Only ten days until the 50th anniversary edition of the Misa Campesina. We would still welcome more singers and musicians to join. First rehearsal (of two) will be this Saturday 27.9., 10am till noon at Blackfriars, St. Giles.
Singers and musicians wanted!
The Oxford León Association are delighted that once again Blackfriars have agreed to host the beautiful Misa Campesina – the Nicaraguan Folk Mass – which will be celebrated on Sunday 5 October, at the 9.30 am Mass at Blackfriars, 64 St Giles Oxford OX1 3LY. Rehearsals for musicians and singers in the choir on Saturday 27 September and Saturday 4 October, 10 – 12 at Blackfriars.
This year is the 50th Anniversary of the composition of the Misa by Carlos Mejia Godoy and others in 1975. It emerged from the socio-political context of pre-revolution Nicaragua, blending folk music with liberation theology to create a liturgy that resonated deeply with the struggles and hopes of the Nicaraguan people. As it marks its 50th anniversary in 2025, its legacy continues to inspire movements for justice and faith-based activism globally.
The Mass, which is sung in Spanish, has been sung annually (except for covid times) in Oxford since 1986, it has “passionate lyrics and complex rhythms reflecting the richness of the Nicaraguan folk tradition”. It is a very enjoyable and happy experience!
We are looking for Musicians and Singers to perform the Misa – whether you are an experienced singer/musician who has taken part many times before or whether you would be taking part for the first time – we need you!
The choir rehearsing for the misa in 2017. Photo: Michael Gross.
PS in other news, the next meeting of the Oxford León Association will be on Tuesday 16 September, 7 pm at the Town Hall, all welcome!
Our Fund-Raising Swim for León is less than 6 weeks away – on Wednesday 2 July 2025, 4 pm – 7 pm at our usual lovely pool – Hinksey Heated Outdoor Pool, Abingdon Road, Oxford OX1 4RP. We are very grateful to Serco and the staff at Hinksey Pool for their hospitality.
We are raising funds for NECAT: “The Nicaragua Education Culture and Arts Trust, a UK registered charity, raises funds for sponsorship of after-school clubs and other educational projects and for the relief of poverty in impoverished communities in Leon, Nicaragua.” We are also raising funds to provide clean water to families in a rural area near León, whose water is contaminated by arsenic, naturally occurring in the volcanic rock in the area.
This is our most important fund-raising event of the year! Do come and join us and raise much needed funds for León! We really need you! León needs our support more than ever in these challenging times, and we want to keep this link with a city in the global south going! We can learn from each other and enjoy the Latin American culture!.
To register, simply email: jen_houston@hotmail.com.
You can ask for donations to go to our JustGiving site, and/or attach your own page to our JustGiving site: www.justgiving.com/OxfordLeonAssociation
You can swim between 4 pm and 7 pm. Thanks to the Lord Mayor of Oxford, Councillor Louise Upton, who will “officially” open the Swim at 5 pm.
Please note that if the above time and date are not convenient you can still take part in your own time and location between 2 and 16 July, or just make a donation.
Half of the money raised will go to NECAT – Nicaragua Education Culture Arts Trust and half to build a rainwater harvesting tank for a rural community near León, so that they can have access to clean water.
We are on Facebook: www.facebook.com/OxfordLeonLink.
Whether you have taken part in lots of Sponsored Swims and will be trying to equal your personal best, or whether it will be your first time taking part, whatever you raise small or large will make a big difference to poor children in León and help to keep the NECAT centre going! It will be a fun and enjoyable occasion! Refreshments will be provided for swimmers and helpers. Let’s hope that the sun shines!
Here is a sponsorship form for you to print off, if this is more convenient for you:
The next meeting of OLAT will be next Tuesday 22 April, 7 pm at the Town Hall and on Zoom.
We will be looking at what to support with our funds, what is happening with NECAT and clean water for the hillside communities.
Planning the Sponsored Swim which will be on Wednesday 2 July, 4 pm to 7 pm at the beautiful Hinksey Pool – we have flyers to display, see attached, and discuss how to publicise the swim. Do make a note in your diary! Swimmers and helpers needed on the day!
The Misa Campesina will be on Sunday 7 September or Sunday 5 October – we will confirm the date after Easter.
we have been a bit quiet since the misa campesina, as we had no major event to shout about, but we’re still meeting every once in a while to discuss meaningful things to do to help the people of Leon in Nicaragua. The next meeting will actually be tomorrow, Tue 25th, at the town hall, starting 7pm.
Oh, and it also happens to be the AGM. So do come numerously.
The second and last rehearsal for the Misa Campesina Nicaraguense will happen at Blackfriars on Saturday morning from 10 to 12, and the mass itself will be on Sunday at 9:30. Any musicians or singers who would still like to join should definitely come to the rehearsal.
As part of our partnership with Leon, the Misa Campesina has been sung in Oxford once a year since the 1980s, only paused for the Covid years.
This year, we’re a bit later than usual, but the date is coming up soon, it will be the Sunday 1st of September, 9:30 am at Blackfriars. As usual, all singers and musicians are encouraged to join the choir and the band respectively. There will be two rehearsals on the Saturdays before, ie 24.8. and 31.8, 10-12 at Blackfriars. More details closer to the dates, but save the dates!
The twinning concert on July 13 starring our Nicaraguan friends Jose and Cesar was an amazing success, and on top of the rehearsals and concerts the pair also spent time on community outreach and getting to know Oxford and a little bit of London as well.
Now they’re back home and there are so many impressions to remember, so we’ll do a few blog entries looking back at all the excitement. First of all, a few more photos from the rehearsals at the New Road Baptist Church – stay tuned for more photos and video content:
The concert featuring young musicians from Oxford’s twinning links is coming up on Saturday, 7pm at the town hall, tickets here. José (violin) and César (cello) are representing our link with Nicaragua.
The young musicians have rehearsed all week and it already sounded amazing when I listened in. Here are some snaps from Monday’s rehearsal:
Our guests from Nicaragua, Cesar and Jose, safely arrived on Thursday and are now busy with rehearsals for the concert of the international youth orchestra coming up on Saturday 13th.
On their first full day in Oxford they already gave a couple of performances at the Oxford Folk Club:
Cesar playing guitar here but at the Carmina Burana concert he will be playing the cello.
To find out more about the concert click here.
Oxford León Association 