About Us
Our Campus Ministers
Penn State Newman is entirely student-run, and we are
blessed to have such an amazing board of student volunteers.
Meet The Board
Patron Saints
As a Catholic organization, we are not alone in our journey to sainthood. Learn more about our patron saint, St. John Henry Newman
St. John Henry Newman
Newman lived half of his life as an Anglican. He was a prominent member of the Oxford Movement, which emphasized our debt to the Church Fathers and challenged tendencies to consider truth as subjective. Extensive research led him to believe that the Catholic Church was the continuation of the Church that Jesus established. In 1845, he was received into the Catholic Church, and two years later, was ordained a Catholic priest, and joined the Congregation of the Oratory, founding Oratory houses in Birmingham and London. Pope Leo XIII created him a cardinal in 1879. He took as his motto “Cor ad cor loquitur”, which translates, “Heart speaks to heart.” Newman wrote 40 books and 21,000 letters. He called for an educated, involved laity, which laid the groundwork for the Second Vatican Council. Three years after he died, a Newman Club for Catholic students began at the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia. In time, his name was linked to ministries and clubs at many public and private colleges and universities in the United States, including our own at Penn State. In 2010, Pope Benedict XVI beatified Newman in London, and Pope Francis canonized Newman in October 2019. Saint John Henry Newman’s liturgical feast is celebrated on October 9.
St. John Henry Newman's 'Mission of My Life' Prayer:
“God has created me to do Him some definite service. He has committed some work to me which He has not committed to another. I have my mission. I may never know it in this life, but I shall be told it in the next. I am a link in a chain, a bond of connection between persons. He has not created me for naught. I shall do good; I shall do His work. I shall be an angel of peace, a preacher of truth in my own place, while not intending it if I do but keep His commandments. Therefore, I will trust Him, whatever I am, I can never be thrown away. If I am in sickness, my sickness may serve Him, in perplexity, my perplexity may serve Him. If I am in sorrow, my sorrow may serve Him. He does nothing in vain. He knows what He is about. He may take away my friends. He may throw me among strangers. He may make me feel desolate, make my spirits sink, hide my future from me. Still, He knows what He is about.” St. John Henry Newman, pray for us!
Our Crest
Our crest draws from the crests of the Diocese of Altoona-Johnstown, St. Vincent Archabbey, St. John Henry Newman, and William Penn. On the left side, the black band with three silver discs comes from the crest of William Penn, founder of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. The silver discs each contain a cross in the center. The band is in the shape of a V in honor of St. Vincent. The checkered background is drawn from the crest of St. Vincent Archabbey, which was drawn from the Arms of Bavaria. The blue and white also represent the colors of Penn State. On the right side is the crest of St. John Henry Newman, which he adopted from his father. His episcopal motto appears at the bottom, which he draws from St Francis de Sales, to whom he had a special devotion. It reads 'Cor Ad Cor Loquitur', which when translated means 'Heart Speaks to Heart'. The Cross of Servant of God Demetrius Gallitzin appears behind the crest. This cross is also featured on the lower half of the Altoona-Johnstown Diocesan crest.
