Newman has been a part of my life for some forty years now. I first discovered him as I was preparing for Protestant ministry during my seminary years. I found his thinking profound and his evident holiness inspiring. As I began to realise my need for deeper roots for living my faith in the post-modern world, Newman was my Virgil during the difficult transition into the Roman Catholic Church. As my life became more involved with academic pursuits, his understanding of what it meant to be educated and, indeed, an educator became a lodestar.
With his canonisation imminent, I feel that I owe him the gift of this site. Of course, it more deeply reflects my gratitude to God for His watchcare over each of us through His creation.
Over the next little while, I'll be praying through the canonisation novena, the nine days of prayer, that can be found at the Newman Canonisation site. I'll also reflect on Newman's poem, The Dream of Gerontius. It is certainly more timely in my life now than when I first discovered it! Elgar set the text to a stunning choral composition. A classic performance can be enjoyed by following the links in the sidebar.
For those who wish to explore Newman's works, there is a link in the same sidebar to The Newman Reader site which has posted a great many of his works. It is a treasure trove indeed!
One phrase of Newman's has become my motto:
I am a link in a chain, a bond of connection between persons.