New Book
HOLINESS IN A SECULAR AGE, THE WITNESS OF CARDINAL NEWMAN
Cardinal Newman, the great English convert to Catholicism, has much to teach us about holiness in a secular age. The book was released on July 6, 2017 by Scepter Publishers.
“Father Velez illumined Newman’s life in the biography Passion for Truth, and now he does the same for Newman’s thought. Newman can be a challenging read, and this book provides the introduction that many people need — an open window on Newman’s theology and spirituality.” – Scott Hahn, theologian and author
“Blessed John Henry Cardinal Newman has been a powerful influence in my life as a bishop, and as a Catholic in pursuit of holiness. Cardinal Newman: A Saint for our Times demonstrates that Newman’s wisdom can help all Catholics to know, love, and serve the Lord amid the challenges of the modern world. The book offers some of Newman’s best insights, and helps to apply them to the Church, and the world, today.” – Most Rev. James D. Conley, DD, Bishop of Lincoln, Nebraska
Blog Posts
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July 22, 2017In the poem “Solitude,” John Henry Newman reminds us of the importance of silent time alone with God.
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July 8, 2017Newman intrigues us with a riddle in his "Snapdragon: a Riddle for a Flower Book". Reading his poetry carefully we discover more about him as a person.
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June 24, 2017Christ ascends to heaven after his death and resurrection. The Christian knows that the Cross is the path to heaven, warfare the condition of victory.
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June 18, 2017God is the deepest subject of reflection, and to try to understand Him strains our minds. Yet we are called to press on in reflecting on the Trinity of God.
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June 10, 2017The mystery of the Trinity is beyond our understanding. But we are called to reflect on it, and Newman is a wise guide for the path of our reflection.
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June 1, 2017Blessed Newman replies to the question: What is Heaven? And teaches us that Jesus who ascended to Heaven is the only path to Heaven.
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May 25, 2017Jesus ascends to heaven and is glorified. Now he is even closer to us because he is not only in one particular location.
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May 20, 2017The title of this reflection is the essential question every man and woman needs to ask. In Part 1 of this series, we looked at Blessed Newman’s sermon, “Faith, the Title for our Justification,”...
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May 13, 2017Faith is necessary for salvation. In this sermon, Blessed Newman asks whether it is all one needs.
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May 12, 2017HOLINESS IN A SECULAR AGE, THE WITNESS OF CARDINAL NEWMAN ABOUT BOOK In Holiness in a Secular Age: the Witness of Cardinal Newman, a reader will find how John Henry Newman, an intelligent and...
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April 29, 2017Before his Passion and Death Jesus told the disciples that "A little while, and ye shall not see Me: and again, a little while, and ye shall see Me, because I go to the Father." John xvi. 16. How i...
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April 14, 2017Jesus offers himself completely to be with us in the daily sacrifice of the Mass.
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April 14, 2017Jesus loved and honored his mother, and teaches us likewise to love our family members, friends and acquaintances.
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April 8, 2017The unsparing, tender love of Jesus will dispel all doubts and strengthen our hearts to trust in Him.
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April 2, 2017Jesus, who became incarnate and suffered and died to redeem us, is the Lover of souls.
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April 1, 2017We can return to God because he has offered us a new beginning in Christ.
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March 25, 2017Jesus established a spiritual kingdom on earth and entrusted the spiritual authority over this kingdom to the pope and bishops.
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March 24, 2017The unity God desires for his Church he models in his divinity and his humanity.
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March 18, 2017Jesus is, in the words of the Apocalypse, the Captain of God's hosts or Lord of Armies. He leads us in our spiritual combat against the forces of evil.
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March 11, 2017Faith is not only necessary for reaching God, this gift is the first step toward him.
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March 4, 2017It is an awful thought to think that God rejects those who reject him, but the truth is that in mercy he invites us to repent.
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March 2, 2017By fasting we imitate Christ's self-denial, and grow in love for him. And with faith and humility we overcome the temptations of the devil.
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February 25, 2017Jesus the Son of David, descended from King David to whom God had promised a descendant who would reign forever.
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February 18, 2017Jesus is the Lamb of God prefigured in the Jewish passover lamb, and later by the prophet Isaiah as the One who was wounded for our sins.
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February 11, 2017The following is a summary of John Henry Newman's famous poem on Last Things and God's mercy.
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February 4, 2017At last Gerontius’ soul traverses the threshold of God’s throne.
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January 28, 2017The soul sees Christ's suffering and feels great sorrow.
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January 20, 2017The Dream of Gerontius reaches its high point with choirs of angels singing the praise of God and recounting the history of salvation.
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January 7, 2017The angel explains to the soul of Gerontius that the very sight of God will gladden the just soul immensely while it purifies it.
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December 31, 2016Demons tempt the human soul but they are impotent in causing it to do evil. The soul must endure these temptations and repeatedly turn to God.
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December 18, 2016In the dialogue between the soul and the angel we learn about the particular judgment and how to prepare to meet Christ by living as God's children.
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December 10, 2016Each guardian angel created ages ago by God has been given a human being to care for and to guide on his way to heaven.
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December 3, 2016Newman imagines the soul of Gerontius outside the limits of time and space in the life hereafter, and how its Guardian Angels comes to lead it to Christ.
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November 26, 2016Gerontius' friends pray for their dying friend. He experiences fear at the closeness of death and the thought of the Devil, but is strengthened by a priest.
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November 19, 2016The Dream of Gerontius is a poem about the experience of man who is dying, his request for prayers, and the help of his angel as he goes to his judgment.
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November 19, 2016As God's children we advance to the truth by experience of error; we succeed through failures. We seem to be walking to heaven backwards but indeed advance.
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November 11, 2016Newman urges Christians to repent but as an Anglican he did not know that the ordinary means of forgiveness of sins after Baptism is sacramental Confession.
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November 4, 2016Through Baptism man has a new birth. Although he suffers the consequences of original sin, he receives the grace of the Holy Spirit to live as God's son.
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October 28, 2016As God's children we advance to the truth by experience of error; we succeed through failures. We seem to be walking to heaven backwards but indeed advance.
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October 22, 2016As sinful men and women we have a need to be cleansed and renewed often. We are not forgiven once and for all.
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October 16, 2016Adult Catholics have many questions such as: What is the Church’s doctrine on communion for married Catholics who after a civil divorce have entered into a second union? Is Jesus truly present in th...
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October 16, 2016Newman asserts that to be a Christian calls for more than honesty, justice and temperance; it means to seek Christian perfection in Christ's footsteps. http://www.cardinaljohnhenrynewman.com/wp-con...
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October 8, 2016The Spiritual Mind, Part 2 by Fr. Juan Vélez The Christian should act out of the good habit of loving God, rather than out of fear of sinning, even though the latter may at first play a part in h...
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October 2, 2016The Spiritual Mind, Part 1 by Fr. Juan Vélez Blessed Newman teaches that a Christian must examine the motives for his thoughts and actions, and must learn to master his heart, doing things for th...
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September 24, 2016Self-Denial, the Test of Religious Earnestness, Part 3 by Fr. Juan Vélez Jesus bids us to take up our cross daily. We must be careful, however, of the danger of self-deception by doing things for...
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September 17, 2016Self-Denial, the Test of Religious Earnestness, Part 2 by Fr. Juan Vélez Jesus bids us to take up our cross daily. We must careful, however, of the danger of self-deception by doing things for ou...
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September 10, 2016Self-Denial, the Test of Religious Earnestness, Part 1 by Fr. Juan Vélez John Henry Newman explains that the test of the true practice of religion is self-denial. Without the latter a person make...
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September 4, 2016A Teenager, Mother Teresa and Cardinal Newman I saw the saint (Mother Teresa) on three occasions. No, not Mother Teresa of Avila, but another giant like her. The encounters if one could call them s...
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September 3, 2016Secret Faults (Part 3) - by Fr. Juan Vélez Most people rationalize their defects and sins and become used to them. John Henry Newma...
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August 27, 2016Secret Faults (Part 2) - by Fr. Juan Vélez Our secret faults are often revealed to us when we are tested. We need humility and the ...
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August 21, 2016Secret Faults (Part 1) - by Fr. Juan Vélez Most people have little self-knowledge, and because of this have a poor understanding of...
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August 7, 2016World news in today's age travels with such speed that we are aware at once of wars, cruelty, famine and other human disasters. We must pay attention, pray, and in our own measure do what we can to al...
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July 31, 2016Christ Speaks to the Youth of the World Gathered in Krakow with a million and a half youth from all over the world Pope Francis told them that they were like the disciples at Pentecost. The dis...
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July 29, 2016Blessed Newman explains how St. Paul remembered his own weakness and sins, and taught that God will have mercy on the Jews to whom belong the patriarchs, the promises and the prophets. http://www.c...
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July 11, 2016A Better Homeland (cf. Hebrews 11:16) When prodigal children book passage for a far country, the last thing they want is a reminder about the likeliness of a U-turn. No ticket kiosk of...
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May 1, 2016The Creator is Omnipotent. He made the universe and all its creatures. Yet, he willed to become a prisoner in the womb of the Virgin. Later he allowed himself to be bound by cruel men in his Passion. ...
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April 10, 2016Conscience speaks to our hearts of an Unseen Lord, Governor and Judge, and leads us to "look out" for Him and his messages. It predisposes us to faith when He reveals himself to us. http://www.card...
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March 14, 2016Falling short in the most important area of Christian life, that of loving God and our neighbor for His sake, is enough of a daily stumbling block to merit Blessed John Henry Newman’s focus in a ser...
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March 12, 2016Blessed Newman expounds on how God's hidden grace works to extend the Church. Unlike the external instruments of the Church grace works invisibly from within. http://www.cardinaljohnhenry...
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February 21, 2016On the eve of the anniversary of Blessed Cardinal Newman's birthday (February 21, 1801) we began a series of recordings of his Sermons Preached on Various Occasions. Sermon 1. Intellect, The Instr...
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February 6, 2016In the Fall 2015 issue of the Newman Studies Journal there is a review which I wrote on The 'Making of Men'. The Idea and reality of Newman's university in Oxford and Dublin, by Paul Shrimpton, Leom...
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January 21, 2016In the Gospels we see how Jesus had compassion for the sick and cured them. The cures reveal his compassion as well as his divinity. In our times God continues to work miracles through the intercessio...
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January 8, 2016Saint John Neumann and Blessed John Henry Newman Every year one or more friends kindly congratulate me on January 5th when the Church celebrates the liturgical memorial of St. John Neumann. They mi...
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December 24, 2015Tonight we celebrate the Nativity of our Lord. "The Word was made flesh and dwelt among us." The Incarnation is the great mystery that reveals God's wonderful love for mankind. In this sermon from ...
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December 13, 2015We have very sadly gotten almost accustomed to saying God's name in vain or hearing others do so. There is little reverence in the way people dress and behave at church. There is a loss of the sense o...
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November 29, 2015Blessed John Henry Newman helps us to begin the season of Advent with a sermon titled "Worship, a Preparation for Christ's Coming." He opens with the words of Scripture: "Thine eyes shall see th...
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November 8, 2015In the sermon The Praise of Men, after indicating that ridicule is a powerful weapon used by the devil, Blessed John Henry Newman describes a case in which it is the cause of much pain: when a pers...
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October 23, 2015The Wisdom of Youth by Fr. John Henry Hanson, O. Praem Blessed are they who give the flower of their days, and their strength of soul and body to Him; blessed are they who in their youth turn t...
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October 17, 2015Deacon Jack Sullivan received a miraculous cure from a severe spinal stenosis on August 15, 2001 after praying to Cardinal Newman. On July 3, 2009 Pope Benedict announced that this healing was a mirac...
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October 10, 2015Blessed John Henry Newman's liturgical memorial is celebrated liturgically on October 9. For this occasion Stephen Bullivant, Senior Lecturer in Theology and Ethics at St Mary’s University, Twickenh...
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October 9, 2015The Saints are men and women whom the Church sets as standards for living holy lives as children of God. Today is the memorial or feast day of Blessed John Henry Newman (1801-1890), a renowned Anglica...
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October 5, 2015From the earliest time of Christianity the pope, a term derived from the Greek word for "father," was regarded with great love and reverence by the faithful. The Pope is the Vicar of Christ and succes...
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September 24, 2015In difficult times God raises men and women to rouse the Church. What does the Spirit say to the Churches? Religious truths are always the same, but in every time there are specific questions and pres...
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September 24, 2015Today Junipero Serra, a Spanish Franciscan and founder of nine of the twenty-one California missions in the 18th century, was declared a saint by Pope Francis at a solemn Mass at the Basilica of the I...
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September 22, 2015Banished from Constantinople through the instigation of his enemies St. John Chrysostom had arrived in Cucusus in the autumn. He survived the hardship of travel and an illness along the way as well as...
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September 21, 2015"Nicholas Healy, president emeritus of Ave Maria University and a former vice president of Franciscan University of Steubenville, facilitated the launch of Newman College Ireland, which completed its ...
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September 13, 2015Faced with injustice, illness or significant loss people are often angry and resentful, sad and withdrawn. St. John Chrysostom, instead, displayed resilience and good temper, forbearance of his persec...
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August 18, 2015Christian life entails suffering, sometimes great suffering, and the response distinguishes a Christian from others: in the midst of hardship and even persecution he forgives and gives praise to God. ...
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July 31, 2015Blessed John Henry Newman together with Cardinal Paul Cullen and the Irish bishops established the Catholic University of Ireland in 1854. Newman was the founder and first rector. At the start of th...
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July 22, 2015A Matter of Life and Death by Fr. John Henry Hanson, O. Praem. When Moses set before the Israelites a choice between life and death, a blessing and a curse, he wasn’t simply issuing an ultimatu...
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July 16, 2015Newman’s Gentleman by Ronald J. Snyder, D.D.S. Evidence of the respect for Blessed John Henry Newman’s unsurpassed 19th century treatise of higher education is his frequently referenced gentlem...
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July 4, 2015What was the secret of St. John Chrysostom's success as a leader and reformer? The spiritual leaders of a city or society inspire the moral lives of their citizens. They understand well people's ne...
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June 27, 2015Yesterday, June 26, was a momentous and sad day for our nation: the highest court "legislated" that states within the United States cannot ban same-sex marriages. This is an attack on natural law as w...
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June 11, 2015St. Philip, A Different Type of Reformer Who was Philip Neri and what were the important stages in his formation? Having recounted the life of Savonarola, and referring to God's appearance to ...
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May 27, 2015Today the Church honors a great saint, Philip Neri (Filippo di Neri), who countered the decadent culture of his time with humility, charity and truthfulness. Philip (July 21, 1515 – May 25, 1595), w...
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May 14, 2015Temples of the Holy Spirit by Fr. John Henry Hanson, O.Praem Contemplating the mystery of the Divine indwelling, Blessed John Henry Newman is enraptured at the thought of the Holy Spirit’s ...
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April 14, 2015What have you ventured for Christ? The Life of Faith in the Light of the Resurrection by Fr. John Henry Hanson, O. Praem. Faith in the risen Christ, glorious yet unseen, is no less crucial for u...
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April 2, 2015Christ died on the Cross. But did he fail? Was he truly who he said he was? Jesus Christ laid down his life freely. He had said about his life: "I have power to lay it down, and I have power to ta...
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February 22, 2015Blessed Cardinal Newman was born in London on February 21, 1801. He was not only an exceptional thinker, theologian and writer but a holy priest and the founder of the Oratory of St. Phillip Neri in E...
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February 13, 2015Why is a liberal arts education important? And what is a liberal arts education? These are questions that we need to ask seriously, especially if we wish to grow as human beings and serve our fami...
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February 9, 2015A University Education for the 21st Century: The Opening of the American Mind is a book that I wrote in 2014. It is my hope that this work will help students, parents and university administrators ...
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December 23, 2014As we prepare to celebrate the Nativity of Our Lord Jesus Christ we have before us a text from the Letter to the Hebrews and some comments by Bl. John Henry Newman. "Both He that sanctifieth and th...
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December 1, 2014The development of Christian doctrine is a very important subject in Christianity and one, which demands a proper understanding and safeguards. In An Essay on the Development of Christian Doctrine (...
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October 29, 2014Blessed John Henry Newman taught his friends and parishioners to strive for Christian holiness in every day life while trying to do so himself. The following is a link to Source and Summit which has a...
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October 25, 2014In a forth coming article for the Catholic World News Report I will be discussing the subject of development of Christian Doctrine to show that Communion for persons divorced and remarried is not auth...
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October 9, 2014Today is the feast day of Blessed Cardinal John Henry Newman, a great English scholar and holy priest (1801-1890). His memorial is celebrated in the dioceses of England, but it is hoped that some ...
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September 24, 2014What is literature and why should we read the Classics? In our technological and scientific world that has reduced thinking to the practical and empirical sciences literature is often ignored or dismi...
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September 13, 2014Bl. John Henry Newman loved and admired St. John Chrysostom and wrote a long essay about him in Historical Sketches. He wrote at the start of the essay: "I am so specially attached to the Saints...
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August 22, 2014Over the past year we have gone through the first part of Newman's The Idea of a University. Unfortunately part of this has been lost (from our website). We will continue now with part II of Newman's ...
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August 11, 2014On July 22nd and July 30th of this year, 2014, I had the pleasure of meeting with Deacon Jack Sullivan first in Pembroke and next in Marshfield, Massachusetts. Deacon Sullivan, originally from Braintr...
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June 22, 2014The Preface (continued) Newman was correct in distinguishing the ends of a teaching institution and a research institution, but he failed to see how both goals could come together and, since hi...
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May 28, 2014Blessed John Henry Newman helps us to understand the title The Powerful Virgin with which the Church honors the Blessed Virgin Mary. Although the world is ruled by fixed laws given to it by the Creato...
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May 25, 2014When commenting on Virgin Mary's title Mater Intemerata, the Sinless Mother, Blessed John Henry Newman adduces other reasons for the Assumption of Mary who "was so transcendently holy, so full, so ov...
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May 24, 2014The title Holy Mother of God denotes the reason for all the other titles and privileges of the Blessed Virgin Mary. In these reflections for the month of May John Henry Newman looks to one of the priv...
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May 23, 2014A tower is a tall and strong structure. In the advocation the Ivory Tower the Blessed Virgin Mary is compared to a tower. Blessed John Henry Newman explains that Mary was more courageous than Jesus' ...
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May 17, 2014Like many other holy men and women Blessed John Henry Newman meditates on the moral sufferings of the Virgin Mary which merit her the title Queen of Martyrs. "What an overwhelming horror it must have ...
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May 14, 2014Blessed John Henry Newman comments on the title Mother of the Creator which he admits seems confusing. He readily explains, however, that do deny it is to deny "the great and fundamental truth of reve...
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May 12, 2014Heart-to-Heart Preaching: Bl. John Henry Cardinal Newman in the Pulpit by Father John McCloskey First presented at a Spring 2013 seminar for priests in Pembroke, MA. Dear Priest Friends and B...
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May 12, 2014Pope Leo XIII created John Henry Newman a cardinal on May 12, 1879. On that occasion Newman gave an Address in which he renewed his opposition to liberalism in religion: "the doctrine that there is no...
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May 11, 2014Blessed John Henry Newman comments on Mary's title Mirror of Justice telling us that by "justice" we do not mean what is understood in ordinary English; instead we mean "all virtues at once, a perfect...
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May 10, 2014The Church honors Mary with the title Regina Angelorum. The obvious reason for this invocation is that she is in heaven with her Son who is King and thus she is Queen. Although true Blessed John Henry...
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May 9, 2014Blessed John Henry Newman helps us to understand the meaning of the title Sancta Maria by teaching us about God's holiness: "We say that God alone is holy, though in truth all His high attributes a...
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April 27, 2014Every century has a few great men or women who shine as light for their contemporaries: an Augustine in the 4th century, a Charlemagne in the 9th century, a Catherine of Siena in the 14th century. In ...
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April 18, 2014John Henry Newman preached the sermon The Cross of Christ the Measure of the World on April 9, 1841 (Parochial and Plain Sermons, Vol 6). In this sermon preached on a Fifth Sunday of Lent he offers a ...
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March 23, 2014Universities and Seminaries: L'Ecole des Hautes Etudes Newman concludes this series of short essays with a look at seminaries. The first seminaries for the formation of diocesan clergy were episcop...
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February 22, 2014John Henry Newman, a Man of Prayer (revised from article for www.aleteia.org on Feb. 21, 2014) John Henry Newman, born in London on February 21, 1801 was an Anglican convert to Roman Catholicism. H...
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February 17, 2014Having painted a picture of the origins of universities and their reason for being and of the nature of colleges Newman turns to explain a dysfunction of university education in his alma mater, Oxford...
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January 24, 2014As an Anglican John Henry Newman began to pray for Christian unity in 1841 at the urging of Fr. Spencer, a Catholic priest. At first he did so with hesitation because he held that Anglicans already pr...
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October 27, 2013By Fr. Juan Velez In a fitting manner, Newman turns his attention to the history of a Catholic university in Ireland. He traces a history of many attempts, primarily by bishops and clergy, since th...
