Newman Documentary Premieres on First Feast as Doctor
Produced in Brazil, it traces his costly conversion and the unity of faith and reason; Formed streams it in English.
The Brazilian-produced documentary “Lead, Kindly Light: The Story of Saint John Henry Newman” premiered October 9 at the Pontifical University of the Holy Cross in Rome.
The screening coincided with the saint’s first liturgical feast day since Pope Leo XIV declared him the 38th Doctor of the Church in 2025 and co-patron of Catholic education alongside St. Thomas Aquinas.
The film visits key places in Newman’s life: his childhood home in London, Oxford University, and Rome, where he prepared for the Catholic priesthood after his conversion from Anglicanism. It includes interviews with experts and readings from his letters, underscoring his pursuit of truth, the personal cost of his conversion, and the coherence of faith and reason.
Father Hermann Geissler, director of the International Centre of Newman Friends in Rome, said the film shows “the great faith of Newman, the sacrifice that his conversion cost, and the coherence of his life and thought.”
The documentary is available in English on the Formed streaming platform. The premiere reflects growing international attention to Newman’s legacy for Catholic education and culture amid contemporary challenges.