The Cause of the Canonisation of John Henry Cardinal Newman

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Message from the Actor of the Cause for the 208th Anniversary of Newman’s Birth

Categorised as News and published Saturday, February 21st, 2009
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The 208th Anniversary of Newman’s Birth Commemorated at the Birmingham Oratory

To mark the anniversary of the birth of the Venerable John Henry Newman, born on 21st February 1801, here is a special message from Father Paul Chavasse, Provost of the Birmingham Oratory, and Actor of the Cause for Newman’s Canonisation:

February 21st is the 208th anniversary of the birth of John Henry Newman, which took place in London on the site of the present Stock Exchange buildings. There is a blue commemorative plaque there to record the event. John Henry was the first-born child of John Newman, a banker, and his wife, Jemima Fourdrinier, a descendant of a French Huguenot family. The infant John Henry was baptised a few weeks later, on April 9th, in the quaintly named church of St Benet Fink.

The world into which John Henry Newman was born was, in so many ways, completely different to ours. And yet there are striking similarities. He was born into a world at war – England fighting an enemy (Revolutionary France) which seemed to threaten the very foundations of society. He was born into a society which was soon to face huge economic upheavals – his own father’s bank would eventually collapse in ruins. These are things with which we are familiar ourselves and which at the moment have every prospect of getting worse before they get better. We should recall that through the doubts and uncertainties of the early 19th century God’s Providence was still being worked out. The birth of that child in the late winter of 1801 brought into the light of day one who was to have an importance and an influence which would extend in time around the whole world. In our day and amidst our own problems, we should never doubt that the hand of God is still at work, and we should learn to trust Him more and more, even when we do not understand.

Many years after his birth, John Henry Newman mused on the inscrutable workings of Providence and said that through all the changes and chances of life “God knows what He is about”.

As we celebrate the Cardinal’s birthday and as we pray for his beatification in the near future, may we be blessed with a confidence and hope like his.

(Pictures: 1. Commemorative plaque on the Stock Exchange, London, to mark the place of Cardinal Newman’s birth 2. Casket reliquary containing the bodily remains of Cardinal Newman)