Lead Kindly Light

Roman Catholic Books

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“The Mass must not be said…in any language but
that in which it has come down to us from the
early hierarchs of the Western Church.”

So said the venerable Cardinal Newman—that, and much else that would be indigestible to modern Catholic ears. The late Michael Davies captures his countryman in the most accessible biography ever written about Newman. Its twin themes:

Newman led an exemplary life and left an enormous body of evidence (powerful words, but deeds as well) supporting his canonization

Newman, though a man of broad knowledge and kindly disposition, liberally educated and steeped in Scripture, was anything but a liberal

Davies (see Pope Benedict’s praise of him, below right) has marshaled a dazzling array of choice Newman quotes…30 rare photos & illustrations…convincing testimony from sometimesobscure sources…to debunk the myth of Newman’s liberalism. In the process, he introduces a new generation of Catholics who know little about their Faith and Church history to a giant— perhaps the giant—of the English-speaking Catholic world.

Facts are stubborn things. Meet the real John Henry Newman

Newman defends papal infallibility, and Cardinal Cullen, who wrote the Vatican I statement on the matter, defends Newman

Pope St. Pius X weighs in on Newman’s behalf

Newman’s dramatic conversion to Catholicism—farthest thing from an emotional “experience,” rooted instead where all conversions must be, in the intellect and the will

His early life and productive young career

How he began to doubt the central tenets of Protestantism…and the Anglican variation thereof

Exactly how he resolved them in favor of Rome

His founding of the Oratorians

His difficulties with leading Catholic churchmen of his time, some of whom manifested jealousy

His famous libel suit

How he handled friendships and the loss of them, as age began to intrude

Where liberals of today misunderstand him, and twist Newman’s clear thought, often bracing and even Reactionary

How liberal does this sound?

Among the scores of Newman quotes Mr. Davies produces in Lead Kindly Light:

“Protestants are always on the lookout for some loophole or evasion in a Catholic’s statement of fact….Protestantism is the dreariest of possible religions….”

“Every sin has a history: it is not an accident; it is the fruit of former sins in thought or in deed; it is the token of a habit deeply seated and widely spread; it is the aggravation of a virulent disease…”

“We may have sinned less than our next door neighbor, yet that neighbor may be reserved for repentance and may reign with Christ, while we may be punished with the evil spirit.”

Pope Benedict on Davies “I have been profoundly touched by the news of the death of Michael Davies. I had the good fortune to meet him several times and I found him to be a man of deep faith and ready to embrace suffering. Ever since the Council he put all his energy into the service of the Faith and left us important publications, especially on the sacred liturgy. Even though he suffered from the Church in many ways in his time, he always truly remained a man of the Church.”—Joseph Cardinal Ratzinger, 2004