‘Heart speaks unto heart': A pilgrimage with Dr Newman

Phil McCarthy, of the Hearts in Search of God project, has developed a Pilgrim Way for the Archdiocese of Birmingham following St John Henry Newman’s spiritual path.

The route of almost 40 miles was walked to mark Newman recently being proclaimed a Doctor of the Church.

This pilgrim way follows St John Henry Newman’s spiritual path, from Evangelicalism, through High Anglicanism and finally to Catholicism. Newman (1801 – 1890) was an English Catholic theologian, academic, philosopher, historian, writer, and poet. He was an Anglican priest, and after his conversion to Catholicism, became a cardinal. He was an important figure in the religious history of England in the C19.

The way starts at Deddington where Newman gave his first public address in 1825, via Over Worton, where he preached his first sermon as an Anglican priest. The walk continues through Oxford where Newman was educated, ordained as an Anglican minister and led the Oxford Tractarian Movement. The route ends at Littlemore where Newman founded a High Anglican church. Here in 1845, he became a Catholic.

Find out more and walk

Hearts in Search of God