University students across the English-speaking world owe a debt of gratitude to Cardinal Newman. Newman is the English cleric who grew up Anglican and became Catholic due to a long discernment. He eventually became a Cardinal of the Catholic Church. Many college chaplaincies take St. John Henry Newman as their patron by naming the chaplaincy a Newman Center. Pope Leo XIII made him a cardinal in 1879, and today Pope Leo XIV made him a Doctor of the Church.
What does it mean to be a doctor of the Church? The Church recognizes thousands of saints, men and women recognized for their heroic virtue and lives worthy of imitation. They are icons of Christian life, helping the faithful to follow Christ more faithfully in some small aspect. Some saints are known for their doctrine, the teaching that they share with the Church which helps to understand what the Church teaches, always in line with the Tradition that comes from Christ and his apostles.
Ecumenical Aspect
St. John Henry Newman offers a special contribution to ecumenical thought. In a century marked by dialogue between the Catholic Church and the Anglican communion, his deep thought on the value of the Church founded by Christ and the thought of the Fathers of the Church, he came to the deep conviction that he had to become Catholic.
The Dicastery of the Causes of Saints supports the Holy Father by investigating which men and women have lived in such a way as to be considered saints. Additionally, the Dicastery suggests the title of “doctor.” Until today, there have been 37 doctors of the Church, such as St. John of Avila and St. Therese of Lisieux. This morning, in his meeting with Pope Leo XIV, Cardinal Marcello Semeraro submitted the proposal to name St. John Henry Newman as a doctor of the Church. Pope Leo conceded his approval, and so we can speak of this great English saint as a doctor of the Church. Now, there are 38 doctors of the Church.urch.
Spirituality
In his homily for the beatification of St. John Henry Newman, Pope Benedict XVI reflected on his spirituality related to the Heart of Christ.
Cardinal Newman’s motto, Cor ad cor loquitur, or “Heart speaks unto heart”, gives us an insight into his understanding of the Christian life as a call to holiness, experienced as the profound desire of the human heart to enter into intimate communion with the Heart of God. He reminds us that faithfulness to prayer gradually transforms us into the divine likeness (Pope Benedict XVI, 19 September 2010).
His spirituality, rich as it was, informed his entry into the intellectual world. He engaged the intellectual world both as an Anglican and as a Catholic. This is perhaps why so many college chaplaincies look to him as patron.
The project to found a Catholic University in Ireland provided him with an opportunity to develop his ideas on the subject, and the collection of discourses that he published as The Idea of a University holds up an ideal from which all those engaged in academic formation can continue to learn (Pope Benedict XVI, 19 September 2010).
University Education
St. John Henry Newman thinks that the principal purpose of a university is to impart a liberal education. Pope Benedict XVI also contributed his thoughts to the importance of university education. He found a good personal patron in the venerable Cardinal.
Education is integral to the mission of the Church to proclaim the Good News. First and foremost every Catholic educational institution is a place to encounter the living God who in Jesus Christ reveals his transforming love and truth (cf. Spe Salvi, 4) (Pope Benedict XVI, 17 April 2008).
The idea of the university arises within the context of the Catholic Church. In many parts of the world, university education is increasingly secular, making Catholic chaplaincies vital spaces for faith-based formation. This makes the presence of Catholic chaplaincies all the more important, often taking St. John Henry Newman as their patron. Even when the education is secular, the chaplaincy allows the students to “encounter the living God who in Jesus Christ reveals his transforming love and truth.”
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