London, England, Feb 26, 2008 / 19:02 pm
The Times Online reports that on February 21 Catholics in England celebrated the 207th birthday of John Henry Cardinal Newman, a prominent clergyman whose conversion from Anglicanism to Catholicism shocked Victorian society.
Archbishop of Birmingham Vincent Nichols quoted Cardinal Newman during a homily celebrating both the anniversary of the cardinal’s birth in 1801 and the 40th anniversary of the founding of Newman University College, Birmingham.
At a Mass at the college chapel, Archbishop Nichols commemorated Cardinal Newman’s pursuit of truth. “Two of the great figures of Catholic education, Augustine of Hippo and Cardinal John Henry Newman, both engaged in a great quest for truth and for freedom,” the archbishop said.
“Throughout his long life, he consistently followed this inner search for the truth of God as the foundation of all his decisions,” the archbishop continued.