St. John Henry Newman inscribed in General Roman Calendar

The banner of St. John Henry Newman on the day of his proclamation as Doctor of the Church, November 1, 2025 (ANSA)

The Dicastery of Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments releases a decree in which Pope Leo XIV inscribes the Doctor of the Church, St. John Henry Newman, in the General Roman Calendar with his memorial held on October 9.

By Isabella H. de Carvalho

His Holiness Pope Leo XIV has inscribed St. John Henry Newman, Doctor of the Church, in the General Roman Calendar, with his optional memorial being on October 9, announced the Dicastery of Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments in a decree released on Tuesday, February 3.

The 19th-century English-born former Anglican priest, who converted to Catholicism and then became a Cardinal, was beatified by Pope Benedict XVI in 2010 and canonized by His Holiness Pope Francis in 2019.

On November 1, 2025, His Holiness Pope Leo XIV 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 February 3, but was signed by the Prefect of the Dicastery, Cardinal Arthur Roche, and the Secretary, Archbishop Vittorio Francesco Viola, on November 9, 2025, the 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…

This report was originally publsihed on the Website of Vatican News. Please click here to read the full text.