Today, October 9th, the Church celebrates the Feast day of St. John Henry Newman. In most cases, a saint’s feast day is celebrated on the day they died. However, since St. Newman died on the feast of St. Clare of Assisi (August 11), the day of his conversion was chosen instead.
Born February 21st, 1801 in London, England, he was raised in the Anglican church and eventually became an Anglican priest. As a result of his theological research, he chose to convert and was received into the Catholic church in 1845. He was a prominent priest, educator, and theologian. One of his most prominent written works is “Apologia Pro Vita Sua.” which is a complete defense of his conversion in response to his contemporary critics.
St. John Henry Newman was canonized by Pope Francis in 2019. He’s an especially influential saint for university students, teachers, campus ministers, and Christian converts to Catholicism.
