St John Henry Newman the Doctor: What's It Mean and What Now?

Doctors of the Church "are teachers of the Church; that is what “doctor” means, a teacher, such as a university professor." Originally, only the PhD (Doctor of Philosophy) and STD (Doctor of Sacred Theology) existed.

From Aleteia

By Fr Juan R. Vélez

Doctors of the Church are like the Church's All Star Team, known not only for their holy lives but also for their profound teachings.

The saints are Christian heroes. They show us how to live as God’s children. St. Thérèse, Padre Pio, and all the rest have done this in a special way. They are the champions who lead us in the path of love for God and man. 

The Doctors of the Church are like the All Stars. Along with their holy lives and other qualities, they are also great teachers. They are teachers of the Church; that is what “doctor” means, a teacher, such as a university professor.

All the saints are teachers through the witness of their lives, but the title “doctor” is especially given to certain saints. It is an important title because it gives credibility to the teachings of that person, which helps in spreading the truth of the Catholic faith 

Pope Leo XIV together with the members of the office for the Causes of the Saints has just decided that St. John Henry Newman will be declared the next doctor of the Church. 

Who is Newman?

Newman (1801-1890) was an English Anglican priest who became Roman Catholic while teaching at Oxford University. He was ordained a Catholic priest in Rome and sent to England to begin the Oratory of St. Philip Neri in Birmingham. He founded the Catholic University of Ireland in Dublin and later the Oratory School for boys in Birmingham. He wrote many inspiring sermons and important books of theology.

In 1879, Pope Leo XIII created him a cardinal of the Church. 

Newman inspires

1TO STRIVE FOR SANCTITY

He inspires the laity and all the faithful to strive to be a saint in everyday life. God wishes us to live with faith, hope, and love for Him as his children. We can and should find God in our study, work, and care of the family.

2READ SCRIPTURE AND STUDY THE FAITH

To read the Bible and study the faith. We know this makes sense but often we are not so good at making this our number one priority, as it deserves to be. Newman was deeply rooted in Scripture and constantly worked to teach the faith.

3TO FOLLOW OUR RIGHTLY FORMED CONSCIENCE

One of Newman's main legacies is his teaching on conscience. He invites the faithful to follow our conscience rightly formed by the Bible and the Teaching of the Church. Conscience is not above God’s laws. It is God’s voice helping to see how we apply God’s law in the here and now.

4UNDERSTAND THE DEVELOPMENT OF DOCTRINES

To consider how doctrines development, and to guard against their corruptions. Newman explained that to grow is to have changed much, but there are criteria that should be used to evaluate such changes. He has helped people in the Church to understand the development of what the Church teaches.

5HARMONIZE FAITH AND REASON

Newman is an example of how to harmonize faith and reason, faith and science. God has granted human beings different ways of knowing Him and the world. True knowledge in one area cannot contradict knowledge in another area. 

What happens next?

St. John Henry Newman will be formally declared a doctor of the Church at a solemn Mass. What can we expect after that? 

1. Throughout the world priests will celebrate the Mass in honor of this saint once a year on his saint’s day, which is October 9. This will lead people to give glory to God and live holy lives. 

2. Many people throughout the world who do not know about Newman will wish to learn about him.

3. Many will be inspired to become friends of this great saint and learn from him. Yes, we can become friends with the saints! People will discover in his meditation and devotions a path of deeper friendship with Our Lord Jesus Christ. 

4. Thousands of college students at Newman Centers will get to know about this saint and read some of his writings. If this happens, there will be an explosion of conversions in the US, and many men and women will discover their vocation. What is a Newman Center? Because of Newman's teachings on education and universities, Catholic centers exist within universities as places for students to attend Mass, study the faith, and have fellowship with other Catholics. These are called Newman Centers. Sometimes they have the designation of a parish within the local diocese.

5. Already thousands of people have come to the Catholic Church through his work and intercession. Now, many others will do the same. God has used Newman as an instrument for these conversions and his being a Doctor of the Church will only help in this direction. 

6. The declaration of Newman as Doctor of the Church will help English-speaking countries, beginning with England, in the new evangelization. The bishops and faithful have a great opportunity to evangelize many with the help of St. John Henry. 

7. St. John Henry’s teaching about the development of doctrine will help bishops and theologians as they discern which developments in doctrine, liturgy, and ecclesial government are good. 

8. In the coming years even more conferences and talks will be organized to further the study of Newman’s life and writings. In the USA, the National Institute for Newman Studies and the Saint John Henry Newman Association of America both host conferences and journals. More recently the St. John Henry Newman Institute has begun. A few other countries have Newman associations. 

9. Still more good books and articles will be written, and especially books for the general public and children. Newman is already one of the theologians about whom most scholarly articles are written each year. 

And if this was not enough, we can be sure that many babies to be born this year and in the years to come will bear the name John Henry for this great saint!

In the end, the upcoming declaration will give glory to God who is the one who raises men and women to be saints and doctors of the Church. And it will strengthen the Church as it tries to bring Christ’s light to the world.

Pray with St. John Henry Newman

In one of his meditations, St. John Henry prayed the following prayer which we can make ours:

“Stay with me, and then I shall begin to shine as Thou shinest: so to shine as to be a light to others. The light, O Jesus, will be all from Thee. None of it will be mine. No merit to me. It will be Thou who shinest through me upon others. O let me thus praise Thee, in the way which Thou dost love best, by shining on all those around me. Give light to them as well as to me; light them with me, through me. Teach me to show forth Thy praise, Thy truth, Thy will. Make me preach Thee without preaching—not by words, but by my example and by the catching force, the sympathetic influence, of what I do—by my visible resemblance to Thy saints, and the evident fulness of the love which my heart bears to Thee.” 

St. John Henry Newman, pray for us!