John Henry Newman was a banker’s son, born in England in 1801. When he entered school at the age of seven he was drawn by the anti-religious works of Voltaire and declared one day he didn’t believe in God. Introduced to the works of Calvin, young John suddenly found himself reading the Bible, and after an Oxford education he became a nationally-known Anglican priest who drew large crowds to his sermons. As he studied, his theological views began to shift and they became increasingly more in line with Catholic teaching. At 44 he joined the Catholic Church, and over the next 40 years the poetic writings and eloquent teachings of this counter-cultural Cardinal was responsible for a tidal wave of Catholic converts.
CHALLENGE
St. John Henry Cardinal Newman inspired the creation of the Newman Society, and Newman Centers exist at thousands of secular colleges to support college students do the most counter-cultural thing possible: be a practicing Catholic in today’s world. Today, visit www.newmanministry.com to find one near you, and volunteer your time and talent in any way you can.
