Pope names St. John Henry Newman ‘Doctor of the Church’ for the Jubilee of Education’

- Cindy Wooden, Vatican City (CNS)

The lives of St. John Henry Newman, whom he has named a Doctor of the Church, and of all the saints, teach Christians that “it is possible to live passionately in the midst of the complexity of the present without neglecting the apostolic mandate to ‘shine like stars in the world,’” said Pope Leo XIV at the conclusion of the Jubilee of Education this November 1.

Earlier in the week, Pope Leo XIII had officially recognized St. Newman as co-patron of education along with St. Thomas Aquinas.

St. Newman was born in London on February 21, 1801, was ordained an Anglican priest in 1825, converted to Catholicism in 1845 and was made a cardinal in 1879 by Pope Leo XIII. He died in 1890.

Senior officials of the Anglican Church and of the British government

High dignitaries of the Anglican Church of England and the British government attended the Mass in which he was declared Doctor of the Church. The Anglican delegation was led by Archbishop Stephen Cottrell of York, the current head of the Church of England. The government delegation was led by David Lammy, Deputy Prime Minister of the United Kingdom and Secretary of State for Justice.

In publicly greeting Archbishop Cottrell at the end of the Mass, Pope Leo prayed that St. Newman would “accompany the journey of Christians towards full unity.”.

The banner used during St. Newman's 2019 canonization Mass hung from the central balcony of St. Peter's Basilica during the Mass and his relics were placed on a table near the altar.

Poem “Guide me, kindly light”.”

While St. Newman's theology, philosophy and reflections on university education were cited in the presentation by the Dicastery for the Causes of Saints during the Mass, Pope Leo chose to quote in his homily the British saint's poem, “Guide, Gracious Light,” now a popular hymn.

“In that beautiful prayer” of St. Newman, the Pope said, “we realize that we are far from home, our feet are unsteady, we cannot clearly interpret the road ahead. Yet none of this prevents us from moving forward, since we have found our guide” in Jesus. «Guide me, gracious Light, in the midst of the darkness that surrounds me, guide me you,» the Pope quoted in English as he read his homily in Italian.

Education, offering Kindly Light 

Addressing the teachers, professors and other educators gathered for Mass in St. Peter's Square, Pope Leo XIII said: “The task of education is precisely to offer this Gracious Light to those who might otherwise remain prisoners of the particularly insidious shadows of pessimism and fear”.

The Pope asked educators to “reflect on and point out to others those ‘constellations’ that transmit light and guidance in this present time, darkened by so much injustice and uncertainty.”.

He also encouraged them to “ensure that schools, universities and all educational contexts, even informal or street ones, are always gateways to a civilization of dialogue and peace.”.

To help people discover that “we have a vocation, a mission”.”

Another quote from St. Newman-”God has created me to render him a concrete service; he has entrusted me with a work that he has not entrusted to another”-expresses “the mystery of the dignity of every human person, and also the variety of gifts that God distributes,” the Pope said.

According to him, Catholic educators have an obligation not only to transmit information, but also to help their students discover how much God loves them and how he has a plan for their lives.

“Life shines brightly not because we are rich, beautiful or powerful,” the Pope said. “It shines, instead, when we discover within ourselves the truth that God calls us, that we have a vocation, a mission, that our lives serve something greater than ourselves.”.

“Each person has a role to play.”

“Every creature has a role to play,” he said. “The contribution that each person can make is uniquely valuable, and the task of educational communities is to encourage and value that contribution.”.

“At the heart of the educational journey,” said Pope Leo XIII, “we find not abstract individuals, but real persons, especially those who seem to underperform according to the parameters of economies that exclude or even annihilate them. We are called to form people to shine like stars in all their dignity.”.

“Education helps everyone to become saints. Nothing less.”

Therefore, “we can say that education, from the Christian perspective, helps everyone to become saints. Nothing less,” added the pope, who quoted Benedict XVI on the occasion of his apostolic trip to Great Britain in September 2010.

During the beatification of Cardinal John Henry Newman, «he invited young people to be saints with these words: ‘What God desires more than anything else for each of you is that you become saints. He loves you more than you can imagine and wants the best for you’.

“This is the universal call to holiness that the Second Vatican Council made an essential part of its message (cf. Lumen gentium, chapter V),” the Pontiff stressed. And holiness is proposed to everyone, without exception, as a personal and communitarian path traced out by the Beatitudes!.

I pray that Catholic education will help each of us to discover our vocation to holiness. St. Augustine, whom St. John Henry Newman held in such high esteem, once said that we are schoolmates who have but one teacher, whose school and chair are on earth and in heaven respectively (cf. Sermon 292.1),” the Pope noted.

British Government: honor and privilege to meet with the Pope

David Lammy, deputy prime minister of the British government, told Catholic News Service that he had the “great honor and privilege” of meeting Pope Leo before the Mass.

As a member of the Anglo-Catholic tradition within the Church of England, he said he believes that “John Henry Newman really encapsulates the deep connections between our countries and between Christian communities, through the Christian community.”.

The proclamation was “a moment of unity and reflection,” Lammy said. “This is not just a religious honor, but a powerful moment of cohesion that demonstrates how addressing our differences can also bring us together.”.

According to him, St. Newman's legacy “reminds us that Britain's religious history is broader than a single tradition. It has been enriched by Catholic thought, courage and contribution.”.

Newman's guidance for “an era of polarization”.”

In addition, Deputy Prime Minister Lammy said, “I think his life and his writings demonstrate how belief and reason together can guide moral leadership, diplomacy, compassion. And I think in an era of polarization, Newman's insistence on moral reflection calls us back to what really matters, which is leadership in the cause of what is right and just, which is a principle that should shape our politics.”.