The Bem'lim Recreation Centre — Before and Afi‘er

NEWMAN CLUB

John Henry Newman was born on February 215‘, 1801 in London, England. Interestingly he started not as a Catholic, but as a member of the Church of England. As a vicar, Newman exerted a strong spiritual influence on the Church

of England.

In 1845, Newman joined the Catholic church. He founded Oratories of St. Philip Neri in Brimingham and London, and was also the first rector at the Catholic University in Dublin. In 1879, Pope Leo XIII made him a cardinal. Through his writings, he created a greater understanding of the Catholic church. He died on

August 11th, 1890.

Unfortunately, he was often misunderstood in his lifetime. Protestants mistrusted him because he “jumped ship”, and Catholics were suspicious of him

because they thought he started out on the wrong ship! But despite all the pain that his thinking and writing caused him, Newman never ceased to insist that

the life of the mind and the life of the spirit should be connected. Faith and intellect belonged together in Newman’s view, and being a “Fool for Christ” never meant that one should withdraw from learning and questioning.

The Newman movement started in the United States at the University of Wisconsin in 1883 and was known as the Melvin Club. Ten years later, Timothy Harrington, a student at the University of Pennsylvania, started the first Newman club. Newman centres began to form on secular and non-Catholic campuses throughout the U. S and Canada totalling over 600 chapters. The Newman Club in Charlottetown was located at the Knights of Columbus home on Water Street in the late 19405 and early 19505

CATHOLIC YOUTH ORGANIZATION

Officially founded in 1930, The Catholic Youth Organization built upon previously initiated Holy Name societies in parishes throughout the Chicago Archdiocese, centralized in downtown office and led by the legendary and

controversial Bishop Bernard J. Sheil.

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