Dear Friends,
I’m grateful to three Dominicans (the Order of Preachers) for their unique contributions to last week’s symposium at Blackfriars Hall, Oxford University, on theology and the arts.
World-renowned composer and conductor Sir James MacMillan, a third-order Dominican (a layperson), was a keynote speaker, sharing how as mostly a secular composer for symphonies and choirs, he also delves into music for the Mass. The music above is from MacMillan’s motet “Mitte manum tuam” performed by the Schola Albion, at the liturgy for the conference, and directed by Peter Carter of the Catholic Sacred Music Project.
Fr. Dominic White, OP, is a composer, organist, scholar and the prior of Blackfriars Oxford. Not only did he work tirelessly to make the entire event run smoothly, at our closing Mass he both played the organ and delivered the homily!
Fr. Brad Elliott, OP, STD, who teaches Moral Theology at the Dominican School of Philosophy and Theology in Berkeley, CA, gave a talk at the conference on art, virtue and how artistic creation is a participation of God’s intelligence and governance. A classically trained musician and former professional jazz drummer, Fr. Brad is the newest member of Scala’s Board of Trustees.
Thanks to the vision of the Dominicans, in which the intellectual life, the spiritual life and the artistic life are all united, our event was graced with beautiful music by living composers in the audience—Sir James and Fr. Dominic.
Under the visionary leadership of Fr. Dominic White, Scala hopes to continue partnering with our Dominican friends at Blackfriars Oxford to bring together intellectual reflection, embodied experiences of beauty, and support a new generation of creators of various forms of art for the church, concert halls, schools and homes.
At the closing Mass, we were inspired to contemplate God’s mercy and infinite love through James’s communion motet “Benedicimus tibi.”
As soon as the video lectures are ready, I will post them to Scala’s YouTube channel. The thesis of my presentation was that the vocation of an artist is to develop habitus (practical virtues of the intellect) in order to direct their inspirations in order to make beautiful things that convey the spiritual heritage of the nation and the civilization, and inspire others to contemplate God. All edited papers will be published by New Blackfriars journal in the spring of 2026.
This incredible event would not have been possible without Blackfriars Oxford, The Margaret Beaufort Institute, the Catholic Sacred Music Project and the support of the many donors to Scala. I’d like to thank in particular: The Institute for Human Ecology at the Catholic University of America, Mr. Richard Tucker, Apgar Foundation, Mr. John Hern, Mr. Duncan Sahner, The Thomistic Institute The Bruderhof Communities, Mr. Brian Mgock, and the Jacques Maritain Center at the University of Notre Dame.
Would you support Scala today with a monthly recurring gift to make these events possible in the future?
I mentioned in my presentation that many students I teach have never heard about the incredible artistic traditions that shaped our culture. We are all called to co-create with God through our work, and artistic co-creation should form a part of everyday life. Scala hopes to bring our message to more people that our intellectual gifts and artistic talents complement one another, promote happiness, and contribute to the common good.
Regards,
Margarita Mooney Clayton
Founder and Executive Director, The Scala Foundation
