The Oxford University Newman Society is arguably Oxford University's oldest student society, and certainly its oldest Catholic society. Founded as the Catholic Club in 1878, it was not until 1888 that the club was renamed the Newman Society as a tribute to John Henry Cardinal Newman, who had done a vast amount to advance the cause of Catholicism at Oxford, both as an Anglican striving to recover Anglicanism's Catholic roots, and subsequently as a convert to Catholicism. At least once a year the society tends to hold a talk on some aspect of Newman's life or work, seeking also to inform Oxford students of the ongoing cause for his canonization.
Meetings of the society originally took place at the parish church of St Aloysius Gonzaga, and when the Catholic Chaplaincy to the University was established in 1896 the society found a natural home there, meeting in the Blue Room of the Old Palace which houses Oxford's Catholic Chaplaincy. During the course of the twentieth century, the society admitted women (following the University's lead), and in 1990 it ceased to be the University's sole Catholic society, following the creation by the University chaplains of a Catholic Society, intended "to counter-act the overt conservatism of the Newman Society." [1] Despite this founding intention, relations between the two societies over the last sixteen years have generally been good, with a large proportion of crossover membership and even occasional joint events.
The society has been addressed by prominent and influential Catholics - as well as non-Catholics of interest to a Catholic audience - throughout its history. Recent terms' speakers of note have included Fr Thomas Weinandy, Fr John Saward, Professor Geza Vermes (in debate with Dom Henry Wansbrough), Ann Widdecombe MP, Sir Anthony Kenny, Baroness Williams of Crosby, Edward Fitzalan-Howard, 18th Duke of Norfolk, and George Cardinal Pell. Notable speakers from the past include literary converts such as Evelyn Waugh and G.K. Chesterton. Waugh even refers to the Newman Society twice in his Brideshead Revisited, the first occasion being when Lady Marchmain says to Charles Ryder:
I want Sebastian to have all sorts of friends, not just one. Monsignor Bell tells me he never mixes with the other Catholics, never goes to the Newman, very rarely goes to mass even. Heaven forbid that he should only know Catholics, but he must know some.
— Evelyn Waugh, Brideshead Revisited (1945)
Today the society continues to provide a place for Oxford's Catholics who "must know some" of their co-religionists, while also promoting Catholic faith, learning and culture within the University. The average term involves a drinks party, six weeks of weekly speaker meetings, and an end-of-term Mass and dinner with guest speaker; the specific form of any given term is, however, ultimately determined by the society's president. The president is assisted in his duties by a committee which includes a treasurer, a secretary, a social secretary, a publicity officer, a junior officer, and those past presidents still in residence in Oxford.
Office holders, Hilary Term 2006
| Office | Office holder | College |
|---|---|---|
| President | Alexander Stafford | St Benet's |
| President-Elect | Phillip Counsell | Exeter |
| Treasurer-Elect | John Shinkwin | Merton |
| Secretary | Alexander Morrison | Oriel |
| Publicity Officer | Matthew Allen | St Benet's |
| Social Secretary | Martin Ash | Merton |
| Past President | Samuel Jacobs | St Benet's |
| Past President | Katherine Shaw | Merton |
| Past President | Sinead Doyle | Trinity |
| Past President | Francis Murphy | Trinity |
| Past President | Richard Pickett | Exeter |
| Past President | Richard Eschwege | Balliol |
| Senior Member | R. Dom Leo Chamberlain | St Benet's |
The current Returning Officer is the Catholic Chaplain to the University, Fr Jeremy Fairhead.
External links
- Oxford University Newman Society – official website
- Communigate: Newman Society
- OU Newman Society Catalogue of Papers – Bodleian Library
- Oxford University Catholic Chaplaincy