The Oratory
I haven?t said anything yet about the place that housed and fed me while I was in the Charlotte area. I had the unique opportunity to stay with a wonderful group priests who are part of a community known as the Oratory.
The first Oratorian congregation was founded in Rome by St. Philip Neri in 1575 (during the early years of the Protestant Reformation). It was an attempt to bring priests and lay brothers into a communal setting that was not monastic. Those who chose to enter the Oratory made a commitment to live together and in essence be a family for one another.
The Oratory in Rock Hill, SC, offers a Spiritual Retreat Center for priests, pastors and lay leaders. The priests who live there serve in area parishes, campus ministry, hospital chaplaincy and retreat work. Morning prayer is offered Monday through Friday. There is also Mass during the week at Noon and again on Sunday evening.
Meals are shared together, which is also a wonderful time to meet folks. I had the opportunity to get to know people from all across the US as well as from Italy, Venezuela, Brazil and Costa Rica.
The setting was very conducive to prayer and study, and allowed me the time needed to process my visits and interviews with these Emergent Church ministries.