London Oratory
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The London Oratory is the home of the Community of the Oratory of Saint Philip Neri in Knightsbridge London, SW7, founded by John Henry, Cardinal Newman in conjunction with Fr. Frederick Faber after the Birmingham Oratory had become well established, originally at premises in King William Street. Together with their Church of the Immaculate Heart of Mary they are often referred to as the 'Brompton Oratory'.
The priests at the Oratory live a community life, in a very traditional manner, for example, they still use only Roman style vestments, their habit of biretta and the distinctive oratorian cassock is worn nearly all the time, priests rarely concelebrate a mass, preferring to sit in choir if not assisting as a deacon of the mass.
There are several masses offered each day and private masses are available by arrangement, as are weddings and confessions.
The London Oratory Choir is an adult, professional chamber choir serving the major liturgical celebrations in the Church of the London Oratory (popularly, and correctly, known as ‘the Brompton Oratory’) which is famous for the traditional dignity of its Latin liturgy. The Choir, dating from the establishment of the London Oratory on its present Brompton Road site in 1854, is England’s senior professional Catholic choir, and has an international reputation as one of the world’s leading exponents of choral music within the traditional Roman Rite, noted especially for its performances of Renaissance polyphony and the Masses of the Classical Viennese school. Recent Directors of Music have included Henry Washington (1935-1971), John Hoban (1971-1995), Andrew Carwood (1995-1999) and Patrick Russill (1999-to date). The London Oratory also has a rich organ tradition, its Organists including Ralph Downes (1936-1977), Patrick Russill (1977-99) and John McGreal (1999-to date). The organ of 45 stops, 3 manuals and pedals, built by J. W. Walker & Sons, 1952-4, to the designs of Ralph Downes, was the first church organ in London to be built on neo-classical lines, and is considered one of the finest British organs since World War II.
The Oratory also has a children’s choir, The London Oratory Children's Choir, founded in 1973 by John Hoban to give boys and girls together an opportunity to serve the liturgy in a great church. In addition to regularly singing one evening service and one Sunday (English) Mass every week, the Oratory Junior Choir is also active outside the Oratory. Noted for its free tone and forth-right delivery, it has appeared in all London’s major concert halls and at the Proms, with conductors including Andrew Parrott, Nicholas Kraemer and Sir John Eliot Gardiner (including prize-winning recordings of Monteverdi’s Vespers in St Mark's Basilica in Venice, and Bach’s St Matthew Passion). Since 1979 it has provided the children’s chorus for Royal Ballet productions at the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden. From 1984 its Director was Patrick Russill, and since 2005 its Director has been Charles Cole.
It was at the London Oratory Church, in front of the statue of St Peter, located in the centre of the church, under the choir loft, that England was re-dedicated to St Peter and Our Lady, sparking the 19th Century political debate as to the loyalties of English Catholics, to the Pope or to the Monarch.
The congregation is one of the largest Catholic congregations in London[citation needed]
