The 1869 Association
The International Friends of St Barnabas
Support the Mission of St Barnabas Oxford
Timeless Beauty | Encouragement | Compassion
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What is the 1869 Association?
The 1869 is a rebranded and relaunched ‘Friends of St Barnabas Oxford’. The name comes from the year in which St Barnabas Church was consecrated. If you are already a Friend, then you are automatically a member of the 1869 Association, but we hope you will consider increasing your subscription to the rates given below. We now wish to expand our reach internationally. Wherever you are in the world, we invite you to be part of our community.
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What are the benefits of joining?
By joining, you will
Be supported through prayer, especially once a month by name at one of our daily Masses. We will also offer online or in-person spiritual direction if you should wish to avail of this ministry.
Receive a Rule of Life, which will help you follow and lead you in your Christian vocation.
Receive and invitation to the annual Friends’ lunch.
Come together as a community at the annual Dedication Festival on the Sunday nearest to 19 October.
Receive advanced invitations to online seminars, talks and discussion groups.
Receive an anuual e-newsletter.
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What are the aims of the Association?
The aims of the Association are:
To encourage awareness of the Oxford Movement, which gave birth to St Barnabas. This was through the benefaction of Thomas and Martha Combe who were ambassadors of the Oxford Movement.
To remind others of the beautiful and special liturgical music and traditions of St Barnabas and to ensure that they flourish in the years to come.
To promote the cherished Catholic Anglican rituals to a new generation of pilgrims and enquirers and to remind them of the core Christian mission of compassion and love.
To support the ministry of the Church through fundraising and legacy donations.
To encourage groups of pilgrims, worshippers, musicians, liturgists, scholars and creatives to spend time with us.
The original ‘St Barnabas Church Society’ of 1878
In 1878, the clergy of St Barnabas set up the St Barnabas Church Society, the aim of which was to encourage works of ‘piety and charity’. There is still an original booklet of the Society which makes for interesting reading. Although of its time, it nonetheless shows how the aims and objectives of a parish have not substantially changed in 150 years…to encourage a generous and hospitable Christianity, to teach and form children and others not familiar with the Christian faith and to support and encourage all Christians in their social life and their pattern of prayer. In many ways, the new 1869 Association of Friends International promotes this same aim, albeit in a contemporary way. To explore a new rule of life and to download the original short prayers of the society, join now and you will have access to the Members pages.
Our international partners
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St Barnabas Nassau, Bahamas
The original connection happened in the 1990s between Fr. Michael Wright (then Vicar of St Barnabas Jericho) and Bishop Gilbert Thompson (then Bishop of the Bahamas). In January 2023 Deacon Sue Gillingham, travelled to the Bahamas to talk and preach at the invitation of the current Bishop of the Bahamas.
Website of St Barnabas Nassau (click)
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The Church of the Good Shepherd Rosemont, USA
The Church of the Good Shepherd Rosemont in the Episcopal Diocese of Pennsylvania in the USA was consecrated in 1869, the same year as St Barnabas Jericho and shares in the same musical, liturgical and theological heritage of the Oxford Movement. The Vicar, Fr Kyle and our Vicar, Fr Christopher have already met on zoom thanks to our Patron, Professor Sarah Coakley. Find out more here
Patron:
The Revd Professor Sarah Coakley
Sarah Coakley has had connections to Jericho for many years, ever since she began teaching as a Fellow at Oriel College Oxford. Then, she and her husband Chip lived under the campanile of St Barnabas. Even though her extensive academic career as a theologian and philosopher of religion has taken her to Lancaster, the USA and Cambridge, she and Chip and their daughters Edith and Agnes have always had huge affection for Jericho and for St Barnabas. It is for this reason that Sarah is the Patron of the 1869 Association, and we are very grateful to her.
Sarah has now retired from full time academia, but remains much in demand as a lecturer and teacher. She lives in the USA, but returns to Oxford each summer for a few months, and has permission to officiate at St Barnabas and is an Honorary Assistant Priest here.
Sarah has her own website, which you can see by clicking here
