About Today
Thursday 9 October 2025
Thursday of week 27 in Ordinary Time, Feast of Saint John Henry Newman or Saints Denis, Bishop, and his Companions, Martyrs or Saint John Leonardi, Priest
Come, let us adore the Lord, for he is our God.
Year: C(I). Psalm week: 3. Liturgical Colour: Green.
Feast of Saint John Henry Newman
Other saints: Saint John Henry Newman (1801 - 1890)
England, Ireland, Scotland, Wales
Saint John Henry Newman was born on 21 February 1801 in London, England. As an Anglican clergyman for over twenty years he won renown as a preacher and theologian. A Fellow of Oriel College, Oxford, he became one of the leaders of the Oxford Movement and a prominent figure in the Church of England. On 9 October 1845 he was received into full communion with the Catholic Church by Blessed Dominic Barberi of the Passionist Congregation. After a period of study in Rome he was ordained priest on 30 May 1847. Returning to England he established the Oratory of Saint Philip Neri in Birmingham. He was an influential writer on many subjects, most notably the development of Christian doctrine, the true understanding of conscience, faith and reason, the role of the laity, and university education. In 1879 he was created Cardinal by Pope Leo XIII and given the title of San Giorgio in Velabro. He died in the Birmingham Oratory on 11 August 1890. He was beatified by Pope Benedict XVI on 19 September 2010 and canonised by Pope Francis on 13 October 2019.
A Meditation
England, Ireland, Scotland, Wales
God knows me and calls me by my name.…
God has created me to do Him some definite service;
He has committed some work to me
which He has not committed to another.
I have my mission — I never may know it in this life,
but I shall be told it in the next.
Somehow I am necessary for His purposes…
I have a part in this great work;
I am a link in a chain,
a bond of connection between persons.
He has not created me for naught. I shall do good,
I shall do His work;
I shall be an angel of peace, a preacher of truth
in my own place, while not intending it,
if I do but keep His commandments
and serve Him in my calling.
Therefore I will trust Him.
Whatever, wherever I am,
I can never be thrown away.
If I am in sickness, my sickness may serve Him;
In perplexity, my perplexity may serve Him;
If I am in sorrow, my sorrow may serve Him.
My sickness, or perplexity, or sorrow may be
necessary causes of some great end,
which is quite beyond us.
He does nothing in vain; He may prolong my life,
He may shorten it;
He knows what He is about.
He may take away my friends,
He may throw me among strangers,
He may make me feel desolate,
make my spirits sink, hide the future from me —
still He knows what He is about.…
Let me be Thy blind instrument. I ask not to see —
I ask not to know — I ask simply to be used. John Henry Newman
St Denis (- 258)
As might be expected for a saint of such an early period, practically no hard facts about Saint Denis survive. According to St Gregory of Tours, writing some 300 years later, Denis came to Gaul from Rome in the middle of the third century. He arrived at what is now the Ile de la Cité in Paris, where he built a church, arranged the regular celebration of Mass, and preached the Gospel. Together with two members of his clergy he was martyred near the city.
Denis (in Latin, Dionysius) is not Dionysius the Areopagite, whom St Paul converted to Christianity, nor is he the author of the writings of the “Pseudo-Dionysius,” but both these confusions helped to popularise devotion to him from the seventh century onwards.
Nevertheless, the real St Denis did exist, he brought the Gospel to Paris, and he was its first martyr. For these things alone devotion to him is proper and justified.
See also the article in the Catholic Encyclopaedia.
Saint John Leonardi (1541 - 1609)
He was born at Lucca in Tuscany. Trained initially as an apothecary, he fought hard to become a priest and was ordained in 1572. A few laymen attached themselves to him in 1574 and something began to grow that looked as if it might become a religious order. A storm of persecution erupted. It seems possible that the Republic of Lucca felt that being the birthplace of a religious order might be dangerous for the independence of the state, given the complicated international politics of the time. Whatever the reason, Leonardi spent most of the rest of his life in exile from Lucca, only occasionally obtaining permission to visit it after extreme pressure from the Pope.
The order that he founded, now known as the Order of Clerks Regular of the Mother of God, is in charge of eight churches in Italy and is also involved in missionary work. In addition, his work was taken up and extended by the Popes into the Work of the Propagation of the Faith (de propaganda fidei), of which he is therefore honoured as the founder.
The web site of Order of Clerks Regular of the Mother of God is here.
Feast of Saint John Henry Newman
Gospel: Matthew 13:47-52
At that time: Jesus said to the crowd, ‘The kingdom of heaven is like a net that was thrown into the sea and gathered fish of every kind. When it was full, men drew it ashore and sat down and sorted the good into vessels but threw away the bad. So it will be at the end of the age. The angels will come out and separate the evil from the righteous and throw them into the fiery furnace. In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.
‘Have you understood all these things?’ They said to him, ‘Yes.’ And he said to them, ‘Therefore every scribe who has been trained for the kingdom of heaven is like a master of a house, who brings out of his treasure what is new and what is old.’
Reflection on the painting
Saint John Henry Newman (1801–1890) was one of the great intellectual and spiritual figures of 19th-century England. Born in London, he was first ordained as an Anglican priest and became a leading voice in the Oxford Movement, which sought to recover the Catholic roots of the Church of England. His deep study of the early Church Fathers gradually led him to full communion with the Catholic Church in 1845. He was later ordained a Catholic priest and founded the Oratory of St Philip Neri in Birmingham, dedicating his life to preaching, writing, and pastoral care.
His writings on conscience, faith, and the development of doctrine continue to shape Catholic thought today. In 1879, Pope Leo XIII made him a cardinal in recognition of his service to the Church, and in 2019 Pope Francis canonised him as a saint. I was just after starting seminary a month before, and hence I was present on St Peter's Square for the canonisation, a truly beautiful day. Newman’s motto, Cor ad cor loquitur (“Heart speaks to heart”), perfectly captures his vision of faith as a deeply personal encounter with Christ. It reminds us that faith is not abstract or distant, but it is about Christ's heart speaking directly to our hearts.
I would like to share a link to a series of podcasts produced by the Bishops’ Conference of England and Wales. These podcasts offer valuable insights into Newman’s teachings: click here.
John Everett Millais’ portrait of Cardinal Newman, commissioned in 1881 by the Duke of Norfolk, one of Newman’s supporters, was painted when Newman was nearly eighty, Millais captures him in his red cardinal’s robes, seated in quiet dignity. His posture is slightly slouched, as if weighed down by age, yet dignified. His long, delicate hands rest quietly in his lap, emphasising stillness and contemplation. The face is the focal point though: pale, lined, thoughtful, with gentle, penetrating eyes. Millais has caught not only Newman’s likeness but something of his spiritual character. There is no elaborate setting, no background props, no ecclesiastical grandeur. The focus is entirely on Newman himself: a man of prayer, humility, and intellect.
John Newman,
Painted by Sir John Everett Millais (1829 - 1896),
Painted in 1881,
Oil on canvas
© Alamy / National Portrait Gallery, London, currently on display at Arundel Castle, Arundel
Thursday of week 27 in Ordinary Time, Feast of Saint John Henry Newman or Saints Denis, Bishop, and his Companions, Martyrs or Saint John Leonardi, Priest
Come, let us adore the Lord, for he is our God.
Year: C(I). Psalm week: 3. Liturgical Colour: Green.
Feast of Saint John Henry Newman
Other saints: Saint John Henry Newman (1801 - 1890)
England, Ireland, Scotland, Wales
Saint John Henry Newman was born on 21 February 1801 in London, England. As an Anglican clergyman for over twenty years he won renown as a preacher and theologian. A Fellow of Oriel College, Oxford, he became one of the leaders of the Oxford Movement and a prominent figure in the Church of England. On 9 October 1845 he was received into full communion with the Catholic Church by Blessed Dominic Barberi of the Passionist Congregation. After a period of study in Rome he was ordained priest on 30 May 1847. Returning to England he established the Oratory of Saint Philip Neri in Birmingham. He was an influential writer on many subjects, most notably the development of Christian doctrine, the true understanding of conscience, faith and reason, the role of the laity, and university education. In 1879 he was created Cardinal by Pope Leo XIII and given the title of San Giorgio in Velabro. He died in the Birmingham Oratory on 11 August 1890. He was beatified by Pope Benedict XVI on 19 September 2010 and canonised by Pope Francis on 13 October 2019.
A Meditation
England, Ireland, Scotland, Wales
God knows me and calls me by my name.…
God has created me to do Him some definite service;
He has committed some work to me
which He has not committed to another.
I have my mission — I never may know it in this life,
but I shall be told it in the next.
Somehow I am necessary for His purposes…
I have a part in this great work;
I am a link in a chain,
a bond of connection between persons.
He has not created me for naught. I shall do good,
I shall do His work;
I shall be an angel of peace, a preacher of truth
in my own place, while not intending it,
if I do but keep His commandments
and serve Him in my calling.
Therefore I will trust Him.
Whatever, wherever I am,
I can never be thrown away.
If I am in sickness, my sickness may serve Him;
In perplexity, my perplexity may serve Him;
If I am in sorrow, my sorrow may serve Him.
My sickness, or perplexity, or sorrow may be
necessary causes of some great end,
which is quite beyond us.
He does nothing in vain; He may prolong my life,
He may shorten it;
He knows what He is about.
He may take away my friends,
He may throw me among strangers,
He may make me feel desolate,
make my spirits sink, hide the future from me —
still He knows what He is about.…
Let me be Thy blind instrument. I ask not to see —
I ask not to know — I ask simply to be used. John Henry Newman
St Denis (- 258)
As might be expected for a saint of such an early period, practically no hard facts about Saint Denis survive. According to St Gregory of Tours, writing some 300 years later, Denis came to Gaul from Rome in the middle of the third century. He arrived at what is now the Ile de la Cité in Paris, where he built a church, arranged the regular celebration of Mass, and preached the Gospel. Together with two members of his clergy he was martyred near the city.
Denis (in Latin, Dionysius) is not Dionysius the Areopagite, whom St Paul converted to Christianity, nor is he the author of the writings of the “Pseudo-Dionysius,” but both these confusions helped to popularise devotion to him from the seventh century onwards.
Nevertheless, the real St Denis did exist, he brought the Gospel to Paris, and he was its first martyr. For these things alone devotion to him is proper and justified.
See also the article in the Catholic Encyclopaedia.
Saint John Leonardi (1541 - 1609)
He was born at Lucca in Tuscany. Trained initially as an apothecary, he fought hard to become a priest and was ordained in 1572. A few laymen attached themselves to him in 1574 and something began to grow that looked as if it might become a religious order. A storm of persecution erupted. It seems possible that the Republic of Lucca felt that being the birthplace of a religious order might be dangerous for the independence of the state, given the complicated international politics of the time. Whatever the reason, Leonardi spent most of the rest of his life in exile from Lucca, only occasionally obtaining permission to visit it after extreme pressure from the Pope.
The order that he founded, now known as the Order of Clerks Regular of the Mother of God, is in charge of eight churches in Italy and is also involved in missionary work. In addition, his work was taken up and extended by the Popes into the Work of the Propagation of the Faith (de propaganda fidei), of which he is therefore honoured as the founder.
The web site of Order of Clerks Regular of the Mother of God is here.
Feast of Saint John Henry Newman
Gospel: Matthew 13:47-52
At that time: Jesus said to the crowd, ‘The kingdom of heaven is like a net that was thrown into the sea and gathered fish of every kind. When it was full, men drew it ashore and sat down and sorted the good into vessels but threw away the bad. So it will be at the end of the age. The angels will come out and separate the evil from the righteous and throw them into the fiery furnace. In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.
‘Have you understood all these things?’ They said to him, ‘Yes.’ And he said to them, ‘Therefore every scribe who has been trained for the kingdom of heaven is like a master of a house, who brings out of his treasure what is new and what is old.’
Reflection on the painting
Saint John Henry Newman (1801–1890) was one of the great intellectual and spiritual figures of 19th-century England. Born in London, he was first ordained as an Anglican priest and became a leading voice in the Oxford Movement, which sought to recover the Catholic roots of the Church of England. His deep study of the early Church Fathers gradually led him to full communion with the Catholic Church in 1845. He was later ordained a Catholic priest and founded the Oratory of St Philip Neri in Birmingham, dedicating his life to preaching, writing, and pastoral care.
His writings on conscience, faith, and the development of doctrine continue to shape Catholic thought today. In 1879, Pope Leo XIII made him a cardinal in recognition of his service to the Church, and in 2019 Pope Francis canonised him as a saint. I was just after starting seminary a month before, and hence I was present on St Peter's Square for the canonisation, a truly beautiful day. Newman’s motto, Cor ad cor loquitur (“Heart speaks to heart”), perfectly captures his vision of faith as a deeply personal encounter with Christ. It reminds us that faith is not abstract or distant, but it is about Christ's heart speaking directly to our hearts.
I would like to share a link to a series of podcasts produced by the Bishops’ Conference of England and Wales. These podcasts offer valuable insights into Newman’s teachings: click here.
John Everett Millais’ portrait of Cardinal Newman, commissioned in 1881 by the Duke of Norfolk, one of Newman’s supporters, was painted when Newman was nearly eighty, Millais captures him in his red cardinal’s robes, seated in quiet dignity. His posture is slightly slouched, as if weighed down by age, yet dignified. His long, delicate hands rest quietly in his lap, emphasising stillness and contemplation. The face is the focal point though: pale, lined, thoughtful, with gentle, penetrating eyes. Millais has caught not only Newman’s likeness but something of his spiritual character. There is no elaborate setting, no background props, no ecclesiastical grandeur. The focus is entirely on Newman himself: a man of prayer, humility, and intellect.
John Newman,
Painted by Sir John Everett Millais (1829 - 1896),
Painted in 1881,
Oil on canvas
© Alamy / National Portrait Gallery, London, currently on display at Arundel Castle, Arundel