Book Sheds Rare Light on Newman’s Vision for the Laity

Acclaimed Newman expert Paul Shrimpton says the newest doctor of the Church “foresaw the world we live in and tried to prepare Christians to face it.” Newman taught that the laity have a central and indispensable role who, in Church history, had often upheld orthodoxy when the clergy had faltered. He insisted the laity be holy and know the creed “so well that they can give an account of it” and defend it – a novel concept in the 19th century. In a remarkable letter to a married friend, Newman writes about the possibility of attaining holiness, indeed “perfection,” in the married state: “I often think what poor creatures we, priests, are, who like ‘gentlemen of England, sit at home at ease,’ while you, married men, have all the merit of the anxiety and toil, which the care of a family involves.