John Henry Newman’s Prophetic Voice Still Inspires

John Henry Newman, a vibrant 19th century Catholic convert and eventual Cardinal, wrote some of Catholicism’s most masterful prose, which still serves to inspire the Church today. To honor Newman’s beatification on September 19, Word On Fire Catholic Ministries, led by Father Robert Barron, is introducing John Henry Newman-- A Prophet for Our Time. This new CD set features Fr. Barron’s insight on three of Newman's most compelling works. Fr. Barron believes Newman is still “relevant, inspirational and a profound prophetic voice” for all who seek a greater understanding of the philosophy and theology of the Church.

In the three-CD set, Fr. Barron begins by summarizing Newman’s autobiographical work, Apologia Pro Vita Sua, which traces Newman's own religious thought from his time as an Anglican to his conversion to Catholicism. As he reflected on his search for the truth, Newman said, “The one who discovers history becomes Catholic.” In the second presentation, Fr. Barron explains Newman's Essay on the Development of Christian Doctrine, wherein Newman presents the idea of “doctrine” as organic and developing over time, while staying true to the key principles of the faith and being monitored by a “living voice of infallibility." Newman said: “In a higher world it might be otherwise, but here below, to live is to change and to be perfect is to change often.” Finally, Fr. Barron reflects upon the Grammar of Assent, a work that demonstrates how we come to belief. Newman explains that the process of assent is not one of agreeing only with arguments that prove absolute certainty, but one of evaluating arguments, impressions, experiences and other “converging probabilities" to come to assent.

Fr. Barron, one of the world’s great and innovative teachers of Catholicism, founded Word On Fire as a global media ministry to draw Catholics all over the world more deeply into the Faith and to attract people back to or into the Church. At the hub of Word On Fire is an interactive Website (www.WordOnFire.org), which uses the most cutting-edge resources to reach out to people across the globe, including YouTube, Twitter, Facebook, podcasts and RSS Feed. The Web site was originally launched in 1999 and currently draws more than 500,000 visitors each year from every continent.