Corpus Christi

Introduction

In November 2023 the church won an award from the Oxford Preservation Trust for the redecorations.

History

The first Parish Mass in Headington was celebrated at Easter 1932 by Father Fabian of Greyfriars. Father William Flint was sent by the Archbishop of Birmingham in November 1935, and Mass was celebrated for the first time in the new Parish Hall on the Feast of Corpus Christi, 12th June 1936. Cardinal Hinsley blessed the foundation stone on October 1st 1936, and a solemn opening by Archbishop Williams took place on February 18th 1937. From 2022 to 2023 the interior was completely redecorated as a result of the generous legacy of Miss Judith Lea.

Architecture and furnishings

The two menoroth on plinths on both sides of the Sanctuary arch are from East Jerusalem. The Entrance Porch is crowned with a cast concrete statue of Christ the King, dressed as the Eternal High Priest. The Nave has a simple barreled roof shape, resembling an upside down boat. The small apse was added to the East Wall of the Church in 1967, and the stained glass was inserted in 1970.

The stained glass windows commemorate the Canonization of the Forty Martyrs of England and Wales by Pope Saint Paul VI in 1970, with four martyrs depicted: Saints Ralph Sherwin, Margaret Clitherow, Swithun Wells and Nicholas Owen. The stained glass includes at the centre top the Host and Chalice, symbols of the Holy Eucharist, with Greek letters ΜΡΘΥ for Mater Theou on the left and a representation of the Papal Tiara and Keys on the right. There are small Italian brass copies of the traditional Fourteen Jerusalem Stations below the windows.

Placed in the niche that used to be the position of the Entrance to the 1936 structure is a resin copy of Michaelangelo’s Pietà (in Saint Peter’s Rome). On the arch above the Sanctuary is the text of Deuteronomy 6:4 in Hebrew: 'Shema Israel, Adonai Elohenu Adonai Echad'.

The stained glass windows are in honour of the Forty Martyrs of England and Wales, canonized in 1970, with a description composed and written by Claude Howard in 1972. The stained glass includes the symbolism for Our Lady as the Mother of Christ, with the Cross, purple robe, Chi Rho and letters MPOV.

Parish life

The parish's Justice and Peace group supports the local Food Bank and other wider projects, and the parish also has an active CAFOD group. The parish takes part in ecumenical activities through its respective ecumenical groups.

The parish includes Old Headington, Barton, Risinghurst, Wood Farm and many villages around Wheatley, and within its boundaries lie both the house and the grave of C.S. Lewis. The parish is a lively community of people whose families have lived here for some time along with those who have settled from all over the world.

Visiting

A guide to the church is available in the church or downloadable from the website. The church provides a link to a map locating the church, with limited street parking on nearby roads. The church can be reached by bus using the Thornhill Park & Ride and Route 400 along London Road.