20 October 2023

"Our" nuns

My last job in the C of E was at S Thomas's iuxta ferriviam in Oxford. It had once had a convent attached to it (closed, sadly, before I took over; Mgr Ronald Knox, while still the Anglican Chaplain of Trinity College in this University, used to come and say Mass in 'our' nuns' chapel when he was not on the Trinity Chapel duty rota ... because, down here in the slums, he was able to celebrate privately in Latin according to the rite of S Pius V).

I somehow came across a prayer card; on the back, "Printed in England for St Thomas' Convent Oxford." On the front in the bottom left hand corner, there is a [printer's?] monogram (V and V inverted and a cross; and 'Printed in England'). And these words:

O JESU rest upon the road, 

O Jesu, shadow by the way!

O Jesu, who dost light the load of tired toilers all the day:

O grateful coolness in the heat,

O fount that never knowest fail!

O pleasant rest for weary feet:

O Lamb of God:

O Holy Grail! 

Among the 'gothick' decoration there is, at the top, a (red) hanging lamp, and, at the bottom, a Chalice and Host.

Can anybody throw any light upon the verses, or the printer?

2 comments:

John F H H said...

According to this
http://oxoniensia.org/volumes/2007/clark.pdf
(Oxoniensia LXXII (2007), pp. 19–36)

the archives of the Convent are held by St.Mary's, Wantage.
Also Mucknell Abbey
https://mucknellabbey.org.uk/history/

claim to be the successors of the convent.

Perhaps an enquiry of one or both?

RevKRW said...

Father Hunwicke,
I follow your blog regularly, and appreciate your deep sense of the catholicity of the Church. While I am a Lutheran Pastor, I have learned much from you, and feel privileged to be on the receiving end of your faithfulness, knowledge, and wit which you share regularly here. Regarding this post, I was inspired to compose a choral piece which could perhaps be used as a communion motet or anthem. I used the text you found on the prayer card. I would love to share the piece and an mp3 recording of it with you, but that would require me knowing your email, which I currently do not. If you'd rather not share your email, I certainly understand. I'll not rudely stalk the comments section begging you. I understand the need for pastoral privacy, especially on the internet. But if you would be willing to share an email address with me, I would certainly share a PDF and a computer generated mp3 which at least contains the music, but not the words. I do not currently have a choir at my disposal to record the piece with actual voices.
If you would so kindly reply to this comment and let me know a way to share our email addresses, I would be honored.
I'm not sure if I must create a user name or if you do that. If you do it, please refer to me on your blog as RevKRW. Thank you.

In Christ,
Rev. Keith R. Weise
Pastor, St. John Evangelical Lutheran Church (LCMC)
Pflugerville, TX, USA