Dominican Friars in Britain

07/06/2026

The Eucharist looks to the future.

In a prayer he wrote for today's feast, the feast of Corpus Christi, St Thomas Aquinas hailed the Eucharist as follows:

O sacred banquet, in which Christ is received,
the memory of His Passion is renewed,
the mind is filled with grace,
and a pledge of future glory is given to us.

The final promise, a 'pledge of future glory', looks beyond the time of the sacraments. How can this promise help us understand the nature of the Eucharist? Fr Bruno Clifton OP preaches on this theme in the Mass of Corpus Christi at Blackfriars Oxford. The full video can be found on the Godzdogz YouTube channel (link in bio 👆)

06/06/2026

Our brother Jerome Johnson will be ordained deacon on Saturday 4th July 2026 at 12pm at Blackfriars, Oxford.

Please keep Br Jerome in your prayers as he approaches his ordination!

Br Jerome recently spoke about his vocation and his love of Dominican life in a YouTube video which you can watch here: https://youtu.be/27kj8eqtuDY

04/06/2026

Meet Br Jerome! Br Jerome is studying at Blackfriars in Oxford. He is in solemn vows and preparing for ordination to the diaconate this July. In this video he shares what he loves about being a Dominican, and how he understands his vocation as a preacher.

You can watch the full video on our YouTube channel here: https://youtu.be/27kj8eqtuDY

03/06/2026

Fr. Patrick van der Vorst recently released a beautiful video documenting the art and experiences that led him to the priesthood, and the video includes interviews with Fr Toby and Fr Matthew filmed at St Dominic's Church - The Shrine of Our Lady of the Rosary

Fr. Patrick van der Vorst revisits the artworks, places and experiences that shaped his journey from the art world to the priesthood. Interwoven with testimo...

02/06/2026

Humility is often mistaken for a form of self-hatred, or low self-esteem. But, as CS Lewis wrote so powerfully in Mere Christianity, "Humility is not thinking less of yourself, but thinking of yourself less".

Cardinal Timothy Radcliffe OP preaches on this topic at Blackfriars, Oxford, quoting from another of Lewis' great works, the Screwtape Letters. Humble people, Cardinal Radcliffe suggests, don't think badly of themselves. Rather, they are probably not that interested in themselves.

The full homily can be found on the Godzdogz YouTube page (link in bio 👆)

31/05/2026

✨The Dominican family gathered today for our annual pilgrimage to Our Lady of Walsingham. 🙏

We began with a beautiful celebration of Trinity Sunday in the Basilica, before enjoying a picnic lunch and catching up with friars, sisters, lay Dominicans, and other friends who had made the trip from London, Leicester, Oxford, and Cambridge.

In the afternoon, we processed along the Holy Mile carrying the statue of Our Lady of Walsingham. The pilgrimage concluded in the beautiful grounds of the medieval abbey, where we sang the Dominican Litany of Our Lady. After tea in the Pilgrim Bureau, the day ended with Vespers and Benediction in the parish church.

Many thanks to everyone who helped organise the pilgrimage, to the musicians, and to the Shrine for its warm welcome and hospitality. Our Lady of Walsingham, pray for us!

28/05/2026

Fr Richard explains Biblical typology with the use of potatoes! 🥔

You can watch the full conversation between Fr Richard and Fr John on our YouTube channel (link in bio 👆)

27/05/2026

Happy feast of St Augustine of Canterbury! ✨

Fr Dominic White OP preaches at Blackfriars Oxford this morning about the story of St Augustine, sent from Rome by St Gregory. His arrival on these shores was a moment of grace.

You can watch the full homily on the Godzdogz YouTube channel (link in bio 👆)

24/05/2026

Today we celebrate the great solemnity of Pentecost ✨🕊️ It is also the patronal feast of Blackfriars, our priory in Oxford, which is the Priory of the Holy Spirit.

Br Giovanni Castellano OP preached there this morning and spoke of Fr Bede Jarrett OP, the great English Dominican of the early 20th century, who brought the friars back to Oxford after an absence of almost 400 years. His work is an example of the power of the Spirit: one who not only had a vision, but the strength to carry it out in hope.

You can find the full homily on the Godzdogz Youtube page (link in bio 👆).

22/05/2026

Thank you for your generosity to the formation fund appeal! Thanks to your support, we have now raised £38k towards the formation of our student brothers in the past two weeks.

The Provincial, Fr Nicholas Crowe, writes: “A heartfelt thank you to all who have contributed so generously to our Formation Fund Appeal. By supporting the formation of future Dominican priests, you are helping to sow the seeds of a flourishing future for the mission of the Order in this country.” 🙏📖

We are deeply grateful for your prayers and support for the Dominican mission in this country. There is still a minimum of £21k to raise by the end of September. If you would like to support the appeal, please go to www.english.op.org/form

We pray for our benefactors every day, and please continue to keep our student brothers in your prayers! 🕯️