On November 1, 2025, Pope Leo XIV will declare St. John Henry Newman Doctor of the Church. The English saint will become the 38th saint to bear this distinction.
With this declaration the Church proposes St. John Henry Newman as a teacher for the Universal Church. The extent, depth, and clarity of his teaching are a source of instruction and inspiration for the faithful and for all men.
In various previous posts we have discussed some of the many teachings of this new Doctor of the Church. Here we briefly highlight another one of his teachings: the harmony between faith and reason. In his encyclical Faith and Reason, St. John Paul II said that “Faith and reason are like two wings on which the human spirit rises to the contemplation of truth.” In this encyclical the pope explained that the relationship between theology and philosophy can be construed best as a circle. “This circular relationship with the word of God leaves philosophy enriched, because reason discovers new and unsuspected horizons. There he mentioned Newman as one of the influential thinkers who teach us along these lines.
Earlier this week, on the 60th anniversary of the Second Vatican Council decree on Education, Gravissimus Educationis Pope Leo XIV issued an Apostolic Letter: Designing New Maps of Hope. In it he designated Newman as co-Patron for Catholic Education. His career as an educator began at Oriel College, continued with the foundation of the Catholic University of Ireland, and later with the foundation of the Oratory School for boys in Birmingham, England.
In the pope’s Apostolic Letter the Pope highlights Newman’s consideration of the whole person in education and his view of education that goes beyond immediate utilitarian ends. He writes, “This integral anthropological vision must remain the supporting axis of Catholic pedagogy. It – following in the footsteps of Saint John Henry Newman’s thought – goes against a purely mercantilist approach that often today forces education to be measured in terms of functionality and practical utility.”
Each of the paragraphs of Gravissimus Educationis as well as the pope’s letter could serve as a point of reflection and examination. Newman had valuable things to say about all these topics such as the unique role of parents, the important mission of a Catholic school, the purpose of a university, and the study of theology in colleges and universities, to name only a few.
We are very happy with the Church’s declaration of St. John Henry Newman as Doctor of the Church and co-patron for Catholic Education.
On our website cardinaljohnhenrynewman.com we have been presenting Newman’s teaching in his famous book Idea of a University. We will continue discussing this text, and also offer a series of posts on his contribution to education of children and youth.
