Daily Archives: January 23, 2026

VATICAN INSIDER: CARDINAL NEWMAN’S IDEAS ON EDUCATION LIVE ON AT HIS NAMESAKE UNIVERSITY

Posted in Cardinal John Henry Newman, Newman University - Kansas, Vatican Insider by

VATICAN INSIDER: CARDINAL NEWMAN’S IDEAS ON EDUCATION LIVE ON AT HIS NAMESAKE UNIVERSITY

Join me again this week on Vatican Insider for a very special treat when Kathleeen Jagger, president of Newman University in Wichita, Kansas, returns to VI in Part II of our conversation as we further explore Newman University today. In particular, we talk about the mission of education as seen by Cardinal John Henry Newman, proclaimed last November 1st as Doctor of the Church and co-patron with St. Thomas Aquinas of the Church’s education mission.

We spoke in my office and were joined by Sr. Maria of the Sisters Adorers of the Blood of Christ, the religious Order that founded Newman University’s predecessor in 1933

Newman University has come a long way since its founding in 1933 in the middle of the Great Depression. First known as Sacred Heart Junior College for women, it was helping transform the lives of children and their parents by educating Sisters and lay women to be certified teachers. According to Newman’s website, in 1973, the college’s name was changed to Kansas Newman College to reflect the continued growth of the institution, the expanded range of educational programs, and to honor St. John Henry Newman, the 19th century theologian and scholar known for his writings on the liberal arts and education.  In 1998, it became Newman University.

The tapestry on St. Peter’s Basilica on November 1, 2025, the day Cardinal Newman was proclaimed a Doctor of the Church (the 38th) –

From the office of the president: President’s Office:

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POPE TO US MARCH FOR LIFE: HEALTHY SOCIETIES PROTECT HUMAN LIFE

Posted in March for Life, Message, Pope Leo XIV by

POPE TO US MARCH FOR LIFE: HEALTHY SOCIETIES PROTECT HUMAN LIFE

Pope Leo XIV sends a message to participants in the 2026 March for Life in Washington, D.C., encouraging young people “to continue striving to ensure that life is respected in all of its stages.”

By Kielce Gussie (Vatican News)

Extending a warm greeting to the thousands set to participate in the 2026 March for Life in Washington, D.C., in the United States, Pope Leo XIV assured them all of his spiritual closeness in a message.

He added his heartfelt appreciation for this “eloquent public witness to affirm that ‘the protection of the right to life constitutes the indispensable foundation of every other human right’.”

Referring to his address to members of the Diplomatic Corps Accredited to the Holy See early this month, the Pope outlined what a healthy and truly progressive society looks like—“it safeguards the sanctity of human life and works actively to promote it.”

With this in mind, he encouraged young people in particular to continue working to ensure that life is respected and protected in all its stages “through appropriate efforts at every level of society, including dialogue with civil and political leaders.”

Pope Leo prayed that Jesus will accompany all those who peacefully march on behalf of the unborn. “By advocating for them”, he said, “please know that you are fulfilling the Lord’s command to serve him in the least of our brothers and sisters.”

Closing his message, the Pope entrusted all the participants, and all who support them through prayer and sacrifice, to Mary Immaculate—the Patroness of the United States of America.

52 years of the March

The first March for Life took place in January 1974—solemnly marking the one-year anniversary of the United States’ Supreme Court decision to legalize abortion. Its goal: lobby Congressional leadership to find a legislative solution to the ruling Roe v. Wade.

50 years later, the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade with the historic Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization case. This gave states more freedom to enact pro-life laws.

With this, the focus of the March for Life has shifted. “The goal of the national March for Life is to not only change laws at the state and federal level, but to change the culture to ultimately make abortion unthinkable,” according to the March’s official website.