It is no coincidence that the cover picture for Sursum Corda is the great cathedral of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary in Salisbury, England. This extraordinary building, with the tallest spire in the country at 404 feet, was built in one campaign from 1220 to 1258.

The medieval Diocese of Salisbury was vast, encompassing the counties of Wiltshire, Berkshire and Dorset, stretching from Windsor in the East to Lyme in the West, and its cathedral was originally located in a hillfort on a site now called Old Sarum.

Beginning after his inauguration in 1217, Bishop Richard Poore made plans to relocate the cathedral to a virgin site in the valley below the garrison. This means the cathedral was designed from the ground up to accommodate the medieval liturgy, the Sarum Rite (or Use) which later took its name from this foundation.

But why does this interest us in the United States? Surely the Catholic Church here has nothing to do with England? After all, the first American bishop was consecrated after the Revolutionary War, and the King of England was well and truly Protestant by then.

Well, as it happens, the Church retained a formal, ecclesiological link to England. Following the Reformation, Catholics in England came to be organized under missionary bishops called ‘Vicars Apostolic’ appointed by the Pope, because the previous dioceses were occupied by non-Catholics.

After the Declaration of Independence in 1776, until the establishment of its own Apostolic Prefecture in 1784, the American Church was still headed by the Vicar Apostolic in London. When the Prefect, then Fr. John Carroll, was nominated the first Bishop of the new Diocese of Baltimore in 1789 he took an unusual decision.

He chose to be consecrated a bishop not in Rome, nor in his see city of Baltimore, but instead in England; specifically at Lulworth Castle in Dorset, the seat of the, staunchly Catholic, Weld family, by Bishop Charles Walmesley OSB.

Lulworth was not even in the Vicariate of the previous ordinary: it was situated in the ‘Vicariate of the Western District:’ the successor to the medieval dioceses of Exeter, Bath & Wells, and Salisbury. Dorset, in particular was historically in Salisbury.

The Church is careful to preserve records of lineage and hierarchy. Not for nothing, then, that the first American bishop was consecrated in what was once the Diocese of Salisbury (still known today as Sarum.)

Whatever motivated Archbishop (as he became) Carroll to choose to be consecrated there, his doing so arguably made the See of Baltimore the inheritor of the rich tradition of Sarum, as daughter church of the Apostolic Vicariate, and the Cathedral Church of the Blessed Virgin Mary in Salisbury the Mother Church for the entire United States of America. What a thought.

A Visit from Bishop Caggiano

Unprecedented crowds welcomed our Ordinary, Bishop Frank J. Caggiano to the Georgetown Oratory for two special Masses as we ushered in AD 2024; truly a New Year of Grace for us here at Jesus Guild.

jesusguild_ct

View more on Instagram

Bishop Caggiano drew upon the Marian character of the Feast Day in both 1970 and 1962 Missals, urging us to be imitators of Mary, not by way of flattery, but because she shows us how to be the perfect disciple of her Son.

jesusguild_ct

View more on Instagram

Reminding us that the Blessed Mother’s final words in Sacred Scripture are “do whatever he tells you,” the Bishop offered encouragement to Jesus Guild in its mandated mission to promote encounter with Christ through the means of beauty.

The Rector, Fr. Michael Clark, offered the Bishop a hearty welcome and the loyal affection of all the people who attend the Oratory regularly for Mass and devotions.

New Drawing Classes for High Schoolers as Guild Art School prepares for a New Session

Jesus Guild is excited to launch a “Drawing Skills Workshop” for students, ages 12-18 on Thursdays from 4:30 till 6:00 PM. This is the first time we have offered classes for older students and we are very excited to do so.

Learning the simple basics of drawing opens up a world of artistic possibilities. Whilst painting and drawing are different skills, they are mutually enriching, and help artists to interpret visual data in a meaningful way in two dimensions.

Under the expert guidance of resident artist, Mrs. Adrienne Keogler, in this 6 week workshop students will cover the foundational techniques of drawing, including line, shape, shading, texture, form and perspective.

Drawing skills classes will be on February 1, 8 & 15 and March 7, 14 & 21. For more information, contact the Jesus Guild office on [email protected] or call 203 544 8245 for more information.

Regular Saturday art class in two groups, for ages 5-7 and ages 8-14 respectively, resume February 3, 10 & 17 and March 9, 16 & 23. Again, contact the Jesus Guild office on [email protected] to register. Remember, be quick! These classes fill up very rapidly…