Feast of Cardinal Newman will be October 9

Cardinal John Henry Newman’s feast will be celebrated on October 9, the date of his conversion in 1845, Pope Benedict XVI will declare next month.

The announcement of the feast day forms part of the Pope’s Declaration of Beatification, which has been published as part of the Magnificat booklet for the Papal visit.

The booklet also contains prayers of preparation for the visit, texts for daily Mass from September 12 to September 29, including the Masses of the papal visit.

The booklet also has forewords by Cardinal Keith O’Brien, Archbishop Vincent Nichols, Lord Patten of Barnes and the Archbishop of Canterbury, Dr Rowan Williams.

The booklet also contains essays by leading Catholics such as Newman scholar Fr Ian Ker, Bishop Malcolm McMahon of Nottingham, and the current British Ambassador to the Holy See, Francis Campbell.

The booklet is being distributed by Gabriel Communications and the bishops’ conferences of England and Wales and Scotland. A million copies will be sent to parishes in Britain.

Mgr Andrew Summersgill, papal visit coordinator, has said that while this “isn’t enough for everybody who regularly attends mass”, there will “certainly” be enough copies “for each household”, as well as for those attending papal events.

SIC: CHO