1 Corinthians 4:1.
What is the Oratory of the Servants of God?
The Oratory of the Servants of God (O.S.G.) is a religious institute of clerics in major orders in the Traditional Anglican Communion, who, knowing themselves to be moved by the Holy Spirit to conform themselves to Jesus Christ, the Head and Spouse of the Church, by practicing Chastity in celibacy 'for the sake of the Kingdom of heaven' and by living the spirit of the evangelical counsels of Obedience and Poverty, desire to consecrate themselves more fully to God, Who is loved above all, by a life-long promise of Chastity in celibacy, and a life-long promise to live the spirit of the evangelical counsels of Obedience and Poverty; in union with the Heavenly Patrons of the Oratory: The 'Maid-Servant of the Lord' -Mary, the ever-Virgin Mother of God, the one most fully consecrated; and with her new son, the Beloved Disciple, Saint John, the 'type' of all the disciples whom Jesus loves, the Servant and Apostle of the Word Incarnate.
The Members of the Oratory promise to live chaste for the sake of the kingdom of God by a real profession of life-long celibacy; and to live the spirit of the evangelical counsels of Obedience and Poverty by their fidelity to their ordination vows, and by their moderation in the use of this world's goods.
The Members of the Oratory also seek to provide such fellowship, help, and support for their Brothers as time and distance may afford, but always mutual prayer, and the fostering of charity, which makes for peace, discipline and joy.
The Members of the Oratory thus pursue the perfection of charity in the service of the Kingdom and, by the grace of God, signify and proclaim in the Church her longing for Christ's glorious Advent and the life of the world to come.
from The Rule of the Oratory of the Servants of God.
What is the origin of the Oratory of the Servants of God?
For some years we have been concerned with the condition of men (like us) who, when they received their vocation to the ministerial priesthood, received at the same time a vocation to celibacy. We say "concerned" because in the Continuum, we (and this applies to the faithful in general) can often be few and far between! This can lead to loneliness, depression, misunderstanding, and their attendant temptations, especially the lowering of priestly standards and ideals.
When we made our thoughts known both to the Primate, Archbishop Falk, and our diocesan, Bishop Mercer, C.R., they encouraged us in our desire to bring into existence an organization "for the mutual society, help and comfort" of celibate priests in the Traditional Anglican Communion. It was Bishop Mercer who suggested the Oratorian model for which there is Anglican precedent in the Oratory of the Good Shepherd.
Who are the Oratorians?
The 'original' Oratory, St. Philip Neri's, was founded in Rome by 'the Apostle of Rome' out of an informal association of priests (1564). The name 'oratory' derives from the chapel or oratory at St. Girolamo, Rome, where they held their 'exercises'. Palestrina, who was a penitent of St. Philip, composed music for them, thus giving us the name 'oratorio'. Formally approved in 1574, they spread through Italy, France, and Spain. John Henry Newman introduced them into England at Old Oscott in 1847. They live in community without vows, supported by private means.
Many Oratorians have been men of holiness and scholarship: we have already mentioned St. Philip Neri, dubbed 'the Apostle of Rome', for whom love and spiritual integrity counted more than physical austerity; it is said that laughter was a word frequently linked with him; and Pierre de Bérulle, cardinal and 'Apostle of the Word Incarnate', who was a spiritual director, and negotiated with Rome the dispensation required for the marriage of Henrietta Maria with King Charles I. Other Oratorians were Cardinal Baronius, the Church historian; Pere de Condren, preacher and spiritual director, and second Superior-General of the French Oratory, whose teaching on sacrificial Christian life influenced some Tractarians; the philosopher Malebrache; and Bishop Massillon, who was said to have been the one court preacher to have made Louis XIV dissatisfied with himself! In our time, the ex-Lutheran Louis Bouyer of the French Oratory is a renowned theologian. Bishop Charles Gore the founder of the Community of the Resurrection "much admired St. Philip Neri." (Sir Owen Chadwick)
Even nearer home is the fact that what Newman, who found his spiritual ideal in St. Philip Neri, had to say of the Roman saint, repeats what he had to say of the Anglican one, John Keble:
"This great saint reminds me in so many ways of Keble that I can fancy what Keble would have been had he been born in another place and age: he was formed in the same type of extreme hatred of humbug, playfulness, nay oddity, tender love for others, and severity, which are the lineaments of Keble."
Of Keble, a recent writer remarks:
"If we ask the secret of Keble's influence we must surely reply that it is not the fact that he was a poet, though he was widely read, nor that he was academically brilliant, for he discounted such brilliance; nor that he was an outstanding preacher, for his discourses have a plain quality and a deceptive simplicity; but that he was a saint, or something very close to one. Holiness, nurtured by the sacraments, serving not obtruding, issuing in pastoral care, expressed in the hidden life of prayer, was what Keble was about....
Many of the things which he stood for and lived by in his generation are things to which Christians continually need to be recalled as the centre of their lives. Holiness above all; the intimate linking of theology and spirituality...and sense of mystery of God, of His revelation of Himself as love, and of the Church as the people of God. Many made their first confession to Keble at a time when the idea of confession was ridiculed and attacked as a popish perversion. He was loved and trusted as a guide to men's souls, and believed that the sacrament of penance was part of the normal Christian's life and the ministry of every Christian priest." [Oratorians always have a priest in the confessional.] (Geoffrey Rowell)
Dr. Eric Mascall, who was a member of the Oratorian-type Oratory of the Good Shepherd, writes in his autobiography Saraband, wise words which would also apply to us:
"'The Church of England Year Book' lists the Oratory of the Good Shepherd under the heading of 'Religious Communities', but it simply describes it as 'a dispersed society of unmarried priests...living under a rule', and we do our best to make it plain that we are not, in the technical sense, 'religious' and that the promises under which we are professed are not, in the technical sense, 'vows'....It is in some respects easier to depict the Oratory by saying what it is not than by saying what it is. Its unity does not depend upon its possessing a central, or indeed any, house....Its members are not under any formal obligations of obedience as regards work or residence, though they have a moral obligation of consultation and of considering the general welfare of the Oratory. They have full control of their property and income, as is inevitable in a society which cannot make itself responsible for their support; but they are subject to an annual levy according to their means....Some corporate help is available for brethren with special needs. They are organized in local groups...which meet regularly in chapter, though some members have of necessity to keep in touch mainly by correspondence. They have to make a retreat each year, if possible with other members, and those who are able meet annually in General Chapter....The Manual of the Oratory describes the aim of the Oratory as 'the adoration of God in the service of the Lord Jesus Christ and the imitation of His most holy life' and it offers for the guidance of its members the seven 'notes' of fellowship, Liberty, Stewardship, Labour of the Mind, the Love that makes for Peace, Discipline and Joy. But the basic obligation is that of regular prayer and, in the absence of a geographical or residential centre such as a religious order would have, this is of quite primary importance as the unifying force of the Oratory....Speaking for myself I can at least say that without the Oratory I would have spent much less time in prayer than I have spent and would have been a much less satisfactory priest than ever I have been."
All this is beautifully summed up in a famous Tractarian's free translation of a prayer for conformity to the life of Christ, by Fr. Condren of the French Oratory and M. Olier, that found its way into an Office Book for ordinands of the Church of England. Fr. Eric MilnerWhite has called it "the noblest Eucharistic prayer of modern days and of an evangelical type too little represented in the Prayer Book":
O merciful Jesus, Who when Thou tookest upon Thee to deliver man didst not abhor the Virgin's womb; Vouchsafe evermore to dwell in the hearts of us Thy servants, inspire us with Thy purity' strengthen us with Thy might; make us perfect in Thy ways, guide us Into Thy truth; and unite us to Thyself and to Thy whole Church by Thy Holy Mysteries; that we may conquer every adverse power, and be wholly devoted to Thy service and conformed to Thy will, [in Thine own Spirit], to the glory of God the Father.
Dr. Liddon, Cuddesdon Office Book
Why the 'Oratorian' model?
The point for us is that the Oratorians were characterized principally by their spiritual focus on the priesthood rather than on solemn vows. They valued their 'secular' identity which placed them immediately in the service of the needs of the local Church under the direction of the Bishop. Their apostolic mission was to meet the evangelistic needs of the faithful, and the formation of the clergy. Here is something which we, scattered though we are, can identify with and aspire to, while praying for one another, and befriending one another so far as we can.
Why the name 'Oratory of the Servants of God'?
The name we have chosen for this Oratory is that of 'Servants of God'. After St. Augustine of Hippo had become a Catholic Christian, he returned to Africa where, in Thagasde, he and Alypius continued work on the establishment of a community of Christian men called Servi Dei, the 'Servants of God'. Although this was a community of men living together on St. Augustine's portion of the family estate, the name seemed to us to be suitable and simple -expressing what we, by God's grace, hope to be.
Father Peter D. Wilkinson, OSG
Father Shane B. Janzen, OSG
For further information on the Oratory, please contact us at:
3410 Willerton Road, Victoria, B.C. Canada V8P 3R3
Tel: (250) 9203648 · Fax: (250) 9205723
Back to News
ACCC Menu
ACCC Home
The Anglican Catholic Church of Canada - Comments or queries may be sent to Webmaster
Updated: - 12/12/06