Newman Documentary

Newman Documentary, Day 11, Rome

Fr. Juan Velez May 22, 2025

Day 11: Rome
May 21, 2025

Dear Friends,

As an Anglican, Rome haunted Newman. He was conflicted—moved by the beauty and grandeur of its Roman monuments and Catholic churches, yet disturbed by thoughts of pagan Rome and what he then considered the heresy of the Catholic Church.

St. John Henry Newman first came to Rome as an Anglican in 1833; he returned as a Catholic in 1846 to prepare for ordination, and again in 1879 for his elevation to the cardinalate.

St. Philip Neri (1515–1595) became a great inspiration to Newman after his conversion. Shortly after arriving in Rome, Newman visited St. Philip’s tomb at Santa Maria in Vallicella. He was deeply drawn to Neri’s joy, good humor, humility, his reverence for the laity, and his love for music—all qualities that would later guide Newman in choosing the vocation of the Oratory.

Fr. Hermann Giessler, FSO, director of the International Centre of Newman Friends, welcomed our film team to the church and led us to the chapel housing St. Philip’s remains. There, he spoke with warmth and enthusiasm about both St. Philip and St. John Henry. Fr. Giessler commented on the impressions the first visit to Rome made on Newman, and explained to us the other two stays of Newman in Rome.

St. Philip Neri, known as the “Apostle of Rome,” initially lived nearby at St. Girolamo della Carità, where he began hosting spiritual gatherings—what came to be known as an Oratory. In 1583, at the behest of Pope Gregory XIII, he moved with his growing community to Chiesa Nuova, where he remained until his death in 1595.

This beautiful Baroque church is located near Piazza Navona. He is buried there, his tomb richly adorned with mother-of-pearl, precious marbles, and semi-precious stones. The chapel features a mosaic altarpiece of the Virgin Mary appearing to St. Philip, based on an original painting by Guido Reni.

During his second stay in Rome, Newman lived and studied at the College of Propaganda Fide, near the Piazza di Spagna.

On May 30, 1847, he was ordained a priest of the Catholic Church. He and a few of his fellow converts chose to join St. Philip’s Congregation of the Oratory. During the first half of 1847, they completed their novitiate at the Basilica of Santa Croce in Gerusalemme (Holy Cross in Jerusalem) in Rome. Tomorrow we hope to visit

the College of Propaganda and St. Peter’s Basilica, which Newman visited on several occasions.

A chapter—or indeed, a book—could be written on Newman and Rome. Today and tomorrow, we are only beginning to scratch the surface.

Thank you for journeying with us in the footsteps of St. John Henry Newman. Please continue to pray for the film team and for the generous hosts guiding us—that through this documentary, many hearts may be drawn to Our Lord Jesus Christ and to the richness of our Catholic faith.

Here is a prayer you can say with us:

O God,
who bestowed on your Priest Saint John Henry Newman
the grace to follow your kindly light and find peace in your Church;
graciously grant that, through his intercession and example,
we may be led out of shadows and images into the fullness of your truth.
Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son,
who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit,
God, for ever and ever. Amen.

(From the Memorial Mass of St. John Henry Newman)

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Links to Websites

About Cardinal John Henry Newman

National Institute for Newman Studies

Centro Internazionale degli Amici di Newman

The Oratory, Birmingham

Archdiocese of Birmingham, England

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About Cardinal John Henry Newman

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A Guide to John Henry Newman will interest educated readers and professors alike, and serve as a text for college seminars for the purpose of studying Newman.

Review by Catherine Maybanks
(Catholic Herald, April 1, 2023)

Review by Serenheed James
(Antiphon, April 2023)

 This book is being currently considered for reprinting, all enquiries to the Sales Team general@alivepublishing.co.uk
 

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Endorsement by Neyra Blanco (Amazon)
I bought this book for my son and he loved it, he wrote this review and urged my to submitted: “I think this book has a very beautiful message, because it shows how the young Newman was so determined to achieve his dream of becoming a priest, but even after his dream he continued to work in the church with passion until the day he died, it’s so admirable that even Newman so old and so weak still had that urge to continued his work of being a priest. And the book is well written with words not too complicated with very enjoyable texts and well illustrated pictures. I highly recommend this book for a 5th grader.  

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What is a Classical Liberal Arts Education? Why is it so important for the development of a person?

Fr. Juan R. Vélez answers these and more questions you might have about University Education in the 21st century. This book is aimed for parents, prospective University students, and educators. It will help you discern why adding Liberal Arts electives to your education will help it form it better, and help the student learn to reason, and not just learn.

He also explains how many Universities have changed the true meaning of Liberal Arts, and the subjects, and gives advise on how to choose College Campus, Subjects, and Teachers.

A wonderful book that every parent should also read way before your children are College bound. A Liberal Arts education can start earlier in life, even from home.

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Endorsement by Christopher Moellering (Goodreads, September 14, 2019)
In Passion for Truth Fr. Vélez gave us an outstanding biography of Cardinal Newman. In this work, he provides a concise overview of his thought and his devotion. This is a great work for someone who, perhaps hearing of Newman for the first time because of his beatification 13 October, 2019, wants to know more about this English saint.Vélez is a wonderful writer in his own right, and the frequent quotations from Newman round out the work nicely. I especially appreciated the frequent citing of Newman’s Meditations and Devotions, which show a different side of his spirituality than his more well-known works, Development of Christian Doctrine and the Grammar of Assent.

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Review by Gregory J. Sullivan (Amazon, May 25, 2012)

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Take Five: Meditations with John Henry Newman, endorsement by Illow M. Roque (Amazon, September 3, 2010)
“There is a time to put direct inquiry on hold and give ourselves to prayer and practical duties.” Sound advice from one of the earlier, thought-provoking reminders in this sparkling gem of a book: Take Five | Meditations with John Henry Newman, written by Mike Aquilina and Fr. Juan R. Vélez and published by Our Sunday Visitor. This particular paragraph, referenced above, which begins with a direct quote from soon-to-be canonized priest, cardinal and poet, John Henry Newman: “Study is good, but it gets us only so far . . .” is actually the 15th in a series of 76 concise, logically organized meditations moving from the elementary to the sublime. Each meditation–one per page–is built upon the great man’s writings and remarkably rich spirituality. Whether taken whole in one reading or in part page-by-page over a course of weeks and months, these wonderfully insightful meditations will open up, even to the busiest reader in the midst of the world, a unique pathway into prayer and contemplation. My advice to spiritual inquirers at all levels, from the novice to the spiritually adept, is to follow the authors’ recommendation to use this book as a guide for daily prayer and meditation. The structure of the book itself is ideal: first, the authors introduce us to Cardinal Newman, the man, where we are given the opportunity to get to know him through a brief sketch of his life and spirituality at the beginning of the book. This is something readers will likely find themselves referring to again and again, prompting many, I suspect, to even wider explorations of this most gifted Christian leader. Then comes the meditations, consisting of a short summary of Newman’s thoughts on subjects taken, as the authors explain, from various salient points for which Newman is justly remembered: The pursuit of objective religious truth; Teaching on the Virtues; Defense of the Catholic Church; A devout spiritual and moral life; and Generosity and loyalty in his friendships, which sets the topic and tone for each meditation to follow. Each meditation consists of an excerpt taken from Newman’s thirty-plus volumes of writings and diaries. Next comes three brief and extremely useful sections entitled: “Think About It,” which establishes a prayerfully resonant tone throughout the book; “Just Imagine,” which provides a vivid, prayerful experience of the Scriptures that tie in, and finally, “Remember,” a pithy summation which the authors suggest may be used as a daily aspiration. Each meditation is given its own page, which makes it ideal for daily reflection for readers on the go. This book is a must have for every serious Catholic who wants to take their faith to the next level, which is to respond appropriately to the universal call to holiness and seek interior union with God.
About Newman
Fr. Brian Geary

Lead Kindly Light

Lead, Kindly Light. Such are the first words of Newman’s most famous poem, and arguably among the most famous lines he ever penned.

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