A Brief Note from a Beloved Saint

News from the Vatican that St. John Henry Newman is to be declared a Doctor of the Church is of special meaning to the many of us whose conversion to the fulness of the Catholic Faith can be traced to his writings, his example, and his intercession.

For many years I have kept on my desk a copy of his Apologia Pro Vita Sua, which I first read during my undergraduate years, and which has been a spiritual companion ever since.

Cardinal Newman was a prodigious writer, and not only great theological works, but also letters and notes to countless people. I am privileged to have one of his brief thank-you notes, written to an Absolom Peers, in which acknowledgement is made of a thoughtful gesture. Sent from The Oratory and dated March 1, 1879, it reads as follows:

Dear Sir

I thank you for your kindness in sending me a cutting from the “Christian World.” It is very gratifying to me to find so much sympathy from those who, alas, are parted from me in religious views.

Very truly yours,
John H. Newman

I do not know what the article which he references said, nor do I know who Absolom Peers was, but it’s rather delightful to have this tiny glimpse into the daily life of so great a saint, and now prestigious Doctor of the Church.

May his prayers continue to bring many into the fulness of the Catholic Faith.