Blackfriars, were suppressed
Dissolution of the Monasteries
The Dissolution of the Monasteries, sometimes referred to as the Suppression of the Monasteries, was the set of administrative and legal processes between 1536 and 1541 by which Henry VIII disbanded monasteries, priories, convents and friaries in England, Wales and Ireland; appropriated their...
. The Dominicans did not return to Oxford for some 400 years, until 1921 when Blackfriars was refounded as a religious house, within 600 metres of the original site. The Dominican Studium at Blackfriars had a close relationship with the University, culminating in the establishment of Blackfriars as a permanent private hall in 1994.
Blackfriars Hall is the home of a number of other institutes,the Las Casas Institute on ethics, governance and social justice. Launched in November 2008, the Institute combines scholarship with major speakers and an extensive community engagement programme, and so contributes to the Hall's founding vision to be a centre of the social as well as the sacred sciences. Its founding Director (from October 2008 to January 2011) was Francis Davis. In March 2010 the Las Casas Institute hosted a conference - part of the UK's first ever social weeks - attended by 250 participants from over 20 countries. Keynote speakers included Professor Mary Jo Bane (Harvard), Professor Chris McCruddeon (Oxford), Professor Johan Verstraaten (Leuven) and Professor Margaret Archer (Lausanne). The Institute was specifically praised both by the University and its College Visitor in reviews undertaken during this period and the Vice Chancellor of the University was a keynote speaker at Institute events.
The International Young Leaders Network exists to identify and nurture young and emerging leaders aged 18 to 33 from the Christian community globally.
The Aquinas Institute was established in 2004 under the directorship of Fergus Kerr OP. It aims to foster study of St Thomas at Oxford through seminars, occasional conferences, summer schools, and programmes that will bring international research scholars to the university each year. It seeks to foster the study of St Thomas from three perspectives: theological, philosophical, and from the viewpoint of medieval studies. Members of the Institute include Revd Dr Vivian Boland OP (Director), Revd Dr Fergus Kerr OP (Founding Director), Prof. Steve Baldner (Visiting Fellow, Trinity term 2006), Dr William Carroll (Aquinas Fellow Hilary Terms), Revd Dr Simon Gaine OP, Revd Peter Hunter OP, Revd Dr Aidan Nichols OP and Revd Dominic Ryan OP. The Institute puts on a weekly seminar in Hilary term each year in which leading international scholars address a theme connected with the teaching of St Thomas. In Michaelmas term, the Director runs a weekly advanced reading class on Aquinas for University and Studium students. In Trinity term, the Director runs a seminar on Medieval authors before and after Aquinas. Patrons of the Institute include Professors John Haldane, Alasdair MacIntyre Ralph McInerny (d.2010) and Eleonore Stump.
Notable former students And Staff
- Dr James AlisonJames AlisonJames Alison is a Catholic theologian and author. He is noted for his work on gay issues and the application of René Girard's anthropological theory in theology....
, British Theologian - Delia GallagherDelia GallagherDelia Buckley Gallagher is an American journalist based in Rome who currently serves as the Senior Editor for Inside the Vatican magazine. She formerly served as CNN’s Faith and Values Correspondent. Based in New York, Gallagher was a long time CNN Vatican Analyst, Vaticanologist, and religious...
, CNN Faith and Values Correspondent - Francis Davis
- Brian DaviesBrian Davies (philosopher)Brian Evan Anthony Davies OP is Professor of Philosophy, Fordham University , and author of the classic, An Introduction to the Philosophy of Religion, now available in a third English edition and translated into five Asian and European languages.-Education:Brian Davies read Theology at the...
, Philosopher - Herbert McCabeHerbert McCabeHerbert McCabe was an English Dominican priest, theologian and philosopher, who was born in Middlesbrough in the North Riding of Yorkshire. After studying chemistry and philosophy at Manchester University, he joined the Dominicans in 1949, where under Victor White he began his life-long study of...
, Theologian and Philosopher - Anthony FisherAnthony FisherBishop Anthony Fisher is the Catholic Bishop of Parramatta, NSW Australia and a friar of the Order of Preachers . He was installed as the third Bishop of Parramatta on 4 March 2010, having previously served as Auxiliary Bishop of the Archdiocese of Sydney.-Early life and education:Anthony Fisher...
, Catholic Bishop of Parramatta, Australia - Timothy RadcliffeTimothy RadcliffeTimothy Radcliffe, OP is a Catholic priest and Dominican friar of the English Province, and former Master of the Order of Preachers from 1992-2001...
, Past Master of the Order of Preachers
Current Academics/Fellows
- Rt Hon John Battle MPJohn Battle (politician)John Dominic Battle, KC*SG is a British Labour Party politician, who was the Member of Parliament for Leeds West from 1987 to 2010.-Early life:...
- Timothy Radcliffe, OP
- Conrad, Fr Richard, OP
- Finn, Fr Richard, OPRichard FinnThe Very Reverend Richard Damian Finn, OP is Regent of Blackfriars, Oxford.Richard Finn was educated at St Catharine's College, Cambridge...
- Goodill, Fr David, OP
- O’Connor, Fr John, OP
- Boland, Fr Vivian, OP
- Demkovich, Fr Michael, OP
- Earl, Fr Benjamin, OP
- Farrell, Fr John, OP
- Gaine, Fr Simon, OP
- Ganeri, Fr Martin, OP
- Gardner, Fr Timothy, OP
- Hunter, Fr Peter, OP
- Kenrick, Fr John Patrick, OP
- Nichols, Fr Aidan, OPAidan NicholsJohn Christopher "Aidan" Nichols OP is an academic and Catholic priest.Nichols served as the first John Paul II Memorial Visiting Lecturer at the University of Oxford for 2006 to 2008, the first lectureship of Catholic theology at that university since the Reformation...
- Ombres, Fr Robert, OP
- Ounsworth, Fr Richard, OP
- Radcliffe, Fr Timothy, OPTimothy RadcliffeTimothy Radcliffe, OP is a Catholic priest and Dominican friar of the English Province, and former Master of the Order of Preachers from 1992-2001...
- Ryan, Fr Dominic, OP
- Sanders, Fr David, OP
- Bhattacharji, Dr Santha
- Dodd, Mrs Val
- King, Dr Brian
- Murphy, Sr Anne
- Reynolds, Dr Frances
- Robertson, Prof David
- Fisher, Rt Rev Anthony, OP
- Kerr, Fr Fergus, OP
- MacMillan, Mr James
- McMahon, Rt Rev Malcolm, OP
- Soskice, Prof Janet
- Taylor, Prof Charles
- Tobin, Most Rev Joseph
- Carroll, Dr William
- Nicholls, Fr Guy
- Mary Charles-Murray
- Giordano, Prof James
- Keown, Prof John
- Rona, Prof Peter
- Shortt, Mr Rupert
- Atkins, Sr Margaret
- Black, Dr Michael
- Day, Dr Juliette
- Göcke, Mr Benedikt
- Jones, Dr David
- Logan, Dr Ian
- Oborne, Dr Michael
- Priest, Mr Stephen
- Saward, Fr JohnJohn SawardJohn Saward is a Roman Catholic priest and a fellow of both Greyfriars and associate lecturer at Blackfriars at the University of Oxford in England...
- Scruton, Prof RogerRoger ScrutonRoger Vernon Scruton is a conservative English philosopher and writer. He is the author of over 30 books, including Art and Imagination , Sexual Desire , The Aesthetics of Music , and A Political Philosophy: Arguments For Conservatism...
- Barrie, Mr Stephen
- Geach, Sr Tamsin OP
- Hughes, Fr Gerard, SJ
- McGarry, Sr Winnie OP
- Nicoll, Tish
- O’Mahony, Anthony
- Samuels, Alison
- Scott, Rt Rev Geoffrey, OSB
- Ward, Sr. Benedicta