This unparalleled introduction to St. John Henry Newman—mind, heart, soul, and personality—brings the great cardinal to life before our eyes, and with him the charged air of nineteenth-century England. Drawing from his letters, writings, and journal entries with precision and poetic flair, the book is one of Ida Friederike Görres’ masterworks. 

While famous for his brilliance, Cardinal Newman did not hide in an ivory tower. His life was one of risk, sacrifice, and immense charity. His sharp turn to Catholicism rocked the University of Oxford, costing him his friendships, his livelihood, and his identity. Through failures and disappointments, over and over again, Newman let himself be recreated by God. 

This work, in Görres’ words, is a portrait of “the boy, puzzled, who was startled and overwhelmed by God; the active, creative young prophet of his church in crisis; the hermit, who he was and wanted to be all his life; and the fighter, who he was with and against his will: the saint of the Church and the saint of humility, the one perfected in sacrifice”. 

With an in-depth introduction by Ratzinger Prize winner Hanna-Barbara Gerl-Falkovitz, an extensive commentary by translator Jennifer S. Bryson, and a detailed index, the book introduces readers not only to St. John Henry Newman, but to Görres, one of the greatest hagiographers of the twentieth century, whose spiritual writings have only recently been discovered by the English-speaking world.

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“St. John Henry Newman stands on the shoulders of the English martyrs. Yet, as this excellent biography shows, Newman was also a martyr, albeit a ‘white martyr’ who died of old age. Ostracized by the British establishment for his ‘defection’ to Rome, he was also poorly treated by English Catholics, particularly by his fellow converts. Newman suffered greatly for the following of his reason and conscience. This excellent book goes deeper than other biographies of Newman, enabling us to see the man and his life and work with a fresh and penetrative perspective.”
—Joseph Pearce, Author, Faith of Our Fathers: A History of True England

“The publication of this long-forgotten work by Ida Friederike Görres marks an exciting development in Newman scholarship. Görres’ study of Newman’s life and conversion, and the hostile society in which he lived, is a must-read for both Newman devotees and readers keen to learn more about this brilliant, enigmatic, troubled English saint. As Görres reveals with effortless eloquence and insight, Newman stands as a spiritual and intellectual giant of the Victorian era, and a beacon of hope in our own troubled times.”
—Fiorella de Maria, Author, Father Gabriel Mysteries series

“Ida Görres...spoke with an insightful certainty and a fearlessness about the pressing questions and tasks of the Church today…We thank God that this insightful, brave, and faithful woman was given to the Church in this century. We give thanks for her writing, for the way she was and will continue to be present to many people through her writing.”
—Fr. Joseph Ratzinger (in his 1971 eulogy)