St. John Henry Newman
Born: February 21, 1801
Died: August 11, 1890
Feast day: October 9
Patron saint of: poets
St. John Henry Newman, an intellectual giant of the 19th century, was a prominent Anglican vicar and leader who converted to Catholicism at the age of 44. As is often true of holy people, church functionaries did not always appreciate him.
In 1859, as the editor of the lay publication The Rambler, he defended an article written by a lay Catholic school inspector who believed that if Catholic schools received money from the British state, they should welcome state inspectors. Newman apologized to irritated British bishops, but he also argued that since bishops had recently sought lay consultation in defining the dogma of the Immaculate Conceptions, they should also be open to lay perspectives on more practical matters. The bishops called for his resignation.
As his last act at The Rambler, Newman published an unsigned article, “On Consulting the Faithful in the Matter of Doctrine,” that listed 20 examples from church history in which the hierarchy got it wrong while the laity did not.
More about John Henry Newman:
Listen to laypeople, said John Henry Newman
John Henry Newman paved the way in the fight against clericalism.
John Henry Newman saw angels at work in all of creation
This autumn, see the invisible world that radiates out through the changing leaves and glory of God’s creation.
Image: Wikimedia Commons
