Amid the beauty of St. Peter’s Basilica and the joyful hum of thousands gathered for Mass, Pope Leo XIV officially declared St. John Henry Newman the 38th Doctor of the Church on Nov. 1, the culmination of the weeklong Jubilee of the World of Education conference.
The declaration, announced in July by The Holy See, elevates Newman to join an elite group of saints — including Augustine, Aquinas and Thérèse of Lisieux — whose writings and teachings have made a lasting contribution to the church.
For Newman University President Kathleen Jagger, Ph.D., MPH, who was among those in attendance at the Vatican, the experience was surreal.
“I had an immense sense of pride to be there representing Newman University at this historical moment,” Jagger said. “When John Henry Newman was proclaimed a Doctor of the Church, it felt like — well, now everyone who’s Catholic is going to know how important he is.”
During the Mass, Pope Leo praised Newman’s life as a “light for new generations,” naming him co-patron of Catholic education alongside St. Thomas Aquinas.
“We are called to form people so that they may shine like stars in their full dignity,” the pope said in his homily. “Education’s task is precisely to offer this kindly light to those imprisoned by the shadows of pessimism and fear.”
With Sister Marian Hughes, the ASC superior general, by Jagger’s side, the two listened to Pope Leo’s homily in English while hearing it live in Italian.
Music and meaning
From her seat on the piazza just steps from the altar, Jagger watched the preparations unfold in the hours leading up to the Mass.
“He was very close,” she said of Pope Leo. “Seeing the inside of the Vatican rather than from St. Peter’s Square felt really special. We watched hundreds of priests prepare to give communion to 15,000 people. It was memorable.”
The hymn “Lead, Kindly Light,” written by St. Newman, filled the air during the ceremony in Rome. Jagger said the familiar song was reminiscent of the Newman University chorale and troubadour performances.
“Hearing the words, ‘Lead, kindly light, amid the encircling gloom, lead thou me on, the night is dark, and I am far from home,’ … that was a powerful moment for me,” Jagger said. “To hear them in a completely new context reinforced some of the messages that we’re giving here at Newman all the time.”
Jagger described the day of the proclamation as “one of the best professional days of my life.”
Gathering educators from around the globe
The Jubilee of the World of Education conference, which was held Oct. 27-Nov. 1 in St. Peter’s Basilica, brought teachers, scholars and students together from every continent, leaving Jagger with memories she will cherish for a lifetime.
Every speaker spoke in his or her own language, but attendees used their phones to follow along in their native language through the Vatican website.
“It was definitely an experience of the wonderful variety of people in the education sphere,” Jagger said. “You’d see women in their native African garb, priests from every continent, teachers from Austria and Italy … all committed to the same mission.”
Jagger said she was struck by a familiar Latin phrase — “Ad astra per aspera,” which means “to the stars through hardships” — and is, coincidentally, the Kansas state motto. Jagger said the theme of “Constellations of Hope” could not have been more fitting for the education conference.
“It showed how, if every educated person is a star shining bright, you can see the sort of constellation connection that education has and its ripple effect,” Jagger said. “Our lives will shine brightly … when we discover within ourselves the truth and, as St. Newman put it, our ‘definite service’ that we are called to by God.”
Some speakers used PowerPoint presentations, others spoke from the heart. One speaker even had everyone in the room singing together, Jagger said. Through it all, the role of hope remained a central theme — one that echoes the mission Jagger carried back to Kansas.
“Having a global perspective is one of Newman’s core values, and I really felt like we were really leaning into that,” Jagger said. “I hope at Newman we can be a constellation of hope, committed to helping our students be the best they can be.”
Hospitality with the Adorers of the Blood of Christ
During her time in Rome, Jagger stayed with the Adorers of the Blood of Christ, the religious community that founded Newman University in 1933. The experience, she said, added a deep sense of connection to the trip.
“It was an opportunity to experience the global nature of the ASC community,” Jagger said. “We hear that they’re on every inhabited continent, but there, at the table, I met sisters from Italy, the U.S., Croatia, Ukraine, India, Tanzania and Vietnam.”
Each day brought opportunities to share meals, prayer and laughter. Jagger said she will always remember attending daily Mass together with the sisters in their chapel.
“(The Masses were) all in Italian, but one of the beautiful things about the Eucharist is that it can be in any language and you still know what’s being said,” she explained. “We sang together, we laughed together and they made me feel so included. By the time I left, I felt like it was home.”
Jagger described the sisters as “the best hosts.”
“They’re a safe haven for people from anywhere,” Jagger said. “They had visitors from all over the world while I was there, including a priest from Mexico and some people who were working on the border with the U.S.”
During her stay, Jagger also visited the reliquary of St. Maria De Mattias, founder of the Adorers of the Blood of Christ and another Newman University icon.
“To see St. Maria there, inside the chapel, was amazing,” she said.
A journey of faith and purpose
Looking back, Jagger described her days in Rome as “both wonderful and wondrous.” When someone asked her what the trip was like, she responded with, “Better than going to Disneyland.”
“It was spiritually moving,” Jagger said. “It felt like a global confluence of people dedicated to education and recognition of the aspirational calling that education is, while at the same time the humility that’s required to be an effective educator.”
And for the Newman University community, the event reaffirmed the importance of the mission for every student and graduate of the Kansas college.
“We’ve always known the importance of Newman’s ideas,” Jagger said. “Now, with this recognition, the whole world is reminded of how timeless they are. Hopefully, more people will read his writings and learn from them. His influence is something we live and breathe at Newman every day.”
Explore life at Newman University
Newman University is a Catholic college named for St. John Henry Newman and founded by the Adorers of the Blood of Christ with the purpose of empowering graduates to transform society.
