A Happy Meeting

One of the blogs I read is Domine, da mihi hanc aquam, which is written by a delightful American Dominican by the name of fr Philip Neri Powell OP, who seems to divide his time between the US and Rome, but who - wherever he is - manages to provide an amazing stream of insights into what’s happening in the Catholic Church in America . . . quite apart from excellent preaching, and a certain amount of wry humour !

One of the attractions for me is that he is a Domnican who clearly recognizes the connection between the Order and the Oratory . . . S. Philip was well-known for giving picnics to Dominican students in Rome in his day, and in Oxford today the two communities are close – not least becaue they’re next door neighbours !

I’m spending much of this weekend at Blackfriars, Oxford : and yesterday I found a visiting brother preparing dinner for those few Brethren who are in residence, and we got talking . . . and he mentioned that he was going to be saying one of the Masses at the Oxford Oratory next Sunday, which meant that he couldn’t go to the Beatification . . . but he was saying Mass so that the Fathers of the Oratory all could go; which makes sense.

However; he then said . . . ‘but I’d have liked to go, because my name’s Philip Neri’ : at which point I realized that I was talking to that excellent blogger ! A happy encounter : and one which prompted me to point you specifically in his direction . . . enjoy !