Newman, John Henry (1801-1890), became a cardinal of the Roman Catholic Church in 1879, after converting to the Roman Catholic faith in 1845. Before his conversion, Newman distinguished himself as a scholar and a preacher of the Church of England at Oxford University. In 1833, he joined the Oxford Movement, a movement to rid the Church of England of political domination and to ground it more firmly in traditional beliefs. The movement helped strengthen the established Church of England. However, Newman shocked his fellow reformers by joining the Catholic Church in 1845. In 1846, he became a Catholic priest.
Newman was born on Feb. 21, 1801, in London, England. For most of his life as a Catholic, he lived in Birmingham, England, as rector (head priest) of an Oratory—that is, a group of men devoted to prayer and study. Newman was considered one of the great thinkers of the 1800’s. His autobiography, the Apologia pro Vita Sua (1864), was a reply to an attack upon him by Charles Kingsley, an Anglican minister and author. Among Cardinal Newman’s many lectures is “The Idea of a University” (1852). The book An Essay in Aid of a Grammar of Assent (1870) was his answer to religious skepticism (disbelief). Newman also wrote the words of the hymn “Lead, Kindly Light.” He died on Aug. 11, 1890.
In 2010, Pope Benedict XVI beatified Cardinal Newman. Beatification is an important step toward declaring an individual a saint in the Roman Catholic Church. In 2019, Newman was canonized (proclaimed a saint) by Pope Francis.
