King Charles III visits Birmingham Oratory

The King marked his return to work after his summer holiday with a visit to the Oratory of St Philip Neri. While in Birmingham, he also officially opened the Midland Metropolitan University Hospital in Smethwick.

King Charles III returned to work today after his summer holiday with a tour of the Birmingham Oratory to mark the canonisation of St John Henry Newman in 2019.

He was met on arrival by the Archbishop of Birmingham Bernard Longley and the Provost of the Birmingham Oratory, Father Ignatius Harrison. He viewed the library and toured the parish church of the Immaculate Conception, the national shrine to Newman.

The King was accompanied by Daniel Joyce, curator of the Newman Museum, on a tour of the building, which included the sacristy where some of Newman’s vestments were displayed. In the library he saw the Polyglot Bible from 1657 with its dedication to King Charles II.

He saw Newman’s own room, which remains as it was on the saint’s death in 1890 along with books, rosaries, clothes and other possessions and personal effects. He unveiled a plaque in the courtyard to commemorate the visit.

As Prince Charles, the King had met Pope Francis and attended the canonisation in Rome of Saint John Henry Newman, who established the Birmingham Oratory in 1848, a year after he had joined the Congregation of the Oratory in Rome.

The church was built between 1907 and 1910 in the Baroque style inspired by St Philip Neri’s own Oratory in the Oratorio dei Filippini in Rome.

“Among the documents in Newman’s old study are pages from the manuscripts of the Apologia and The Dream of Gerontius. In the article by Charles on Newman published in L’Osservatore Romano and The Tablet on the eve of the canonisation, he quotes from Gerontius, noting that at the climax of the poem the soul, approaching heaven, perceives something of the divine vision: “a grand mysterious harmony: It floods me, like the deep and solemn sound of many waters.” Here lies the clue to Charles’ special affinity with Newman. He has frequently spoken of the importance of harmony – in architecture, in humanity’s relationship with nature and in people’s relationships with one another – and the harmful effects of its absence from contemporary life.”

Read Catherine Pepinster’s feature in this week’s print edition of The Tablet on the King’s visit to the Birmingham Oratory today.

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