Christian feast day: John Henry Newman

John Henry Newman was an English Catholic theologian, academic, philosopher, historian, writer, and poet. He was previously an Anglican priest and after his conversion became a cardinal. He was an important and controversial figure in the religious history of England in the 19th century and was known nationally by the mid-1830s. He was canonised in 2019 by Pope Francis, and in 2025, it was announced that Pope Leo XIV approved the decision to name Newman a Doctor of the Church and would soon confer the title by a formal decree. He was a member of the Oratory of St. Philip Neri and founded the first house of that congregation in England.