Vol. 1, Issue 1, Spring 2004

EDITORIAL PREFACE

Cor Ad Cor Loquitur – Heart Speaks To Heart

ARTICLES

Newman in Retrospect
Avery Cardinal Dulles, S.J.
 

This article, originally the concluding chapter of his recent book on Newman's theology, provides an insightful discussion of Newman's relevance for today by comparing his theological thought with a series of themes that were subsequently treated by the Second Vatican Council (1962-65): from revelation and faith, scripture and tradition, and the development of doctrine, to questions of ecclesiology, especially infallibility, the role of the laity, and social-political issues. "After nearly two centuries, the writings of Newman continue to have a very modern ring."

Avery Cardinal Dulles, S.J., the first American theologian to be named to the College of Cardinals, is Professor Emeritus of Theology at The Catholic University of America and presently Laurence J. McGinley Professor of Religion and Society at Fordham University, New York. The present article originally appeared as Chapter 10, "Newman in Retrospect" in Newman, a book written by Cardinal Dulles for the series, "Outstanding Christian Thinkers," published by Continuum (New York-London, 2002); this chapter is re-published here by permission of The Continuum International Publishing Group. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical including photocopying, recording or any information storage or retrieval system, without prior permission in writing from the publishers.

Academic Freedom and the University
Bishop Donald W. Wuerl
 

This article contrasts a secular definition of "academic freedom" with a Catholic model, where freedom of discussion and investigation is one component of a wider process that leads to the Church's judgment about a particular teaching. Three questions arise about academic freedom: (1) its purpose and goal, (2) its limits, and (3) its relationship to the Church. While there is sometimes tension between some people and the teaching office, fruitful doctrinal development usually takes place within the—sometimes heated—world of theological discussion. A postscript describes the mandatum as a concrete expression of the intrinsic role that the magisterium has in Catholic theology and the role of the university and faculty in relation to the wider church.

Bishop Donald W. Wuerl was installed as the eleventh bishop of Pittsburgh on February 12, 1988. The present article is based on a presentation that Bishop Wuerl originally gave at the annual conference of the Venerable John Henry Newman Association on August 5, 1988 and has revised for the inaugural issue of Newman Studies Journal

John Henry Newman: A Saint for Our Times
Paul Chavasse, C.O.
 

Pope John Paul II, by beatifying and canonizing more people than all his predecessors, has provided multiple models of Christian holiness for the many different populations within the Church. While there have been abundant testimonies about Newman's sanctity during his life and after his death, there have been a variety of reasons for the various delays in advancing his cause for beatification. The Pope's declaration of Newman as "venerable" is the last step prior to beatification (1991).

Paul Chavasse, C.O., is the Provost of the Birmingham Oratory and the Postulator General of Oratorian Causes as well as the Postulator of Newman's Cause. This article was originally prepared as the keynote presentation for the 2003 National Newman Conference at St. Joseph's College, Renssalaer, Indiana.

Newman's dramatic poem, "The Dream of Gerontius" (1865), was set to music by Edward Elgar (1857-1934) in 1900. This essay attempts to bring out the sympathy of mind and heart between poet and composer, and perhaps between them both and the listener of today, as well as the universality and depth of the human stake in some kind of personal and peopled life after death.

Mary Katherine Tillman is a Professor in the Program of Liberal Studies at the University of Notre Dame .  This article is based on the original Introduction,   at a rare American performance of "The Dream of Gerontius" by The Catholic University of America Symphony Orchestra and Choir for the Chancellor's Concert, November 8, 1989, in St. Matthew's Cathedral, Washington, D.C., in celebration of the Catholic University's centennial, and in anticipation of the centennial in 1990 of Cardinal Newman's death.

Newman and the Irish Bishops
Marvin R. O'Connell
 

What was the background to Newman's rectorship of the Catholic University in Dublin? In 1845 the British government proposed to establish three non-denominational colleges in Ireland; some of the Irish bishops felt that it would be possible to work out a modus vivendi with the government. A slight majority of the bishops, however, opposed these so-called "godless" colleges and voted at the Synod of Thurles in 1850, to found a Catholic University in Ireland—a country that had been repeatedly decimated by poverty and oppression, and a few years earlier the potato famine (1845-48).

Marvin R. O'Connell is Professor Emeritus of History in the University of Notre Dame. Among his nine books is The Oxford Conspirators: a History of the Oxford Movement, 1833-1845 (1969, 1990). The present article was originally a presentation in Dublin, Ireland, at the annual conference of the Venerable John Henry Newman Association in August 2001.

John Henry Newman: A Spiritual Guide for the 21st Century?
John T. Ford, C.S.C
 

Newman was a prolific writer, but one who usually wrote on "call"; sometimes these calls were unexpected, but at other times they were a pastoral responsibility. Such was the case with his sermons, which exhibit four characteristics: biblically based, theologically grounded, circumstantially relevant, and spiritually insightful. As such, his sermons still appeal to readers today.

John T. Ford, C.S.C., is a Professor of Theology and Religious Studies and Co-Director of the Programa de Liderato Pastoral Hispano at The Catholic University of America. The present article was originally a presentation at the Pittsburgh Oratory on 8 November 2002.
 

BOOK REVIEWS

Edward Enright on John Henry Newman: The Challenge to Evangelical Religion, by Frank Turner

Frederick Aquino on Newman , by Avery Dulles, S.J.

PASTORAL VIGNETTES

November 1889--"The Cadbury Girls"

Christmas 1889 was the last time that the aging and ailing Cardinal was able to celebrate mass. The previous month, howev­er, Newman acted as a mediator in a labor dispute at the Cadbury factory in Bournville near Birmingham. The Catholic women who worked at Cadbury's were at odds with their Quaker employers, who insisted that all their employees should attend daily Bible study—reading of Scripture with commentary—before beginning work.
 

NEWMAN CHRONOLOGY

BIBLIOGRAPHY

ANNOUNCEMENTS