21 February 1801 - 11 August 1890, Canonised 13 October 2019
Saint John Henry Newman was born in London on 21 February 1801 into a middle-class Protestant family. An evangelical Christian, Newman converted to English Calvinism before embracing a more central role for the Church in the life of faith. As an Anglican priest in the 1830s, Newman played a central role in the Oxford Movement, which sought to restore Catholic beliefs and rituals to the Church of England.
Newman was received into the Catholic Church on 9 October 1845, and ordained a Catholic priest on 30 May 1847. Attached to the Oratory of St. Philip Neri, Newman lived in Birmingham for the rest of his life except for the years he spent here at the Catholic University of Ireland.
In 1879, Newman was made cardinal by Pope Leo XIII, choosing the motto "Cor ad cor loquitur," in English "heart speaks to heart." Newman died on 11 August 1890.
John Henry Cardinal Newman was beautified in Birmingham by Pope Benedict XVI on 19 September 2010 and canonised by Pope Francis in Rome on 13 October 2019.
Music
Cor ad Cor Loquitur by Ephrem Feeley
When Saint John Henry Newman became a cardinal in 1879 he chose the motto "heart speaks unto heart" to go on his coat of arms. “Heart of Life, Heart of Love, Heart Divine. Cor ad cor loquitur: Heart speaks to heart!”
May the Lord Support Us by Steven C. Warner
based on the prayer of Saint John Henry Newman
“May the Lord support us all the day long,
Till the shades lengthen and the evening comes,
and the busy world is hushed, and the fever of life is over,
and our work is done.
Then in his mercy may he give us a safe lodging,
and holy rest, and peace at the last. Amen.”
Praise to the Holiest - Tune Billing
Comes from John Henry Newman's dramatic poem The Dream of Gerontius (1865) “Praise to the Holiest in the height, And in the depth be praise; In all his words most wonderful, Most sure in all his ways.”
Lead, Kindly Light by Audrey Assad
“Lead, kindly Light, amidst the grey and gloom
The night is long and I am far from home
Here in the dark, I do not ask to see
The path ahead-one step enough for me
Lead on, lead on, kindly Light.”
Lead, Kindly Light by Steven C. Warner
Based on the poem “Pillar of the Cloud” by Saint John Henry Newman (June 16, 1833)
“Lead, Kindly Light, amid the encircling gloom
Lead Thou me on!
The night is dark, and I am far from home-
Lead Thou me on!
Keep Thou my feet; I do not ask to see
The distant scene- one step enough for me.
I was not ever thus, nor pray’d that Thou
Shouldst lead me on.
I loved to choose and see my path, but now
Lead thou me on!
I loved the garish day, and, spite of fears,
Pride ruled my will: remember not past years.
So long Thy power hath blest me, sure it still
Will lead me on,
O’er moor and fen, o’er crag and forrent, till
The night is gone;
And with the morn those angel faces smile
Which I have loved long since, and lost awhile.”
Podcasts and Lectures
The Crisis of Faith - Listen Here
Catholic Stuff You Should Know Podcast
Newman’s Notes - Listen Here
Catholic Stuff You Should Know Podcast
Newman Conference 2022
Panel discussion on John Henry Newman's Idea of a University hosted by the UCD Newman Centre for the Study of Religions and the Notre Dame Newman Centre for Reason and Faith in the Museum of Literature Ireland/UCD Newman House, 19-20 October 2022
Journeying with Newman: A Podcast Series - Listen Here
Jesuit.ie -John Henry Newman: a saint for the times - Listen here
In interview with Pat Coyle, historian Dermot Roantree describes Newman’s personal development from evangelicalism to high Anglicanism to Roman Catholicism in the first half of the 19th century.
Reading
The Idea of a University
John Henry Newman
Newman A Short Biography
Michael Collins
