Lead, Kindly Light: Meditations, Poems, and Prayers for the Journey (Volume 1)

by John Henry Newman, Cameron M. Thompson

Description These meditations and devotions by St. John Henry Newman, spanning poetry from his Anglican period (including his most famous and well-beloved poem, "Pillar of Cloud"/"Lead, Kindly Light"), to reflections on God’s Divine Providence from his later period as a Catholic and founder of the Oratory in England, expresses a profoundly confident but deeply human faith that resonates with the very real experiences of modern Christians from all walks of life. These poems intimately show a personal side of Cardinal Newman that few have glimpsed who are only familiar with his academic works. Nonetheless they are universal enough in human experience to make the perfect companion to your journey of faith. No matter where you’ve been or what you’re going through, this collection of poems and prayers by the Catholic Church’s newest Saint will connect you with God and St. John Newman, through heart speaking to heart. This volume includes meditations by Cardinal Newman interspersed among his journeying poetry that provide very practical material for prayer and meditation as you develop in your journey of Christian life. About the Author John Henry Newman (1801-1890) was an Anglican clergyman and leader of the Oxford Movement who eventually undertook the long and arduous journey that led to his conversion to the Roman Catholic Church. He was ordained a Catholic priest and became founder of the English Oratory of St. Philip Neri. Cardinal Newman is one of the preeminent masters of the English language, and his life and spiritual writings have led countless people into the Church. St. John Henry Newman has been acclaimed by the highest authorities as the consummate exemplar of a Saint for modern times.

133 pages, Paperback

Published October 8, 2019

About the author

Saint John Henry Cardinal Newman was an important figure in the religious history of England in the 19th century. He was known nationally by the mid-1830s.
Originally an evangelical Oxford University academic and priest in the Church of England, Newman then became drawn to the high-church tradition of Anglicanism. He became known as a leader of, and an able polemicist for, the Oxford Movement, an influential and controversial grouping of Anglicans who wished to return to the Church of England many Catholic beliefs and liturgical rituals from before the English Reformation. In this the movement had some success. However, in 1845 Newman, joined by some but not all of his followers, left the Church of England and his teaching post at Oxford University and was received into the Catholic Church. He was quickly ordained as a priest and continued as an influential religious leader, based in Birmingham. In 1879, he was created a cardinal by Pope Leo XIII in recognition of his services to the cause of the Catholic Church in England. He was instrumental in the founding of the Catholic University of Ireland, which evolved into University College Dublin, today the largest university in Ireland.

Newman was beatified by Pope Benedict XVI on 19 September 2010 during his visit to the United Kingdom. He was then canonised by Pope Francis on 13 October 2019.

Newman was also a literary figure of note: his major writings including the Tracts for the Times (1833–1841), his autobiography Apologia Pro Vita Sua (1865–66), the Grammar of Assent (1870), and the poem The Dream of Gerontius (1865),[6] which was set to music in 1900 by Edward Elgar. He wrote the popular hymns "Lead, Kindly Light" and "Praise to the Holiest in the Height" (taken from Gerontius).

Reviews

[Bookreaderljh · Rating 2 out of 5]

Lead Kindly Light is one of my favorite hymns as it has a very personal connection between and my father just before he died. But I liked the poem even before that time. This book has more of Newman's poems as a traveler and a monk (I believe). All are religious - most fairly short - and are not too dense. Still I am not a poetry lover so found very few here that resonated. I actually liked the "explanations" that followed each poem - written I assume by the editor/compiler.

[Josilyn · Rating 4 out of 5]

A good introductory volume for those looking to get to know St. John Henry Newman better. It contains his poem "Lead, Kindly Light" as well as one of his more famous meditations.