Image via Mikhail Gnatkovskiy / Shutterstock.

Patrick shares the exciting announcement: Pope Leo is officially declaring St. John Henry Newman a Doctor of the Church!

St. John Henry Newman, after years of influence, reflection, and deep spiritual writing, is about to be named one of the great theological minds of the Church.

Not a “doctor” like your family physician... but a “Doctor of the Church,” which means his writings, life, and teachings are considered especially profound and beneficial to the universal Church.

Who Was John Henry Newman?

Patrick takes us on a little journey through Newman’s life. He started off as an Anglican clergyman, and he was brilliant, deeply educated, literary, and very much anti-Catholic. 

He believed the Anglican Church was a sort of "middle way"... not too Protestant, not too Catholic. That’s the idea he tried to prove in his writings. While researching early Church history to disprove Catholicism once and for all... he ended up proving it to himself.

😳 "Uh-oh... the Early Church Was Catholic"

So, there’s Newman, digging into the Church Fathers in Greek and Latin, thinking he’s going to show how Catholicism went off the rails. But what he finds is that it wasn’t the Catholics who strayed... it was everyone else.

He realized the early Christians didn’t believe in sola scriptura (Bible alone), and they certainly didn’t think like Protestants. Instead, they looked shockingly Catholic: Mass, Eucharist, devotion to Mary, apostolic succession, etc...

That realization rocked him. And instead of writing a takedown of Catholicism, he wrote his now-famous book:

"An Essay on the Development of Christian Doctrine"

And in that book came one of his most quoted lines:

"To be deep in history is to cease to be Protestant."

🙌 From Opponent to Defender

St. John Henry Newman made the gutsy move to convert to Catholicism, and it didn’t go over smoothly. People were furious. They saw it as betrayal, but Newman said:

“I’m not betraying you; I’m trying to liberate you.”

After converting, he was eventually ordained a priest, wrote volumes of theological and spiritual works, and was even made a Cardinal by Pope Leo XIII. No small thing!

📜 Why Newman’s a Doctor Now

What makes someone a Doctor of the Church? It’s a recognition by the Church of someone whose wisdom, writings, and holiness have helped shape the faith in a deep way. Newman now joins the ranks of legends like St. Thomas Aquinas, St. Augustine, St. Thérèse of Lisieux, and St. Catherine of Siena.

And now… St. John Henry Newman’s name will be officially added to that elite list.

A Final Touch of Beauty

To wrap up, Patrick reads a beautiful bit of Newman’s writing: his poem “Lead, Kindly Light”:

It’s tender, reflective, and hopeful... so perfectly St. John Henry Newman.

St. John Henry Newman, Doctor of the Church… pray for us.

The best way to listen to the Best of the Week is on our #1 Free Catholic App. It’s free and always will be! To get and share the Relevant Radio app, check it out here.

Image via Mikhail Gnatkovskiy / Shutterstock.
<hr>
Patrick shares the exciting announcement: Pope Leo is officially declaring St. John Henry Newman a Doctor of the Church!
<hr data-start="233" data-end="236">
St. John Henry Newman, after years of influence, reflection, and deep spiritual writing, is about to be named one of the&nbsp;great theological minds of the Church.
Not a &ldquo;doctor&rdquo; like your family physician... but a &ldquo;Doctor of the Church,&rdquo; which means his writings, life, and teachings are considered especially profound and beneficial to the universal Church.
<hr data-start="771" data-end="774">
Who Was John Henry Newman?
Patrick takes us on a little journey through Newman&rsquo;s life. He started off as an Anglican clergyman, and he was&nbsp;brilliant, deeply educated, literary, and very much anti-Catholic.&nbsp;
He believed the Anglican Church was a sort of "middle way"... not too Protestant, not too Catholic. That&rsquo;s the idea he tried to prove in his writings. While researching early Church history to disprove Catholicism once and for all... he ended up proving it to himself.
<hr data-start="1379" data-end="1382">
😳 "Uh-oh... the Early Church Was Catholic"
So, there&rsquo;s Newman, digging into the Church Fathers in Greek and Latin, thinking he&rsquo;s going to show how Catholicism went off the rails. But what he finds is that it wasn&rsquo;t the Catholics who strayed... it was&nbsp;everyone else.
He realized the early Christians didn&rsquo;t believe in sola scriptura (Bible alone), and they certainly didn&rsquo;t think like Protestants. Instead, they looked shockingly Catholic: Mass, Eucharist, devotion to Mary, apostolic succession, etc...
That realization rocked him. And instead of writing a takedown of Catholicism, he wrote his now-famous book:
<blockquote data-start="2014" data-end="2071">
"An Essay on the Development of Christian Doctrine"
</blockquote>
And in that book came one of his most quoted lines:
<blockquote data-start="2127" data-end="2186">
"To be deep in history is to cease to be Protestant."
</blockquote>
<hr data-start="2188" data-end="2191">
🙌 From Opponent to Defender
St. John Henry Newman made the gutsy move to&nbsp;convert to Catholicism, and it didn&rsquo;t go over smoothly. People were furious. They saw it as betrayal, but Newman said:
<blockquote data-start="2383" data-end="2436">
&ldquo;I&rsquo;m not betraying you; I&rsquo;m trying to liberate you.&rdquo;
</blockquote>
After converting, he was eventually ordained a priest, wrote volumes of theological and spiritual works, and was even made a Cardinal by Pope Leo XIII. No small thing!
<hr data-start="2611" data-end="2614">
📜 Why Newman&rsquo;s a Doctor Now
What makes someone a Doctor of the Church? It&rsquo;s a recognition by the Church of someone whose&nbsp;wisdom, writings, and holiness have helped shape the faith in a deep way. Newman now joins the ranks of legends like St. Thomas Aquinas, St. Augustine, St. Th&eacute;r&egrave;se of Lisieux, and St. Catherine of Siena.
And now&hellip; St. John Henry Newman&rsquo;s name will be officially added to that elite list.
<hr data-start="3072" data-end="3075">
A Final Touch of Beauty
To wrap up, Patrick reads a beautiful bit of Newman&rsquo;s writing: his poem&nbsp;&ldquo;<a href="https://www.poetry.com/poem/23304/lead,-kindly-light">Lead, Kindly Light</a>&rdquo;:
It&rsquo;s tender, reflective, and hopeful... so perfectly St. John Henry Newman.
<hr data-start="3825" data-end="3828">
St. John Henry Newman, Doctor of the Church&hellip; pray for us.
<hr>
The&nbsp;best way to listen to the Best of the Week is on our #1 Free Catholic App. It&rsquo;s free and always will be! To get and share the Relevant Radio app, check it out <a href="https://relevantradio.com/listen/get-the-app/">here</a>.

Life can get busy, and it's easy to miss out on the captivating moments from your favorite Relevant Radio shows. But now, we've got you covered! "The Best of the Week - Relevant Radio Podcast" brings you the crème de la crème of Relevant Radio's programming. We carefully curate and compile the most engaging and relevant content from the past week, just for you! Get ready to catch up on faith, culture, current events, and personal growth, all in one convenient and easily accessible podcast. It's like having a front-row seat to the most compelling moments from Relevant Radio's diverse range of shows. So, whether you're an active Relevant Radio listener or new to our programming, "The Best of the Week - Relevant Radio Podcast" is your passport to a world of knowledge, growth, and inspiration.

Life can get busy, and it's easy to miss out on the captivating moments from your favorite Relevant Radio shows. But now, we've got you covered! "The Best of the Week - Relevant Radio Podcast" brings you the crème de la crème of Relevant Radio's programming. We carefully curate and compile the most engaging and relevant content from the past week, just for you! Get ready to catch up on faith, culture, current events, and personal growth, all in one convenient and easily accessible podcast. It's like having a front-row seat to the most compelling moments from Relevant Radio's diverse range of shows. So, whether you're an active Relevant Radio listener or new to our programming, "The Best of the Week - Relevant Radio Podcast" is your passport to a world of knowledge, growth, and inspiration.

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