Blessing of the Cornerstone
“From the rising of the sun even to the going down, my name is great among the Gentiles, and in every place there is sacrifice, and there is offered to my name a clean oblation: for my name is great among the Gentiles, saith the Lord of hosts.” (Mal. 1:11)
On the 9th July, priests, clergy and some 250 school parents, parishioners and friends gathered to bless the construction site and the cornerstone of the new building, a beautiful block of slate stone etched with four gilded crosses and inscribed with the words « Oblatio Munda » which is Latin for « a clean oblation ».
The inscription calls for some explanation: « Oblatio Munda » is taken from the first chapter of the book of Malachias, one of the last Old Testament prophets. Malachias chastises the priests for offering blemished and tainted sacrifices to the Lord, contrary to the Law of Moses. He then prophesies that one day, the Lord’s name will be great among the Gentiles and « clean oblation » will be offered, not only in Jerusalem but « in every place ». The Church Fathers interpret these words as a reference to the Sacrifice of the Mass which Christ bequeathed to his apostles at the Last Supper when He took bread and wine and changed them into His Body and Blood saying: “Take this, all of you, and eat of it, for this is my body, which will be given up for you,” and, “Take this, all of you, and drink from it, for this is the chalice of my blood,…which will be poured out for you.” Christ instructed the apostle to perpetuate this action in his memory. The priest does this when he offers the Sacrifice of the Mass in fulfilment to Christ’s command, hence the inscription!
Another, more contemporary, reason for this choice of inscription is the adulterated nature of the Novus Ordo Missae. Our church will house and shelter the Traditional Latin Mass, exclusively. Only a pure sacrifice will be offered, no other.
The blessing ceremony included some beautiful plainchant antiphons and psalms in Latin, and the chanting of a very long litany of the saints, made up of invocations to the Apostles, Church doctors (Augustin, Ambrose…), Founders of Monastic Orders (Benedict, Francis…), famous Martyrs (Sebastian, Lucy, Agnes…), Confessors and pleas to preserve the world from tempests, plague, famines and may other calamities. A timely prayer indeed!
At the moment of writing, the church foundations are on their way to completion. Once the floor is poured, work will start on the steel frame and brickwork. God willing, the building will be roofed by October.
The church building is of a traditional, romanesque design. The architects are MorseWebb, a local company from Bramley. The church will be open to anyone who wishes to make a quiet visit or witness the beautiful Sunday liturgy. The church’s dedication to St Michael follows a long-standing regional tradition. There are churches dedicated to St Michael in Highclere, Tadley, Hungerford, Enbourne, Tidcombe, Marlborough, Axford, Shalbourne, Ashmansworth, Inkpen, Ambourn Tilehurst, Bray, Horton, Sandhurst, and Blewbury. Statistics show that around 9% of all churches in Berkshire built before 1600 honoured Michael as patron, with the figure being around 6% in Hampshire, and 5% in Oxfordshire.
If all goes well (a wish and a prayer in present times!) the church will be completed next summer. It will seat 220 worshippers and include two sacristies and a choir loft large enough for 15 choristers and the organ. A new toilet block and a sizable car park will also be available.
We hope the new church will bring many blessings to Burghclere.
Thanks to the Burghclere Village Magazine for permission to publish this piece.
