"Newman as Preacher" - A Three-Day Oxford Conference

In the summer of 1824, John Henry Newman preached his very first sermon shortly after being ordained as a deacon. He would go on to preach myriad sermons of enduring value. Generations of Christians have been and continue to be nourished by both his Parochial and Plain Sermons and University Sermons, as well as sermons from his Roman Catholic period.

Two-hundred years later, we gathered together not only to commemorate the beginning of St. Newman’s preaching ministry, but also to explore and reflect on the wider topic of “Newman as Preacher” at the very churches in which he preached. This intimate, on-site conference featured three public keynote lectures along with other spiritually-enriching activities. 

Our conference began on Monday, 16 September 2024 with a lecture titled, “Newman and the University Pulpit: ‘The Management of Hearts’” by Professor Eamon Duffy. Eamon Duffy, FSA FBA KSG is an Irish historian. He is a professor of the History of Christianity at the University of Cambridge, and a Fellow and former president of Magdalene College. Professor Duffy's research and teaching interests center on the history of late medieval and early-modern popular religious belief and practice, on Christian art and material culture, on the history of the English Roman Catholic community, and on the history of the papacy. 

The lecture was held at the University Church of St. Mary the Virgin, Oxford. The same evening, we enjoyed a candlelit tour of the University Church, which was followed by a sung compline.

On the second day of the conference, Tuesday, 17 September 2024, took a pilgrimage from Oxford City Center to Littlemore.

On the way to Littlemore, we stopped at St. Mary the Virgin Church in Iffley to view some of the spectacular twelfth-century architecture.

Once we arrived in Littlemore, we visited Newman’s College, a home that he once lived in, and the church that he built, St. Mary and St. Nicholas Church. Rev. Dr. Benjamin King gave a lecture titled, “Preaching the Church Fathers for Good or for Ill.” 

Dr. Benjamin King is the Duncalf-Villavoso Professor of Church History, Episcopal Theological Seminary of the Southwest, Austin, TX. He is the author of two books and co-editor of two more, all on Newman and published by Oxford University Press. His first book, Newman and the Alexandrian Fathers, won a Templeton Award for Theological Promise. The second is due out in January 2025 and is titled The Oxford Movement and the People of God: Enslavement, Education, and Empire. He is co-editor of Receptions of Newman and The Oxford Handbook of John Henry Newman. He has lectured internationally on related topics. Dr. King was ordained in the Church of England in 2000 and now serves as a priest in the Episcopal Church in the USA.

After Dr. King’s talk, the parishioners and staff at St. Mary and St. Nicholas Church hosted a reception. This is a cake that was baked and donated by one of the parishioners!

In the evening, the NINS staff hosted a banquet for our conference guests at St. Edmund Hall. 

On Wednesday, the final day of the conference, the NINS staff held a workshop on the future of Newman studies at the Old Library at the University Church. After the workshop, we attended a lunch, which was held in the de Brome Chapel at St. Mary the Virgin Church.

In the afternoon, we heard a lecture titled, “An Earnest Evangelical: The Beginnings of John Henry Newman’s Preaching Ministry,” which was presented by Dr. Kenneth L. Parker. Dr. Kenneth Parker completed his Ph.D. at the University of Cambridge in 1984, under the direction of Professor Eamon Duffy. His research interest in John Henry Newman began during his postdoctoral studies at the University of Fribourg in the late 1980s. Dr. Parker has taught at the University of Alabama and Westmont College, and served in the historical theology PhD program at Saint Louis University for twenty-five years. In 2014, the College of Arts and Sciences at SLU named him the Steber Professor in Theological Studies. While serving as interim executive director of the National Institute for Newman Studies in 2017, Professor Parker was invited to take up the Ryan Endowed Chair for Newman Studies at Duquesne University. He is the author or editor of seven volumes and numerous essays and articles. He has served as Editor of the Newman Studies Journal since 2016.