By Deacon Tristan Schubert
On the Solemnity of All Saints Day, November 1, 2025 I was thrilled for the chance to attend the Mass where Pope Leo declared St. John Henry Newman to be a Doctor of the Church. It was a warm, sunny day, and though the pope was a small speck in the distance, the grandeur of St. Peter’s façade sporting a massive banner of Newman’s portrait gave testimony to the importance of the occasion. The square was overflowing with excited attendees like myself and my fellow seminarian, Anthony Nguyen. There were even a number of Anglican clergy present, representing the origin of Newman’s faith and location of much of his ministry before his conversion to Catholicism later in life.
The honor given to St. John Newman in this pronouncement is significant because only those whose teachings have contributed significantly to the faith and are of universal value receive this title. St. John Newman is only the 38th person to be declared a Doctor of the Church in the entire two-thousand-year history of the church. One of his most influential teachings is on the development of doctrine. He articulates how we can determine whether any new theological assertions are true and authentic developments in continuity with the faith, as opposed to being a rupture and therefore inauthentic.
This was a particularly special occasion for me as I have a strong personal devotion to St. John Henry Newman. During my time studying for my undergraduate degree, before I ever considered priesthood, I became heavily involved in the university’s campus Newman Center. The community was not just joyful and supporting, it also introduced to me how intellectually rigorous our faith is with profound depths. My vocation to the priesthood is in a large part due to how God worked through this community, and so my appreciation for our patron saint is understandably significant.
I pray that declaring St. John Newman to be a Doctor of the Church will bring a new wave of thoughtful devotion to all believers, and especially so at Newman Centers in college campuses throughout the world.
