The Saint John Henry Newman Lecture

Cardinal Newman Lecture Photo

 

The Saint John Henry Newman Lecture Series is named after the great 19th century English prelate who wrote very movingly about his intellectual journey toward Roman Catholicism in his spiritual autobiography, Apologia pro vita sua (1864). Newman's work helped later generations of Catholics and Catholic converts map out ways to understand the datum of religious faith in light of the contemporary issues facing modern life.

Honoring this engagement with the Catholic tradition, CCIH will invite scholars each spring to recount their own discovery (or rediscovery) of the Catholic intellectual heritage in light of their ongoing scholarship.

  • The 2021 Saint John Henry Newman Lecture: Dr. Jennifer Frey

    Catholic convert Jennifer Frey, Assistant Professor of Philosophy at the University of South Carolina, offers this year’s Newman Lecture. Dr. Frey’s research examines the intersection of action, ethics, and meta-ethics. 4:00 p.m. CDT. Zoom Forum. This event is free & open to the public. Registration required.

  • The 2018 Cardinal Newman Lecture: Leah Libresco Sargeant

    The CCIH welcomed Leah Libresco Sargeant to share her journey from atheist blogger to Catholic apologist. Leah's work has appeared in First Things, America, The American Conservative, Commonweal, and several other publications.

  • The 2017 Cardinal Newman Lecture: Chris Haw

    After a week in jail following an Iraq War protest in 2003, Chris Haw, as a disaffected evangelical, moved into "America's most dangerous city" to start a small community in an abandoned house and work with a Catholic church. In his lecture, "Rust Belt Apocalypse and the Eucharist," Haw shared how a poetic mixture of myth and logic, an active patience amidst godlessness, and the drama of scapegoating as symbolized in the Mass all permeated his conversion and research.

  • The 2016 Cardinal Newman Lecture: Mary Karr

    Join us for the 2016 Cardinal Newman Lecture with poet and memoirist Mary Karr, who will deliver a lecture titled "From Black-Belt Sinner to Sweet Baby Jesus."

  • The 2015 Cardinal Newman Lecture: Dr. Colby Dickinson

    For its 3rd Cardinal Newman lecture, the Hank Center invited Dr. Colby Dickinson (Theology Department, LUC) to reflect upon, and speak about, his journey of faith in the Catholic Church.

  • Mr. Gregory Wolfe

    For its second Cardinal Newman Lecture, the Hank Center invited writer, teacher, publisher, and editor Gregory Wolfe to speak about his journey of faith in the Catholic Church.

  • New Lecture Series

    On February 12th, Dr. James Garbarino presented CCIH’s first Cardinal Newman Lecture. Dr. Garbarino, the Maude C. Clarke Chair of Humanistic Psychology at Loyola University Chicago, recounted his intellectual rediscovery of Catholic Social Thought within the context of his own work on the human rights of children. Video of the lecture: The (re-)Discovery of Catholic Social Theory in Understanding Trauma, Violence, and the Human Rights of Children. Watch Video