Newman's Life: Part One

My discussions with Anna Mitchell and Matt Swaim on the Son Rise Morning Show begin this morning a little after 7:45 a.m. Eastern time. We begin with a sketch of John Henry Newman's life up to his conversion to Catholicism in 1845, when he was 44 years old.

When I noted that his life is neatly divided into an Anglican half and a Catholic half, I didn't mean to indicate that there's some clean break between those periods. As Newman demonstrated in his Apologia pro Vita Sua, he continued to address and explore the same themes throughout his life before and after his conversion: religion, education, truth, friendship, prayer, doctrine, conscience, the Holy Bible, the Church, the life of Christ, the community of believers, the communion of saints, literature, etc.

As radical a change--in nineteenth century England especially--as Newman's conversion was, there was great deal of continuity in his life.

Here's a brief chronology of Blessed John Henry Newman's life up to 1843, two years before he became a Catholic:

1801 Born on February 21

1816 Enters Trinity College, Oxford

1820 Receives B.A. degree

1822 Elected Fellow of Oriel College

1824 Ordained to the diaconate on June 13
Becomes curate of St. Clement's, Oxford the same day

1825 Ordained to the priesthood on May 29

1826 Becomes tutor of Oriel

1828 Succeeds Edward Hawkins as vicar of St. Mary's

1833 "Lead, Kindly Light"
The Arians of the Fourth Century
Publication of Tracts for the Times begins in September

1838 Becomes editor of The British Critic
Lectures on Justification

1839 Doubts about via media begin

1841 "Tract 90" published on February 27

1842 Moves to Littlemore

1843 Retracts anti-Catholic statements in February
Resigns from St. Mary's in September
Sermons, Bearing on Subjects of the Day
Sermons Before the University of Oxford