HAVING BEEN at school at Ampleforth and now as a student in Oxford, I have been following with great interest the recent arguments concerning the lapsing of Catholic Public School Pupils when they get to University.
Here in Oxford we have a thriving Catholic Chaplaincy, under the aegis of Fr. Rod Strange and the other chaplains..
People from all backgrounds and from all types of school mix together very well and form a lively and friendly nucleus. Nor is it, I am glad to say, 'exclusively' Catholic.
There is a respected and educational Newman Society, a Children's Visiting Group, an Old Palace Group which visits elderly and handicapped people, and Catholic Graduate Society, a Life Group, an Amnesty Group, a Prison Mass Group, but to mention out a few — all of which are well supported.
There is also good contact between the Oxford and Cambridge chaplaincies and frequent exchanges.
We had a very successful allnight vigil for peace at the end of last term, in which all the various groups actively took part, and it made me realise how wrong all the siren voices from Cambridge and elsewhere were.
The Catholic chaplaincy at Oxford is continuing to grow and I hope that this gives encouragement and heart to other chaplaincies and to students at University everywhere.
Adrian Budgen St Benet's Hail, Oxford