St Benet's Hall

St Benet's Hall
motto	Ausculta, o fili, praecepta magistri
founding	1897
Sponsorship	University of Oxford
place	Oxford
country	United Kingdom
master	Richard Cooper
Students	116 undergraduates : 76 postgraduates : 40
University sports	St Benet's Hall Boat Club
Website	Homepage

St Benet's Hall is a Permanent Private Hall at the University of Oxford . As such, it is on a par with a college in terms of university rights, but differs in the type of self-administration. It was founded in 1897 by the Benedictine Abbey of Ampleforth in North Yorkshire, which is also the sponsor of Ampleforth College . The main function of the hall was originally to serve as a place of study for the monks who were to receive secular degrees at Oxford for teaching at Ampleforth College or other Benedictine schools in England. Today most of the members of the Hall are lay people. But it still belongs to Ampleforth Abbey and maintains a Benedictine and Roman Catholic ethos. Non-Catholics are also allowed.

St Benet's was the last body of the University of Oxford to admit only men as undergraduates or postgraduates. It was also the university's last non-co-educational establishment after St Hilda's College , the last all-female college in Oxford, admitted men in 2008. In November 2013, the Hall formally announced that female postgraduates would be admitted within one year. Female undergraduates should follow as soon as additional accommodation becomes available. Women were admitted as postgraduates in October 2014 and as undergraduates in October 2016. In this respect, all constituent colleges and halls of Oxford University became fully co-educational in 2016. The University of Cambridge still has three all-female constituent colleges.

The university's 2007 review of the Permanent Private Halls concluded that St Benet's "has a keen sense of its place within the college university" and highlighted the "dedication and diligence" of the hall's academic staff . In May 2013, the Student Barometer survey indicated that St Benet's Hall had the highest overall satisfaction rate of any of the university's 44 constituent colleges and permanent private halls.

The main hall is on the north end of St Giles' on the west side, near the fork to Woodstock Road , Oxford.

history

Benedictine heritage

St Benet's Hall

Benedictine monks had studied and taught at Oxford since 1281 at the latest when Gloucester Abbey founded Gloucester College. Durham Abbey founded Durham College in 1291, and Canterbury College followed in 1362 as the foundation of Christ Church Priory in Canterbury . These three Benedictine colleges were dissolved between 1536 and 1545 under Henry VIII . Gloucester College was later re-established as Worcester College and Durham College as Trinity College . The property of Canterbury College was acquired by Christ Church . Before St Benet's Hall was founded in 1897, there were no Benedictines in Oxford for more than 350 years.

Oxford University Private Hall and Permanent Private Hall

The Private Halls of Study at Oxford University were named after her Masters . That's why St Benet's was first called Hunter-Blair's Hall and then Parker's Hall . The hall did not serve as a theological college, but formed the framework in which monks at the university could take other courses such as history or classics for their later work as teachers. St Benet's became a Permanent Private Hall in 1918 when this new status was introduced by university legislation. The official Latin name is from now on Aula Privata Sancti Benedicti or in English St Benet's Hall. "Benet" is an English variant of the name Benedict. The hall is named after Benedict von Nursia . The Hall's board of directors consists of the trustees of St Benet's Education Trust. The chairman is ex officio the Abbot of Ampleforth.

The character of the hall changed over the years. With the decline of monastic vocations from the 1960s onwards, under Master James Forbes (in office 1964–1979), more and more lay Catholic men, including quite a few graduates of Ampleforth College , were admitted. Under Master Philip Holdsworth (in office 1979-1989) the character of the hall was again more monastic and at the same time theological, because now many English abbeys and other orders sent their offspring to study theology at Oxford. Under Master Henry Wansbrough (in office 1990–2004) more laypeople were again admitted. This resulted in today's professional mix of theological and humanities orientation of the Hall.

building

The Yellow Room, St Benet's Hall

The hall has been located on the square-like street St Giles', house numbers 38 and 39, since 1923. The buildings date from 1830 and were later connected to one house. In 2015, additional buildings were acquired at 11 Norham Gardens, near University Park.

Current status

St Benet's Hall, garden view

Until 2012, when Professor Werner Jeanrond, the first Catholic layman, was appointed a Master, the Master of the Hall was always a Benedictine. The hall still has a prior and a chaplain who are both monks. Today the hall mainly allows lay Catholics, but also non-Catholics as undergraduates and postgraduates. The members of the hall are expected to have a positive relationship with the Benedictine ethos of the institution.

Since St Benet's is a permanent private hall, it is not administered by the Fellows themselves like a college, but they share the operational management of the Master with the Master and send a representative to the St Benet's Education Trust. Hall students are enrolled at the university and as such have full rights within the university. For most people, the main noticeable difference to a college is the comparatively small size of the hall.

Undergraduates are currently admitted to the following courses: Theology, Philosophy and Theology, Theology and Oriental Studies, History, History and Politics, Philosophy, Politics and Economics , Ancient Languages ​​and Cultures (Classics), Classics and Oriental Studies, Oriental Studies (Egyptology; Egyptology and Ancient Near Eastern Studies, Islamic Studies, Hebrew Studies, and Jewish Studies), Oriental Studies with Classics, and Human Sciences. The hall admits postgraduates in the same subjects as well as those studying at the Blavatnik School of Government , the Institute of Cognitive and Evolutionary Anthropology, and the Saïd Business School .

Student life

Unlike other colleges and halls, St Benet's has a common common room for undergraduates and postgraduates.

Sports

Despite its small size, the hall has a successful rowing team that has won several trophies in recent years. There are also teams for netball, rugby and field hockey, as well as a joint soccer team with Regent's Park College.

refectory

refectory

Hall members may invite guests to all meals. In contrast to many colleges, there is no separate high table for the lecturers and their guests, but a common table for all members of the hall.

master

Very Revd Dom Henry Wansbrough

Professor Werner Jeanrond

Since the hall was founded in 1897, she has had the following Masters and Acting Masters:

• Oswald Hunter Blair OSB (1898–1909)
• Anselm Parker OSB (1909–1920)
• Justin McCann OSB (1920-1947)
• Gerard Sitwell OSB (1947–1964)
• James Forbes OSB (1964–1979)
• Alberic Stacpoole OSB, MC (1979), Acting Masters
• Philip Holdsworth OSB (1979-1989)
• Alberic Stacpoole OSB, MC (1989), Acting Masters
• Fabian Cowper OSB (1989–1990)
• Henry Wansbrough OSB (1990-2004), editor of the New Jerusalem Bible
• Ms. Leo Chamberlain OSB (2004–2007)
• Felix Stephens OSB (2007-2012)
• Werner Jeanrond (2012-2018)
• Richard Cooper (2018–), Masters

Well-known fellows

Dr Brian Klug

• Alberic Stacpoole OSB, longtime senior tutor, historian
• Brian Klug , Senior Research Fellow in Philosophy (2000–)
• Susan Doran, historian (2007–)
• Harry Sidebottom, ancient historian (2008–2014)

Honorary Fellows

• Leo Chamberlain, Master of St Benet's Hall 2004–2007, Titular Prior of Gloucester Cathedral
• Peter Hennessy, Baron Hennessy of Nympsfield , FBA , Attlee Professor of Contemporary British History, Queen Mary, University of London
• Werner Jeanrond , Master of St Benet's Hall 2012–2018, Professor of Systematic Theology, University of Oslo
• Henry Mayr-Harting , Regius Professor emeritus of Ecclesiastical History, University of Oxford
• Peter Sutherland KCMG , Former Attorney General of Ireland.
• Henry Wansbrough , biblical scholar, Masters from St Benet's Hall 1990–2004

Well-known alumni

• John Balme, American conductor, opera director and pianist
• David Blair, journalist, chief foreign correspondent of the Daily Telegraph
• Donald Joseph Bolen , Archbishop of Regina
• Damian Collins MP , House of Commons MP for Folkestone and Hythe constituency
• John Cornwell , Author, Jesus College (Cambridge)
• Lumumba Stanislaus-Kaw Di-Aping , Sudanese diplomat
• Basil Hume OM , OSB (1923-1999), Abbot of Ampleforth (1963-1976) and Archbishop of Westminster (1976-1999), Cardinal
• Olegario González de Cardedal , theologian, Pontifical University of Salamanca, Spain
• Martin Jennings, British sculptor
• Sir Anthony Kenny , FBA , philosopher, former Master of Balliol College , Oxford
• General Jacko Page, Lieutenant General in the British Army's Sixth Infantry Division
• Claus Arnold , church historian , Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz
• Jeremias Schröder OSB, Abbot President of the Benedictine Congregation of St. Ottilien

literature

• Henry Wansbrough, Anthony Marett-Crosby (Eds.), Benedictines in Oxford. Darton, Longman and Todd, London 1997, ISBN 978-0-232-52176-4 .

Web links

• Oxford University
• St Benet's Hall
• St Benet's Hall Boat Club

Individual evidence

1. ^ Matthew Reisz: St Benet's: fellowship of the ecumenical table. In: Times Higher Education. Retrieved July 24, 2020 . 
2. ^ Josie Gurney-Read: Oxford hall announces decision to admit women. In: The Telegraph. December 5, 2015, accessed July 24, 2020 . 
3. ↑ Review of the Permanent Private Halls associated with the University of Oxford ( Memento of March 27, 2018 in the Internet Archive )
4. ↑ Sarah Poulten: PPH students most satisfied. In: The Oxford Student. May 16, 2013, accessed July 24, 2020 . 
5. ↑ Alberic Stacpoole: Obituary of Fr James Forbes. English Benedictine Congregation, accessed July 24, 2020 . 
6. ^ Bonaventure Knollys: Obituary of Fr Philip Holdsworth. English Benedictine Congregation, accessed July 24, 2020 . 
7. ^ Oxford History article . Archived from the original on September 7, 2008. Retrieved December 7, 2008.
8. ^ St Benet's Hall - University of Oxford .
9. ↑ https://www.st-benets.ox.ac.uk/prospective-students
10. ↑ https://www.st-benets.ox.ac.uk/jcr
11. ↑ James Downs: A Monk of Magdalen. Abbot Oswald (David) Hunter-Blair OSB (1853-1939). In: Dark Lane Creative. May 15, 2016, accessed July 24, 2020 . 
12. ↑ Oswald Hunter-Blair. In: Biographia Benedictina. September 10, 2013, accessed July 24, 2020 . 
13. ^ Herbert Byrne: Obituary of Fr Anselm Parker. English Benedictine Congregation, accessed July 24, 2020 . 
14. ↑ Barnabas Sandeman: Obituary of Fr Justin McCann. English Benedictine Congregation, accessed July 24, 2020 . 
15. ↑ Patrick Barry: Obituary of Fr Gerard Sitwell. English Benedictine Congregation, accessed July 24, 2020 . 
16. ^ Henry Wansbrough: Fr Alberic Stacpoole OSB 1931–2012. English Benedictine Congregation, accessed July 24, 2020 . 
17. ^ RIP Fr Alberic Stacpoole OSB - Age 81. In: Catholic News Worls. October 4, 2012, accessed July 24, 2020 . 
18. ↑ Trustees .
19. ↑ Captain Dom Alberic Stacpoole. In: The Daily Telegraph. October 29, 2012, accessed July 24, 2020 . 
20. ^ Dom Alberic Stacpoole. In: The Times. October 25, 2012, accessed July 24, 2020 . 

Coordinates: 51 ° 45 ′ 28.6 "  N , 1 ° 15 ′ 38.8"  W.