On Saturday 1 November, Catholics celebrated the declaration of St John Henry Newman as the 38th Doctor of the Church by Pope Leo XIV.
In addition to this historic honour, St John Henry Newman was also made co-patron of Catholic education, alongside St Thomas Aquinas, and on 3 November 2025, it was announced that Newman would be the new Patron Saint of the Pontifical Urbaniana University in Rome.
In his homily at the Mass celebrated in St Peter’s Square, Rome, on the day of the declaration, Pope Leo XIV said, “The lasting legacy of Saint John Henry Newman includes some very significant contributions to the theory and practice of education.”
He continued, “The contribution that each person can make is uniquely valuable, and the task of educational communities is to encourage and cherish that contribution. Let us not forget that at the heart of the educational journey we do not find abstract individuals but real people… We are called to form people, so that they may shine like stars in their full dignity. We can say, then, that from a Christian perspective education helps everyone to become saints. Nothing less will do.”
Cardinal Vincent Nichols, Archbishop of Westminster, was a concelebrant at the Mass with the Pope. Following the Mass, Cardinal Nichols said, “It is difficult to find words to convey the immensity of this moment. We are being told beyond doubt that this man, in his life and all that he wrote, both as a priest of the Church of England and as a Catholic, is a sure guide and teacher of the true faith of the Catholic Church. I rejoice that in a man described as ‘an essentially English figure’ is to be found, without dissonance or discomfort, a full expression of Catholic faith.”
The declaration of Newman as a Doctor of the Church formed the culmination of events for the Jubilee of Education which took place on 27 October – 1 November.
Catholic schools across England and Wales were recognised by the Vatican for their extraordinary response to the Jubilee Year, hailed as a powerful sign of hope for their communities and beyond.
Over 1,000 Catholic schools made a ‘Jubilee Pledge’ this year – a long-term, whole-school commitment to continue to journey as Pilgrims of Hope and to live out Catholic Social Teaching. In recognition of their inspiring witness, a group of pupils and educators were invited to Rome to take part in the Vatican’s Jubilee for Education celebration, sharing their stories and representing the vibrant spirit of Catholic education in England and Wales.
Clare Lund, a Chaplain at All Saints Catholic Voluntary Academy, Mansfield, accompanied the group of young people to Rome. “It is an honour and a privilege to be witnesses to the Jubilee year, especially on this day where St John Henry Newman has been proclaimed a Doctor of the Church,” she said. “We are empowered as educators and with young people who are lit up like those stars that Pope Leo mentioned, to go and take that message, to look up and aspire to be the very best versions of themselves.”
The saint founded the Birmingham Oratory and he was made a cardinal by Pope Leo XIII in 1879. He died in Birmingham in 1890, and was beatified in Cofton Park, Birmingham, in September 2010 by Pope Benedict XVI. He was canonised by Pope Francis on 13 October 2019.
David Harris, Advisor for Catholic Education for the Archdiocese of Birmingham, was also in Rome for the event. Following the Mass with Pope Leo, David said, “The Archdiocese of Birmingham is absolutely delighted that our Birmingham saint has been made a Doctor of the Church and co-patron of Catholic education. Birmingham Archdiocese’s education service has just renewed its mission statement which is inspired by the philosophy of St John Henry Newman, to form Christ-centred pilgrims of hope with kind hearts, questioning minds, a thirst for knowledge and a hunger for justice.”
