Pope Leo XIV inscribes St. John Henry Newman, Doctor of the Church, in the General Roman Calendar, with his optional memorial being on Oct. 9, the Dicastery of Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments announced in a decree released on Tuesday, Feb. 3, 2026.
The 19th century English Anglican priest, who converted to Catholicism and then became a cardinal, was beatified by Pope Benedict XVI in 2010 and canonized by Pope Francis in 2019. On Nov. 1, 2025, Pope Leo proclaimed him co-Patron of the Church’s educational mission, along with St. Thomas Aquinas, and a Doctor of the Church.
Considering this recent recognition, “conferred upon a saintly pastor of such outstanding significance for the entire community of the faithful,” the decree states that his optional memorial can now be celebrated on October 9 – the day in which, in 1845, he converted to Catholicism.
The decree explains that the new memorial will in fact “be inserted into all Calendars and Liturgical Books for the celebration of Mass and the Liturgy of the Hours, adopting the liturgical texts attached to the present decree, which are to be translated, approved, and—after confirmation by this Dicastery—published by the Conferences of Bishops.”
The Dicastery’s decree was released on Tuesday, Feb. 3, but was signed by the Prefect of the body, Cardinal Arthur Roche, and the Secretary, Archbishop Vittorio Francesco Viola, on Nov. 9, 2025, Feast of the Dedication of the Lateran Basilica.
A radiant light for the Church
“The kindly light of God’s grace, which came into this world to enlighten the gentiles, led John Henry Newman to find peace in the Catholic Church and gave him such strength that he was able to say ‘God has created me to do Him some definite service … I have a part in this great work; I am a link in a chain, a bond of connection between persons. He has not created me for naught’,” the decree highlights.
The text emphasizes how, throughout his long life, Cardinal Newman continuously and tirelessly served the poor, preached and taught and engaged in “intellectual enquiry”. The decree defines him as “a radiant light for the Church on pilgrimage through history.”
“His lively mind has left us enduring monuments of great importance in the fields of theology and ecclesiology, as well as poetic and devotional compositions,” the decree continues.
“His constant search to be led out of shadows and images into the fullness of the truth has become an example for every disciple of the Risen One.”
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