What we believe is not of our own making

but a gift from God.

Cardinal Newman at his beatification, has finally been acknowledged in his own country long after the rest of the world had discovered him. In Ireland also, we had come to think of Newman House on St Steven’s Green simply as the cradle of UCD.

We forgot, or maybe we could not accept until now, the thinking of its founder on the very ‘idea of a university’ and his prophetic teaching on:

the importance of the laity and their views as the people of God,

many aspects of church unity and the place of Mary as mother of Jesus,

the controversial issue of papal infallibility and of course,

the preeminence of conscience as the voice of God.

Newman’s motto was: Heart speaks to heart, and he wrote: “Persons influence us, voices melt us, looks subdue us and deeds inflame us.” His vision included a great pastoral concern; but it must have been his commitment to prayer which sustained him through much suffering on both sides of the Irish Sea. Ireland come of age, now also acknowledges its debt to this diffident Englishman.

(With thanks to Mgr R Strange, The Tablet, 18 Sept 2010)

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