Along the Footsteps of Cardinal Newman in Rome The Church has welcomed a new Doctor of the Church. On November 1st, Pope Leo XIV declared St John Henry Newman the 38th Doctor of the Church. There were several locations around the Eternal City that played a crucial role in Newman\u2019s faith journey. Rome\u2019s International Center of Newman friends celebrated 50 years of their institute and on the day of this anniversary. Fr. Hermann Geissler led over 60 pilgrims in this year\u2019s Newman Walk. Since his canonization in 2019, this pilgrimage has aimed to explore these places and help connect people with the Saint on a more personal level. Fr. Geissler explained: \u201cWe thought it might be nice to do something to make Newman known also to simple faithful, not only to scholars and to professors. So we had the idea to look to the places that are somehow linked with John Henry Newman here in Rome. \u201cHe made the experience of the church universal, because still now in England, he had known a national church. But here in Rome, he was together with seminarians from Asia, from Africa, from America, and he experienced really the Catholic Church as Catholic, and it had a great impact on him. It helped him to experience the Catholic Church and to find joy and home in the Catholic Church. \u201cAnd we tried to make out of that Newman Walk, which you can do on foot in three or four hours, visiting these places and telling a bit the story of Newman.\u201d The walk is narrowed down to nine locations, starting at the college of Propaganda Fide where Newman spent a significant time preparing for the priesthood . All nine stops are in one way or another a reflection of how Newman formed his greatest contributions to the Church \u201cJohn Newman, of course, is a giant,\u201d Fr. Geissler added, \u201cand he contributed in many ways to the renewal of the doctrine of the church. His theology is very much influenced and made alive through scripture and the fathers of the church. So he helped to renew theology parting from scripture and the fathers.\u201d One of the stops is the Basilica of Sant ‘Andrea delle Fratte. A church known for a Marian apparition that took place in 1842. In England, Newman already believed he was under the protection of the Blessed Mother, so when he realized that the church was just outside his window during his stay at Propaganda Fide, he took it as a sign of God\u2019s loving providence. \u201cHe wrote that in Propaganda Fide, he was really very happy. He said in one of his letters, I was happy in little more, happier even than in Maryvale after a conversion, but most happy I’m here in Propaganda Fide,\u201d related Fr. Geissler. Many of the Newman Walk participants were anticipating this pilgrimage for some time as his figure is someone they have looked up to and have been drawing daily inspiration from. Fr. John Paul York, a Missionary of the St John Society, shared, \u201cWe consider him our intellectual father. But also, he inspires us a lot in our life of prayer. His sermons accompany us a lot. And then for me as a convert to the Catholic Church, getting to know his ideas has been something very influential for me.\u201d Felipe, a seminarian of the St John Society, added, \u201cThis was something I always wanted to do because I am very close to Newman. I’m friends with him in a mystic way and I always wanted to be here to do this walk, to know all the places that he has been to and that are relevant to his life. Ishmael Adibuah, a student at the Angelicum, also shared, \u201cWell, it\u2019s very important for a man who devoted his life to an authentic renewal of the church to experience Rome as he did especially this Jubilee year, it\u2019s important to understand Cardinal Newman\u2019s thinking about Rome and his thinking of development of Doctrine of Church teaching and that\u2019s always faithful to tradition and that\u2019s why I\u2019m here today.\u201d The walk ends at the Church of St George in Velabro, his titular church, which is a church in Rome designated to a Cardinal. To celebrate the Institute\u2019s 50th anniversary, the Prefect of the Dicastery for the Causes of Saints Cardinal Marcello Semeraro joined the pilgrims in the evening and presided over the Holy Mass. Cardinal Semeraro played a big role in the process of recognizing Newman as a Doctor of the Church. After the Holy Mass, His Eminence shared, \u201cHe wrote a fundamental work, which he completed precisely during the transitional phase from the Anglican Communion to the Catholic Church. It is titled The Development of Christian Doctrine. “He experienced this development, this growth, personally from around the age of 15, with certain commitments that he soon became dissatisfied with, as they didn\u2019t quite match his desire for truth and goodness, which he ultimately left behind. \u201cAnd also through various attempts at university to understand what was truly the path Christ intended for the Church, until he eventually concluded that it was to be found in the Church of Rome. So he made his choice, and he remained faithful to it\u2014with suffering, with dedication, and with great loyalty. Adapted by Jacob Stein. Produced by Alexey Gotovskiy; Camera by Sergio Natoli; Video edited by Ilaria Chimenti; Special thanks and credits to Fr. Hermann Geissler Receive the most important news from EWTN Vatican via WhatsApp. It has become increasingly difficult to see Catholic news on social media. Subscribe to our free channel today EWTN Vatican on WhatsApp Zofia Czubak Would you like to receive the latest updates on the Pope and the Vatican Receive articles and updates from our EWTN Newsletter. More news related to this article Analysis: What Pope Francis\u2019 new cardinals reveal about future conclave Towards a Synodal Future: Insights From Cardinal Grech Pope Leo XIV asks Rupnik accusers to be patient Pope Francis invites child protection group to have \u2018a spirituality of reparation\u2019 Pope makes church first co-cathedral in history of British Isles Pope Francis: Christ the Good Shepherd \u2018looks for us until he finds us\u2019 when we\u2019re lost<\/p>\n