Cardinal John Henry Newman is one of the greatest thinkers of the 19th century. His writings on philosophy, on faith, on the teachings of the Church and on prayer have been influential across the world.
He also wrote extensively on education. He believed strongly that education was absolutely essential to being a Christian and a Catholic because faith had to be informed by reason. He saw that it was ordinary people who both studied and understood their faith who could transform the world.
Newman believed that God had a plan for every human being. His task was to build the Birmingham Oratory and its community of priests.