John Crosby on the Personalism of Newman

Last updated on: July 4, 2011 at 1:18 am by Sam Rocha

One of my great regrets is having been a very poor student, especially during my years at Franciscan University of Steubenville. Over these night hours I have indulged in some of what I all too often missed: the rich, poetic lectures of Professor John Crosby.

While I am critical of some of his work, I have never lost a deep, lasting respect and admiration for his humane and generous spirit. He was a wonderful teacher to and for whom I was a poor, lazy student.

Crosby’s passion for Newman is only rivaled by his esteem for his teacher, Dietrich Von Hildebrand. In these four lectures, Crosby draws on his lifelong study of Newman and his original contributions to the philosophical tradition of Catholic personalism. During his sabbatical, Crosby worked on and delivered these lectures in his usual, probing style. I think there is still one more lecture to be posted, but these four should be plenty for starters—and I will post the fifth as soon as it becomes available.

Take some time to feast on this rich array of thoughts from a first-rate mind, but more importantly, a golden heart: