What is Blackfriars?

Fr John O’Connor OP, Regent of Studies in Blackfriars Hall
First established in Oxford in 1221, Blackfriars is a unique place with a dynamic and wide-ranging mission.
Monastery? College? Seminary? Church?
Blackfriars is – in its own way – all of these things.
Blackfriars is a ‘Priory’, the home of a community of Dominican Friars who open their doors to others, welcoming university students, researchers, men training for priesthood – and many local people who join us for religious services and social events.
It is a place of friendly spiritual and intellectual encounter, where faith and reason enter into deep dialogue with the modern world.
The Priory
Our life as members of a religious order
Blackfriars: An Oxford University Hall
Our involvement in the life of the University
The Studium: Training Future Priests
A ‘seminary’ for members of religious orders