Newman Archives

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History of the Newman Movement:

John Henry Cardinal Newman (1801-1890)

John Henry Newman was an Anglican priest who converted to Catholicism as a result of his involvement in the Oxford Movement. While teaching at Oxford University, he promoted a consistent pursuit of religious truth as a necessary function of a university education. Newman was an influential thinker who made significant contributions to the academic disciplines of theology, philosophy, and education. His teachings help provide the intellectual foundation of liberal studies programs in both religious and secular universities. Cardinal Newman is still regarded as one of the most significant Catholic thinkers and is regarded as a patron saint of students, particularly those pursuing the insights of religious truth.

The Newman Movement grew out of the experience of Catholic students on the campuses of non-Catholic colleges. Catholic students at the University of Wisconsin were invited to the home of John and Frances Melvin on Thanksgiving Day in 1883 for the study of church history and literature. The invitation resulted from the students feeling ostracized from the church because they were attending a secular university and experienced strong anti-catholic sentiments on the part of many of their teachers. Timothy Harrington, one of the original members of "The Melvin Club", went on to attend medical school at the University of Pennsylvania where he started a group for Catholic students. These first clubs developed branches at numerous colleges and gave birth to many organizations which support faith-based inquiry on secular campuses. Today, Newman is a student-focused and lay-administered organization that seeks to bring the insights of theology together with one's professional education in order to form Catholic men and women for leadership in society.

The Newman Association is an officially recognized student organization of Clarion University of Pennsylvania. While its leadership is made up of students, it encourages the input of faculty and religious representatives. It is much more than just "The Catholic Club" on campus; it seeks to foster dialog with the truth that is found within theology, philosophy, and human experience. Newman includes presentations on faith, culture and morality; theological discussions and debates; belief expressed in acts of charity; and the pursuit of religious truth within a spirit of community. The Newman Association serves the Clarion University community. Newman respects the diversity of religious traditions of the students, faculty, staff and administration, as well as the open nature of discussion and debate found within a public institution. Newman believes that the mission of any university is, in part, to pursue the knowledge found within all academic disciplines and to integrate that knowledge with one's academic and professional life. Accordingly, the Newman Association encourages those who participate in the mission of the university to be open as well to the insights of theology and philosophy while pursuing a degree, doing research, or teaching an academic discipline.