Oriel Chapel
Blessed Cardinal John Henry Newman
Blessed Cardinal John Henry Newman
A Visit to Newman's England, Part One: Oxford
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Most people have the experience of a family member, loved one, or a friend moving away. Even though the new location is described in detail, and even if one has seen many pictures, it’s not until one actually visits that the place becomes real. It is natural to want to see with one’s own eyes and experience for oneself the feel of a place where a loved one now lives to be able to place him there in the mind’s eye after the visit. 

Such was the motivation for a summer trip taken by my husband and me. Our goal was simple, to see as many literary places in England that we could in two weeks, focusing on St. John Henry Newman. It was a huge success. St. John Henry no longer seems quite so distant, having looked out his windows and tread his paths. We went to Oxford, Littlemore, and Birmingham in the Newman portion of our adventure, and without planning to, we walked through the Bloomsbury section of London, where he grew up.

Oxford is the place to begin with a Newman pilgrimage. Oxford University is so famous and so storied, that the place itself looms large in the literary imagination. Of course, almost everyone has seen images of the incredible ancient buildings, towering spires, groomed lawns of the college quads in countless films and t.v. shows, so I was a bit surprised when we arrived at our Bed and Breakfast near the City Centre. Oxford is a bustling urban city of over 160,000 residents, and the streets were humming with activity. All around there were cafes, bars, restaurants, music venues, shops, and pubs in a cosmopolitan setting. Double decker buses, cars, bikes, and pedestrians filled the busy streets and sidewalks. After a shift in perspective grasping the reality of modern Oxford, we set out on foot for our first goal, Christ Church Cathedral, to hear Evensong. 

Christ Church, founded in 1546, was a priory dedicated to St. Frideswide, patron of the city and the university. There Newman was ordained an Anglican priest in 1825. It was an easy walk to reach there, but a not unexpected rain slowed us a bit, as we dodged and darted our way through throngs of tourists, locals, and students. One can see the beautiful towers and buildings of Oxford easily as a walk proceeds. What is not expected is that the university buildings are set within this city environment. We found Christ Church and joined the soggy queue of people all waiting outside on the sidewalk for word that it was okay to proceed to the church. Once one steps beneath the arched stone entrance through the huge wooden gates into the quad of not only Christ Church but most of the colleges of the University, it’s an immediate step back in time. All the sudden 100s of years disappear, the city noise is muffled, and there before you are stone buildings grander, more majestic, more imposing than any picture could portray. This was our experience with all the places in Oxford, the anachronistic juxtaposition of a hip H&M next-door to gates that take one into the 15th century. We proceeded with the others across the expansive quad with its center fountain, slowed our step to walk into this amazing church, eyes lifting to the soaring heights of the ceiling; there was an almost tangible feel of generations of worship surrounding us. We sat quietly in the ornately carved wood of the choir with the other visitors, and listened to beautiful words of Anglican evensong sung by the clear voices of the choir, while gazing upon the same stained glass windows that Newman looked upon. It was stirring.

The next day we had a lively and thorough guided tour and walk-about given by a friend, seeing and experiencing all things Newman at Oxford. He even threw in a few bonus stops, like Magdalene College of C.S. Lewis fame.  Fortunately, the weather had cleared, and despite this being a tourist-heavy time of the summer, and thanks to the saavy of our friend, we had a comprehensive visit. Unlike most American universities, Oxford is not unified by a central campus. Instead, there are individual colleges with their own buildings, usually including a quad, a chapel, dining hall, living quarters, etc. A visitor must enter in through gates into each separate college. In Oxford, these are close together, but set amongst non-university buildings. Within the walls of each college, however, one can imagine the Oxford of Newman’s days. Thanks to the guidance of our friend, we were able to see much. We saw the beautiful Trinity College, where Newman first studied after he finished his primary education at Ealing. Trinity is enclosed by an iron palisade rather than a wall, and the college’s distinctive blue gates provide it with a more open street view. Trinity was one of the locations used for filming of the original series Brideshead Revisited; it has also featured prominently in episodes of Inspector Morse, Lewis, and Endeavour. 

Flashing his credentials, our intrepid guide took us into Oriel College, where Newman was a Fellow and tutor from 1822 until 1845. It was moving to walk through this quad and enter the heavy doors that led in just beneath the windows of his rooms there where he lived those many years. One could imagine him looking out of those leaded glass panes, composing one of his many famous scripture laden sermons of the Anglican period. Oriel, the 5th college founded at Oxford in 1326, was under the patronage of Blessed Virgin Mary. Oxford’s and Oriel’s tutorial system aided Newman to form his view that as a college tutor, he held a pastoral office. Inside Oriel, we walked into the ornate beauty of the Oriel College chapel, staring upwards at the magnificent and famous timber ribbed barrel vaulted ceiling, with the filtered light of  the stained glass windows bright against the light colored walls.

We then took the winding steps up into a small area that has been converted into a memorial space honoring St. John Henry, in the rear of the Oriel College chapel. Here a huge new stained glass window is installed with his image, along with places to sit, kneel, pray or meditate. We prayed there with our friend, Newman’s famous vocation prayer, found on the back of his prayer card. It was one of the highlights of the visit. We went into St. Mary’s Church, the University Church, where Newman became Vicar in March 1828. From the pulpit there he established himself as one of the most compelling preachers in England. He unveiled the riches of the Scriptures to the congregation eager to hear his sermons. Seeing the narrow stairs up to this small pulpit in the middle of that magnificent church transported us back in time, imagining the thin figure of Newman, moving the hearts of the listeners with his words, spoken with a soft voice that despite the volume would have reverberated off those stone walls. In 1833 John Keble preached from the same pulpit the famous Assize Sermon on ‘National Apostasy’, which Newman later considered the beginning of the Oxford Movement proper. Newman later felt compelled to leave St. Mary’s in the wake of the publicity over Tract 90. He resigned in September 1843 and retreated to Littlemore, the next stop on our Newman Pilgrimage. 

 

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The sensum fidelium is a confirmation of authentic doctrinal development in contrast to corruption of doctrine. It can also be described as a spiritual instinct for Catholic truths.

We became more intimately acquainted with the daily life, prayer, and study of Newman, the simple yet pleasant home where he and his Oratorian brothers lived.

The saints live in sackcloth, and they are buried in jewels.

Dominic Barberi and John H. Newman were united in their mutual quest for the virtues of personal humility, charity and good humor.

To us has been entrusted the vocation of conquering souls for Christ and of transforming society.

In the chapel with walls adjacent to Newman’s bedroom, still bearing the red brocade of Newman’s day, the sisters preserve his rosary.

One could imagine him ... composing one of his many famous scripture laden sermons of the Anglican period.

Grace is that new law by which we obey the law of Christ in faith, on trust.

Our Books

About Cardinal John Henry Newman

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A Guide to John Henry Newman will interest educated readers and professors alike, and serve as a text for college seminars for the purpose of studying Newman.

Review by Catherine Maybanks
(Catholic Herald, April 1, 2023)

Review by Serenheed James
(Antiphon, April 2023)

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Fr Peter Conley takes us on an exciting journey into the spirituality and inner life of Saint John Henry Newman.
 

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Endorsement by Neyra Blanco (Amazon)
I bought this book for my son and he loved it, he wrote this review and urged my to submitted: “I think this book has a very beautiful message, because it shows how the young Newman was so determined to achieve his dream of becoming a priest, but even after his dream he continued to work in the church with passion until the day he died, it’s so admirable that even Newman so old and so weak still had that urge to continued his work of being a priest. And the book is well written with words not too complicated with very enjoyable texts and well illustrated pictures. I highly recommend this book for a 5th grader.  

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What is a Classical Liberal Arts Education? Why is it so important for the development of a person?

Fr. Juan R. Vélez answers these and more questions you might have about University Education in the 21st century. This book is aimed for parents, prospective University students, and educators. It will help you discern why adding Liberal Arts electives to your education will help it form it better, and help the student learn to reason, and not just learn.

He also explains how many Universities have changed the true meaning of Liberal Arts, and the subjects, and gives advise on how to choose College Campus, Subjects, and Teachers.

A wonderful book that every parent should also read way before your children are College bound. A Liberal Arts education can start earlier in life, even from home.

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Endorsement by Christopher Moellering (Goodreads, September 14, 2019)
In Passion for Truth Fr. Vélez gave us an outstanding biography of Cardinal Newman. In this work, he provides a concise overview of his thought and his devotion. This is a great work for someone who, perhaps hearing of Newman for the first time because of his beatification 13 October, 2019, wants to know more about this English saint.Vélez is a wonderful writer in his own right, and the frequent quotations from Newman round out the work nicely. I especially appreciated the frequent citing of Newman’s Meditations and Devotions, which show a different side of his spirituality than his more well-known works, Development of Christian Doctrine and the Grammar of Assent.

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Take Five: Meditations with John Henry Newman, endorsement by Illow M. Roque (Amazon, September 3, 2010)
“There is a time to put direct inquiry on hold and give ourselves to prayer and practical duties.” Sound advice from one of the earlier, thought-provoking reminders in this sparkling gem of a book: Take Five | Meditations with John Henry Newman, written by Mike Aquilina and Fr. Juan R. Vélez and published by Our Sunday Visitor. This particular paragraph, referenced above, which begins with a direct quote from soon-to-be canonized priest, cardinal and poet, John Henry Newman: “Study is good, but it gets us only so far . . .” is actually the 15th in a series of 76 concise, logically organized meditations moving from the elementary to the sublime. Each meditation–one per page–is built upon the great man’s writings and remarkably rich spirituality. Whether taken whole in one reading or in part page-by-page over a course of weeks and months, these wonderfully insightful meditations will open up, even to the busiest reader in the midst of the world, a unique pathway into prayer and contemplation. My advice to spiritual inquirers at all levels, from the novice to the spiritually adept, is to follow the authors’ recommendation to use this book as a guide for daily prayer and meditation. The structure of the book itself is ideal: first, the authors introduce us to Cardinal Newman, the man, where we are given the opportunity to get to know him through a brief sketch of his life and spirituality at the beginning of the book. This is something readers will likely find themselves referring to again and again, prompting many, I suspect, to even wider explorations of this most gifted Christian leader. Then comes the meditations, consisting of a short summary of Newman’s thoughts on subjects taken, as the authors explain, from various salient points for which Newman is justly remembered: The pursuit of objective religious truth; Teaching on the Virtues; Defense of the Catholic Church; A devout spiritual and moral life; and Generosity and loyalty in his friendships, which sets the topic and tone for each meditation to follow. Each meditation consists of an excerpt taken from Newman’s thirty-plus volumes of writings and diaries. Next comes three brief and extremely useful sections entitled: “Think About It,” which establishes a prayerfully resonant tone throughout the book; “Just Imagine,” which provides a vivid, prayerful experience of the Scriptures that tie in, and finally, “Remember,” a pithy summation which the authors suggest may be used as a daily aspiration. Each meditation is given its own page, which makes it ideal for daily reflection for readers on the go. This book is a must have for every serious Catholic who wants to take their faith to the next level, which is to respond appropriately to the universal call to holiness and seek interior union with God.
Fr. Juan Velez

The sensum fidelium is a confirmation of authentic doctrinal development in contrast to corruption of doctrine. It can also be described as a spiritual instinct for Catholic truths.

Prof. Barb H. Wyman

We became more intimately acquainted with the daily life, prayer, and study of Newman, the simple yet pleasant home where he and his Oratorian brothers lived.

Robert Kirkendall

The saints live in sackcloth, and they are buried in jewels.

Fr. Peter Conley

Dominic Barberi and John H. Newman were united in their mutual quest for the virtues of personal humility, charity and good humor.

David Warren

To us has been entrusted the vocation of conquering souls for Christ and of transforming society.

Prof. Barb H. Wyman

In the chapel with walls adjacent to Newman’s bedroom, still bearing the red brocade of Newman’s day, the sisters preserve his rosary.

Prof. Barb H. Wyman

One could imagine him ... composing one of his many famous scripture laden sermons of the Anglican period.

Robert Kirkendall

Grace is that new law by which we obey the law of Christ in faith, on trust.

David Warren

Do we love the Word of God or do we take it for granted?