Author: Richard Brown

RECORDING NOW AVAILABLE. BBC Radio 4 broadcast ‘Sunday Worship’ with music and reflections from St Dominic’s – The Rosary Shrine.

Sunday Worship: Saints and Song

Sun 7 Sep 2025, 8:10 am, BBC Radio 4
“There is nothing on this earth more to be prized than true friendship” – St Thomas Aquinas

• PREVIEW: Video of the choir practising

This famous quote from the Dominican Friar, St Thomas Aquinas, touches on a deep truth; friends bring meaning to our lives in a myriad of ways. Though friendship is often overlooked, for many it not only provides essential support and comfort, it also has a spiritual significance. Fr Matthew Jarvis OP reflects on the relationship between friendship and the sacred and explores the important role it it has on the path to sainthood.

As the canonisations of two new saints, Blessed Pier Giorgio Frassati (a lay Dominican), and Blessed Carlo Acutis, happen in Rome, Fr Matthew focusses on how their devotion to God and to their friends, set these young men apart.

This year also marks the 500th Anniversary of the birth of the composer, Giovanni Pierluigi da Palestrina. Recognised as one of the most influential composers of the late Renaissance, his music expresses a rich theology, as different voices interweave to create polyphonic lines. The Southwell Consort sing music by Palestrina and some of his contemporaries, in this service from St Dominic’s Priory – The Rosary Shrine in London.

• Full details of the programme and a link to listen to a recording of the broadcast

The Dominican Friars’ mission over eight centuries has been supported by many gifts left in people’s Wills. Today such gifts provide one fifth of the annual income needed to support this mission, allowing the friars to enrich thousands of people’s lives – as can be seen in the joyful testimonies below.

This week is Catholic Legacy Week, and we invite you too to consider leaving a gift to Catholic charities in your Will – including to the Dominican Friars. Since we believe it is really important for everyone to have an up-to-date Will, we are pleased to offer practical assistance in this, including a free Will-writing service.

Testimonies

This week we have gathered joyful and moving personal testimonies from our supporters – stories of how the Dominicans have enriched people’s lives in different ways. Here is a small selection:

• ‘The Dominican emphasis on preaching and living the gospel particularly to the poor and marginalised and its loving welcome to all was a revelation.’
• ‘I find your on-line liturgy of the greatest help here in Italy. At 86 I’m a little beyond learning enough Italian to follow the homilies […] so yours fill in for them admirably.’
• ‘I spent three really enriching years with the Studium in Oxford which encouraged and equipped me for teaching adults.’
• ‘The Dominicans helped our family without hesitation when asked. They carried us through a very sad and low time. The help, guidance and support given will never be forgotten by our family. Thank you so much.’
• ‘I would like to thank the community at Oxford for the sacramental succour they gave a mutual friend in her dying days and at her funeral.’
• ‘I really don’t know what I would have done over the past few years without the Dominicans; the deeply inspiring preaching, the beautiful, reverent liturgy, the warm-hearted fellowship after Mass, the safe place in which to find decent, wise, faithful and kindly Catholics to mentor our children. I do not think our daughter would still be attending Mass if we had not found the community.’

Over 30 such testimonies have now been given on our website.

When you leave a gift in your Will to the Dominicans, you can be sure that your act of charity will touch many other people’s lives, enabling the friars through your practical support to continue their vital ministry.

What to do?

If you don’t yet have a Will drawn up, or need to update it, we offer a free Will-writing service to our supporters in the UK. Follow the link and send us your details, then we will send you information and a list of participating lawyers near you. When you have completed your Will, our charity covers the small charge for the service.

Alternatively you can speak with any reputable law firm. For most people, writing their Will is a very straightforward process and can be completed quickly.

Your lawyer will raise with you the question of whether you wish to support charities in your Will. The information to share with him in order to leave a gift to the Dominicans can be found here.

The friars pray daily with gratitude for all their benefactors, living and deceased.

Need help or advice?

Just email Richard in the Development Office on development@english.op.org and I will be happy to help you.

We are excited to announce the opportunity for choral scholarships for up to 4 persons to help enrich the musical life here at St Dominic’s – The Rosary Shrine.

In addition to singing regularly at the Sunday 12noon solemn Mass, and once a month at 5pm for the Latin Dominican Rite Mass, as well as during Christmas and Holy Week, choral scholars will also have first choice to sing at other liturgical events in the course of the year, such as for solemnities that fall on weekdays, funerals, weddings, and other such occasions.

This is an exciting opportunity to be part of and to enrich the musical life of an active parish and diocesan shrine.

DOWNLOAD INFORMATION ON THE SCHOLARSHIPS

To apply, please email Rachael Shipard at rachaelshipard@gmail.com, copying in Martin Stacey (Director of Music) at festivaldirector@gmail.com, stating your interest and any background information about your experience to date.

Do you want to support music in our church?

These scholarships are available thanks to the generosity of donors who wish to support music-making at St Dominic’s – the Rosary Shrine.

If you too would like to support our rich musical culture, click here to donate.

The Prior of St Dominic’s, Fr Dominic White OP, has recorded a special 2 ½ minute video to show off the completed underfloor heating and new stone flooring in our church, as a way to thank donors – especially those who live a distance away from our church.

We extend a big thank-you to all those who supported, including the hundreds of generous individuals, and the following grant-makers:

• Benefact Trust
• Catholic Charitable Trust
• Edith Bessie Gibson Trust
• Garfield Weston Foundation

Advent & Christmas Mass Times

15 – 23 December

The Filipino Simbang Gabi novena of Masses in preparation for Christmas will be celebrated at 7.30pm (6pm on Sat 16 & 23, & 3pm on Sun 17 Dec).

Sunday 24th December 2023

Sunday Masses

8.30am, 10am, 12noon, 2pm Dominican rite Mass (Latin)

Christmas Eve

5:30–6:15pm Confessions

6:00pm Vigil Mass of Christmas

11:00pm Confessions

11:30pm Service of Carols & Midnight Mass of Christmas

Monday 25th December 2023

Christmas Day

8:30am Dawn Mass

10:00am Family Mass with carols

12 noon Solemn Mass with carols

5pm Adoration & 5.30pm Solemn Vespers

6pm Dominican Rite Mass (Latin)

Schedule after Christmas

Boxing Day 26th – Friday 29^th December

Mass at 6pm Only

Saturday 30^th

10am Mass

6pm Vigil Mass for Sunday

Sunday 31^st December 2023

8.30am Mass

10am Family Mass

12noon Solemn Mass

5pm Adoration & 5.30pm Solemn Vespers

6pm Dominican rite Mass (Latin)

Confessions at the usual times on 30/31 December

Monday 1st January 2024

Solemnity of Mary, Mother of God and New Year’s Day

5pm Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament & Confessions

6pm Mass

7pm Marian Procession and blessing of new statue

The Dominican Friars here at St Dominic’s Priory would like to take this opportunity to wish you and your loved ones a joyful and hope-filled Christmas, and every blessing for the new year.

Drawing by Br Augustine Chen, O.P. [2022]

“The shepherds said to one another, ‘Let us go over to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has made known to us.’ And they went with haste, and found Mary and Joseph, and the babe lying in a manger.”– Luke 2:15-16