Through Newman's correspondence written over many years it is possible to trace many lifelong friendships with women. He was not a misogynist as some people may claim.  He obviously enjoyed enormously his female correspondents and his letters are full of sympathetic advice and general concern for the problems his
friends wrote to him about.

Many of the women he corresponded with were married or single
converts to Catholicism in the face of family opposition; some
were in religious orders; some were close family or relatives.
They came from all social levels, from aristocratic Lady
Georgiana Fullerton and the Duchess of Norfolk, to the wife of a
struggling clerk, a servant girl and a seamstress.  Most, however
were well read women of the middle class who followed
ecclesiastical developments. He may not have worked for the legal
emancipation of women, but he did encourage them to sharpen their
minds, especially in an age when rationalists were denying the
existence of God.

Many of these women were schooled at home with a governess, while
their brothers went off to schools or university.  Most did not
need to earn a living for themselves.

The little group of Victorian Catholic families were closely knit
and often married people in their own circle, knew the same
churches and priests.  They shared similar concerns; usually they
were not reformers or interested in politics.  Newman's circle
were mostly from London, Birmingham and the industrial Midlands.

They naturally kept their letters received from Newman;  he proved to be a wise spiritual guide and good, loyal friend.

N. tells us he was destined for celibacy early in his life (pre-Catholic).  Though he never married, he did not expect single life to be one of isolation, independence or melancholy.  He maintained close friendships well within the bounds of Victorian propriety.  He was prompt and welcoming in his correspondence with guidance and promise of prayers.

He did not just give abstract advice but tailored it to the
individual.  His advice was always practical, never austere.
 QUOTE Example, p. 5 (advice to Emily Bowles to take care of
 herself; he sent her money).

He brushed away correspondents’ attempts to paint him as a saint
or put him on a pedestal.  He wanted reciprocity and true friendship.  Only in one case did he have to distance himself and that was from Maria Rosina Giberne who was far too devoted to him and emotionally immature, given to extremes.  With her he usually did not use her Christian name; with others he did call them by their first names.

Chapter  1  THE FAMILY

JHN one of 6 children:3 boys and 3 girls.  His was a very loving
family.  From the very beginning he saw the dream world of
imagination and the reality of everyday living with family and
friends.  The world is a veil between us and the real world of
the spirit. The circumstances of everyday life do have
importance.

His siblings were his constant companions; they lived in a
country home.  Two relatives were especially important: paternal
grandmother and father's sister, Aunt Betsy. He was very much
influenced by his female relatives.

His sister Hariett was intelligent, active with a quick tongue;
Mary was very sweet.  When JH went to boarding school at age 7 he
sent letters with reading lists and instructions to them for their own studies.

1816 brought financial disaster to the family; Mr. Newman became
a brewer at Alton in Hampshire; JH had a personal conversion to
Christ.

1819 the family moved to London, the brewhouse at Clarkenwell;
1821 the family went bankrupt.  Brother Charles proved useless,
had mental problems; Frank also became an evangelical Christian
though the parents were against excess in religion.

1822 JH went as elected Fellow to Oriel College. Oxford; he was able to help support Frank in college; 1824, his father died; 1825 JH became an Anglican priest as did all Oxford dons; 1833 began the Tractarian
Movement; gave First Communion to his own sisters at his parish
in 1825 in Oxford when the family was staying there in 1825.

He felt Hariett was closest to him in feelings and intellect.

Among family friends was MARIA ROSINA GIBERNE, a vivacious,
artistic romantic, who turned down Frank Newman's marriage proposal, at first disliked JH but later became a friend for life. She tended to excess, sleeping on the floor and whipping herself for penance.

Sister Mary died at the time JH himself was home suffering a
breakdown. JH traveled to Sicily, returned to Oxford and the
beginning of the Oxford Movement.

JHN's family didn't agree with him on the ideas of the Oxford
Movement though they appreciated his sermons (published).  He
could make deep things simple. His mother and sisters helped a
great deal with the charitable work in his parish teaching and
tending the sick.  Mrs. N. laid the cornerstone for the Littlemore Church. But JH felt she misunderstood his religious views and disliked his attitude towards his brothers.  Frank taught classics, married a devout Christian and himself became a Unitarian.  Charles was a failure, a socialist, atheist.  He squandered his inheritance given him early by his mother.  Jemima married John Mozley and Hariett married Tom Mozley. His mother died in 1839.
 

Chapter 2 THE CONVERTS
 

EMILY BOWLES was an ardent Tractarian but converted to RC in 1843
2 years later so did JHN. 1840 England restored the religious orders and it became a possibility for her to become a nun.  N. suggested that to her,
esp. to become a teacher of girls.

MARY HOLMES, a governess, started correspondence with N. in
1840s; involved N. in all her job changes, lacked a good deal of
common sense.  N. turned her spiritual guidance over to RC priests when she became Catholic.

She stayed in touch with N. most of her adult life.
JH did correspond with his sisters, though it was often strained
as they disapproved of the Oxford Movement.  Harriet died at 48.

ELIZABETH BOWDEN. Her husband was a friend of JHN at Oxford and JHN related well to the Bowden family; N. visited them and was very
fond of her children; when her husband died she wrote she wished
to become RC but her brother-in-law objected strongly.  N.
offered advice to go slow; she did convert in 1846 as did her 3
younger children.  N. often stayed at their house when he was in
London; he wrote to her his impressions of Rome and explains his
plans to her for the Oratory.
 QUOTE p. 60

In their correspondence they discussed the difficulties of being single
and widowed in England. She felt like "unwanted merchandise" .

CORNELIA CONNELLY: from Philadelphia, married to an Episcopal clergyman, Pierce Connelly; both became RC, friends of Lord Shrewsbury.1840 Connelly became a RC priest and his wife agreed to a total separation; she joined the Society of the Sacred Heart in Rome;
encouraged by friend to found an educational congregation in
England to be based on Jesuit spirituality. She came to England in 1846, met Newman© his first impression was that she was a rude Yankee!

Catholic life was beginning to flourish in England; Wiseman
advised Miss Bowles to join Mrs. Connelly's venture. But they were
not a good combination.  Miss B. didn't want Mrs. Connelly to
keep her young son with her as it would create a scandal.

The two were offered space for convent school in the slums of Derby--quite a shock for them. School opened in 1848--for middle class girls. Miss Bowles moved to Liverpool and took care of Irish children. Asked her brother for loans to set up school; Mrs. Connelly disapproved of this request to Miss Bowles' brother and removed Emily from her office as head of new school.  Connelly was left with a large, unneeded house.

Miss Bowles went to N. for help; she asked for dispensation from
her vows and left the Society; she and her brothers pressed for
the repayment of the loans--finally settled in 1871!  This was a
botched situation.  Emily was too overbearing. She slandered Mrs.
Connelly to Newman and Wiseman.

Mrs. Connelly suffered greatly from the separation from her 3
children; her husband reverted to Protestantism and sued for
restitution of conjugal rights!  Judgment was given in his favor in 1849.
After more suits, a judgement in her favor, but he took off with
the children, leaving England. P. 69 Summary

Newman heard much more of Miss Bowles’s side of the question over
the years; she needed a mentor, she tried to reenter the  convent
but finally served the church as a lay woman by writing and doing
works of charity.  Newman visited her in 1865.

MARY HOLMES also corresponded with Newman.  He copied her letters
in 1863 and but never published them; titled "A History of a
Conversion to the Catholic Faith" N. noted she was plain with red
hair and a red nose.

Mary Holmes corresponded with Thackery and Trollope, who found
her writing very good. She had the courage to criticize
Trollope's writing to him.  N. worried she was wasting her
talent; she moved about too much and always dissatisfied with her
governess posts.  He sometimes shared with her information on the
conflict between the two Oratories.

MARIA ROSINA GIBERNE was still moving in evangelical circles; left home and shared a home with Miss Selina Bacchus.  N. converted her
brother; N. sent her to Rev. Brownbill, SJ for instruction; she
did not like this priest as he talked to her as to a child.  N.
took all she said seriously and did not treat her as a child.
Selina married, Rosina unhappy, imposed herself on N.

Question: How were single female converts to spend their lives?

ROSINA lived for a while in Rome as a painter; was rebuked in letters
from N. for not eating well.  She did portraits of N., Cardinals
and N.'s friend, Ambrose St. John with Mary floating above as a
protector.

She painted St. Philip for the Oratory (he was the founder of
that congregation) and copied other religious works for N.

N. sent her many details about life at the Oratory; she was treated like a member of his family; other priests would add postscripts to the letter.

Anti-Catholic feelings were on the rise again in England. N. began to lecture and write to combat this (The Achilli affair). Rosina describes the entire Achilli case in her journals.  N. asked her to bring female witnesses from Rome (to Fr. Achilli's misdeeds).  She was charged with bringing these witnesses back to England. It reads like an Italian opera.

Sometimes N. quarreled with Miss Giberne; she could be very nosy
and pushy.  She proclaimed a "spiritual love" for N., which seemed to annoy and embarrass him.  Her devotion was too uninhibited.

He did ask friends to make sure she ate properly while in Rome,
buy a writing desk, cover bare floors for comfort and eat decent
meat.

MARRIED FRIENDS

N. had a great many married friends and was always interested in
family concerns; always kept up with their family life: births,
marriages, deaths; wrote congratulatory letters, etc.

N.'s friend William Froude married CATHERINE HOLDSWORTH. N. uses her letters in the Apologia on the subject of conversion.
She avoided the gushy language N. disliked.  N. answered her
letters at length, pointing out the difference between what was important and what was merely a matter of taste; he felt there was no
need for English ladies to adopt Italianate devotions!

Catherine entered the RC Church in 1857, being careful not to
upset her husband.  Several of her children and grandchildren
became Catholic.

N. had quite a following of young girls, who sent him presents
and verses.  
 P. 111 N's poem in thanks for a cake.
 p. 113 Letter of Mrs. Froude to N.

Mrs. Froude's friend, Mrs. FRANCIS WARD (RC) gives a description
of N. (p. 114) "unearthly, feared hasty conversions, effect of
conversions on relatives”; N. recommended prayer book Garden of
the Soul used by Old Catholics.  He did like converts to learn
the rosary: good for contemplation of the mysteries of Christ's life.

Painful tale of conversion of CATHERINE WARD.

   
Chapter. 3 THE WRITERS

Jane Austen was “the”model, though N. didn't like her depictions of parsons (think of Pride and Prejudice: the silly cousin of the Bennett's).

HARRIET NEWMAN MOZLEY wrote children's stories.  N. liked them.
He also liked her first adult novel Louisa, 1842 and Family  
Adventures. an account of the Newman family life, using different
names.

CHARLOTTE MARY YONGE was the best known, didactic religious
writer, influenced by Keble's views.  Lively narratives with a moral tone. She edited girls' magazine The Monthly Packet. Her most popular novel was The Heir of Radclyffe, 1864.

LADY GEORGIANA FULLERTON, R. C., b. 1812, daughter of Lord
Granville, diplomat, spent youth in Paris.  She married his son,
William in 1834 and lived in Paris with him.  William became a RC in 1833 and didn't tell his wife!

In 1833 she published Ellen Middleton.  Gladstone admired its
moral tone. The Queen and Prince Albert read it.

It had a complicated, melodramatic plot.  At the center of the
book: the necessity for sacramental absolution. It asks: should
Anglican clergymen hear confessions?  P. 128  plot.

N. read it but found it sad and distressful; he did write complimentary comments on other novels, remarking on her "refinement of feeling", "complexity of motive and passion".  She became RC in 1846.

1847, 2nd novel Grantly Manor (see its plot p. 131). Heroine a Catholic
girl, Genevra.  N. comments on the good character, originality,
acuteness of observation but cannot take pleasure in the mental
suffering of the main character.

N. corresponded with Middleton about where to send her son to school.
 
Third novel was Ladybird.  In 1855 her only son died; N. wrote (p.
134) God sends affliction to religious people. She mourned the
rest of her life.

Ellen Middleton was very charitable, helped poor.  She brought three Sisters of
Charity from Paris and helped found the Poor Servants of the Mother of God, to help the poor.

She wrote many religious works, live of the saints, etc., a ‘further novel, Mrs. Gerald's Niece, more a polemic between Anglicans and RCs.  She died in 1885.

N. worried about the danger of religious novels with too much
emotion and not enough deeds.  He made careful comments about all
the novels sent to him.  He wanted novels showing Catholics as
real people-- not the Protestant stereotype as being monsters or
maneuvered by cunning priests.

N's closest writer friend was EMILY BOWLES.  She wrote St. Martha's Home, or a Work for Women 1864.  It contained short stories set in London with not much plot or character development but interesting as social documents; tips on helping the poor, nursing (how to apply a leech).  A good doctor and priest appear in several stories.

1873 In the Carmargue was a travelogue: French farms with love
story.  Life of St. Jane FrancesChantal and other religious writings.

P. 144 One page by N. in great detail on how to improve the
story: include more incidents; more sub-plots like Trollope, 
otherwise "interesting, brilliant, graphic".

Bowles tried to encourage N. to be a more public figure.  P. 146:
N's defense of the Christian laity; they are not ignorant or unintelligent.
She encouraged him to enter into all religious controversies of the day.

N. felt the restraint of the Congregation of Propaganda in Rome (p. 147);
mulls over excessive Church centralization, and fear of curbing
intellectual inquiry. (p. 148)

GERALDINE PENROSE FITZGERALD of Cork, Ireland N. asked Emily Bowles to befriend her; she was a convert; she began writing N. at age 20; he liked her letters for their simplicity and frankness; she had sold a gold and ruby brooch to
buy Apologia; he sent her copies of his older books; she moved to
London; N. sent her to the Jesuits (not the Oratory); she wanted
to become a nun but hid it from her mother; N. thought it unkind
and precipitate; her mother turned out to be understanding about
it; N. visited the mother and sister at their London home, had lunch, told jokes; he enchanted the women.

Fitzgerald did not become a nun but a novelist.  Wrote novels, some under pseudonym "Naseby".  First novel: Ereighda Castle, 2nd Only Three Weeks in 1872.  (P. 151) N. gave a critique of the second; better than her first thoughts on plot and character; could have developed the characters more; lady too young; sometimes preachy; religion should be shown naturally; advised her on finding a publisher.

Correspondence about Ireland; she was from a wealthy Anglo-Irish
family and incensed at Parnell and Land legislation; she was
writing a novel comparing the Irish (lacking truthfulness) and
the English; wanted to satirize Parnell; N. thought it too
serious a subject to joke about; N. felt the last judgement was
coming down on England for years of pride and self-confidence.

Fitzgerald toned down the novel but was upset to see priests in Ireland inciting revolution.
  
1885 Oaks and Birches; N. old at that time and did not read it
but commented that the "Saturday Review" had said it was a
brilliant novel, a clever book to be read more for the characters than the story.

FANNY MARGARET TAYLOR, editor of two magazines, The Lamp and The Month; she could not convince N. to contribute to it;  (P. 155 quotes) He distrusted journalism which claimed to offer orthodox views.  The Jesuits took over The Lamp and it continues to this day.

N. never did want to write for her magazine, but he did give the text of GERONTIUS (p. 156-57) for the Month. He wrote it in 1865; he hadn't really thought of publishing it himself but handed it to Miss Taylor.  he later did publish it himself.

Why are there so many Catholic women writers?

This was one of the few outlets for the intellectual exercise of
their talents.

This was the age of female emancipation; suffrage was being
advocated by J.S. Mill; in 1870 the Married Woman's Property Act
passed; 1890 women could attend Oxford and Cambridge.

P. 158 NEWMAN'S VIEWS ON WOMEN

N. was conservative; other issues interested him more; he could
be a fierce satirist in public but always courteous in personal
relationships; adopted a chivalrous tone; women were creatures to
be protected; he himself was a breadwinner for his mother and
sisters at an early age.

Not one of the Catholic women authors espoused emancipation. They were already fighting the anti-Catholic battle; their one
cause at that time was the Catholic Church.
 

LADY CHATTERTON p. 161 She was a noted novelist, became a Catholic, received into the Church by N. and corresponded with him thereafter.

Lady Chatterton, her second husband, niece and her husband lived
in a moated castle near Birmingham called "Baddersley Clinton".
Lady C. wrote to N. to ask about RC doctrine and express her
disdain for tawdry and doll-like figures of the Blessed Virgin
Mary, the superstition and lack of taste.

N. replied that these devotional objects were for the entire
population, not just for the elite.  More important questions
might be: church corruption, which was a serious charge.

Lady C's first book was Aunt Dorothy's Tales in 1837; account of travels in Ireland She did a translation from Plato! 1859 married 2nd time to Edward H. Dering, an officer of the Coldstream Guards who was 20 younger than she (he had really come courting her niece); they became RC; their home steeped in RC history as it had been a refuge for recusants; 2 couples moved in together. Life at the castle was exotic (p. 164).

Lady C. wrote The Last Bride in 1872; N. stated it was indifferent to creeds and parties; N. could not be lured to visit their country home.

Lady C. seemed unhappy with her new faith, esp. devotion to Mary and the doctrine of the real presence of Christ in the Eucharist. N. defended these practices and told her what had made him so happy the last 20 years.  Lady C. felt alienated from RC
services; didn't like the idea of Purgatory (Gerontius); she felt she had betrayed her own family.

1870 The Doctrine of Papal Infallibility. N. explained it; she almost left the church; Bishop Ullathorne helped her reconcile with the ideas of the Church.  They restored
the chapel in their castle and had mass said there.

Lady C. was deeply engrossed with the problems of faith and
religion. Lady Chatterton’s last work was The Consolation of the Soul, a translation from the Italian of Joseph Frasinetti
‘    
Edward Dering edited Memoirs of Georgiana Lady Chatterton.  She
died 1876.
 

Chapter. 4 THE NUNS
 

N. thought highly of religious life for women.  Many 19th C.converts entered religious life.

MARIANNE BOWDEN had close ties to N.; eldest daughter of his
friends John and Elizabeth Bowden; N. had christened her in his
Anglican days; N. felt God had chosen her for special work.

She was a quiet, devout girl, often ill (TB in family); at 17 already wanted to become a nun; N. felt the Carmelites were too severe for a sick girl and suggested the Convent of the Visitation, near Bristol (order founded by St. Jane Frances Chantal and St. Francis de Sales), which had always admitted older or delicate women, had no long fasts or physical austerities, yet some depressing features, such as no music, little singing, veil across the sanctuary.  She entered in 1852.

P. 179 Letter to N.about the life there; likes her companions, not many hardships; half of the community were converts.

N. wrote a note of sympathy to Mrs. BOWDEN on parting with her
daughter; N. visited her at the convent and preached at the
ceremony when she took her vows; he preached on the beauty of
celibacy. p. 181: on divinely ordained marriage and on celibate life;
virginity as marriage to Christ; Christian virginity different
from cold celibacy (p. 182) She lived out her life in the convent, illuminated texts and cards, helped in the infirmary, sometime acted as Secretary to Rev. Mother.  The philosophy of her convent was to do small
things well.  She died of TB at age 36.
 

Some Catholic Converts Founded Their Own Congregations
 

FANNY MARGARET TAYLOR, foundress of the Poor Servants of the
Mother of God, corresponded with N. frequently. “There were very few women converts of note in England who did not correspond with Newman at one time or another. (p. 187)

Born 1832, her father a rector who educated his daughter, died of TB when daughter ten years old. With older sisters Emma and Charlotte, Fanny attended a pro-Tractarian church.

Emma Taylor became an Anglican nun and Fanny joined too but did
not remain long; at age 22 went to Crimea with Florence Nightingale, became RC in 1855. Returned to London and worked with the poor; under Dr . Manning.  She wrote books, novels, poetry;  her mother needed her to care for her.

1867 Fanny founded the Poor Servants of the Mother of God to care for the poor. This order was guided by Jesuits; had a public laundry to support themselves as  there was no dowry necessary for sisters to join the convent; they took in poor working class girls; there was only one class of sisters.

The Polish Little Servants of Mary provided a model; Lady
Georgiana Fullerton supported them and obtained the rule from the
Polish sisters; in 1869 Miss Taylor traveled to Posen in Poland
to visit the Polish Congregation which ministered to poor rural people.

Taylor's Congregation grew and developed with laundries and
orphanages; spread widely; founded a hospital in Ireland.Taylor
was extremely sympathetic to her nuns, gave them encouragement,
many were uneducated.  She loved the Irish. The center of their
spiritual life was faith in the Incarnation.

CATHERINE ANNE BATHURST was another foundress of an order of nuns with whom N. corresponded for many years.  She had always wanted to become a nun but looked for years for her niche.

Daughter of General James Bathurst, son of the Bishop of Norwich
and Caroline Stuart (of nobility); three brothers all became clergymen; one a RC in 1850, a sister, Catherine, became RC at age 25; Brother Stuart was RC and a friend of N. and introduced them.

N. sent her letters to cheer her and soothe disagreements at home with her non-RC siblings.

Miss B. came to Birmingham to start a parish school for girls.  She was a good manager.  Then she joined a conventual community around Miss Elizabeth Lockhart, the Sisters of Charity of the Precious Blood; and was sent back to Birmingham to work at the parish school for girls; she started an orphanage.

She moved from one order to the other; perhaps a bit deranged, to Belgium, back to Harrow.

N. preferred that nuns be guided by their own superiors; but in
his letters he advised them not to be overly scrupulous in their 
consciences; setbacks don't mean that God is abandoning you.
Life is like a pilgrim's journey.

(P. 198) MARGARET HALLAHAN b. Catholic of Irish parents, East End of
London, both parents died when she was young, she was sent to
orphanage, became a serving girl, deeply religious, charitable,
moved to Belgium with employers, who were cruel to her.Private
vow of chastity.

1835  3rd Order Dominican, visited sick, wore black garb, motto
"God Alone." 1842 returned to England (Midlands) and sought out Dr, Ullathorne of the Benedictine Missionary at Coventry; was put in charge of
girls' parish school and parish visiting.

With three friends formed religious Congregation of St. Catherine of Sienna.

N. met her in 1846; had followed his conversion story; she had
intended to build a proper convent, church and cemetery at Bristol.

She wore a hair shirt though she had skin trouble; always
cheerful wanted proper Latin recitation of the office, some snobs
mocked her; but her community grew to include well educated, cultured people.

One such person was MARIA POOLE, who was orphaned as a young adult, had many marriage proposals, became Tractarian, lived austerely with her sisters; all became RC before N. and wanted to join Mother Margaret Hallahan’s community.  Became a nun, found fasts difficult but soon became right hand helper of Mother Margaret.

N. corresponded with many nuns of the Clifton convent.  Mother
Margaret found English Catholicism cold, threatened not to pray
for N. any longer if he didn't come to visit the convent; he did
come over specially from Ireland for the opening of a church and
preached there in May 1854.  N. had a cordial correspondence with
her; she shared her financial anxieties ; finally had her group
fully acknowledged by Rome a Dominican; granted the privilege of
reciting the Divine Office every day in choir in Latin.

Mother Margaret had great concern for the poor and their souls;
she set up old peoples' homes and orphanages, girls; school
(thought not in favor of higher education or girls because of
state inspections).

N.s view on female education were scarce. Idea of a University
speaks of men only. Mother Margaret's greatest work was founding the Dominican Congregation, died May 1868.  N. praised her greatly.

(P. 213-14) N's ideas on writing for evangelization. He saw Catholics as 
often "raw", needing  to be edified, uplifted. They did not know their religion; some were semi doubting; needed 'Leveling up", important that all denominations be raised up to be one; one ethos, same moral and intellectual state of mind.

We cannot begin at the top but at the foundation.

More on MISS GIBERNE.  She went to visit N's sister Jemima in 1857 asking for pictures, letters of N. with biographical info; N. was strongly against that.

She claimed she had a vivid intimation while praying to the Blessed
Virgin that she should become a nun; visited the Pope, he suggested the Visitation Order; she applied to another order, Benedictine in Rugby, because they practice perpetual adoration of the Blessed Sacrament, but they wouldn't take a 57 year old with bad knees !!  Also rejected by Franciscans.

N. advised her to just settle for a devout life and to find a
friend to live with, to paint and "spend all her money on
herself".  She finally was accepted by the Visitation Convent in1860.

P. 217  N. wrote her to practice self-discipline; she had said
she wanted to "floor" Mother Superior!  N. thought that was a
sinful idea; she was to take a vow of obedience seriously.  She
really showed no sign of a religious vocation. She joined 2 other
religious groups.

P. 219 N. writes her a humorous letter, My dear Sister M P© not
“Member of Parliament”, but Maria Pia -- etc.  The Oratory sent her
money, medicine for her rheumatism.

N. did not usually give detailed spiritual guidance but on occasion when a
person wrote who had the same difficulties as he did he would share his ideas with them.  As an older person, he too had difficulties with meditation; an old mind is weakened, can't hold an idea, eyes dim, hearing dull.  He gave more practical suggestions.  He told Sister Maria to wear warm underwear; she was in Autun with French nuns when Garibaldi's troops entered; she had a breakdown; finally went to Switzerland to recover her health.  She was related to the poet Gerard Manley .Hopkins.

Her letters were embarrassingly effusive to N.  But in a touching
letter to her about the death of his friend Ambrose St. John, he
said he wanted her to know his appreciation for her lest she die
and it was unsaid as it had been with Fr. Ambrose.  Closes by saying: I hope I don't write too small for your eyes.
 

Chapter 5 NUNNISH LADIES 
 

Women by custom could not handle money; Catholics generous to
charity, had churches built; N. preferred classical style or Renaissance architecture of the age of Philip Neri; clerics were spoiled and cared for by devout ladies; often became the subject of satire and humor. Many great benefactresses were named.

N. wrote a letter about parenting to Mary, wife of Baron von
Huegel (p. 229). Leave your son alone, don't force things.

Lady Herbert of Lea wrote religious novels and biographies, promoted
social work.

N. speaks of setting up Catholic schools not run by nuns but rather by
"Nunnish ladies".  N. wanted young, devout women to come and help
with parish work and form some loose organization or maybe like
Oratory, with friendship as the base, not vows.

N. wrote a charming letter to Peter Bretherton's daughter
Eleanore, when she was sent off for health to boarding school and
was made "Abbess for a Day"  p. 243. Later N. tried to save her
from an unwise marriage, but instead did marry the couple and
baptize some of the 12 children; her husband never prospered and
they had a difficult life with sickness; but N. always wrote her--
not about high theology but about her daily cares, always words of
encouragement.  N. sent money for her boys when they attended
Jesuit school. Eleanore had a long, difficult life of illness and hardship.

P. 250  Mrs. Frances Wootten, an old widowed friend of N. from the Oratory parish. Newman, responding to convert parents, wanted to open a school for boys as a feeder, like Eton, to go to university. Birmingham Oratory School for boys was formed; with good teaching and emphasis on good health, esp. for delicate boys; family atmosphere with lay masters, Mrs. Wootten was engaged as Matron to inculcate gentle matters; school opened in 1859; classical, rigorous curriculum; friction between Fr. Darnell, the prefect, a disciplinarian and Mrs. Wootten.  N. backed Mrs. Wootten v. Darnell in argument; she fell ill, and had to be replaced; N. especially took the view of the pupil's mothers, who liked the special care she gave their boys.N. wrote letters to the parents at the end of term; wrote of the progress of the whole person (P. 259.)
 

Chapter 6 LATER YEARS
 

N. resumed contact with his sister Jemima; never saw his nephews till they were grown; finally began visits in 1867; played music together.

N. had to learn to defend Papal infallibility, many wrote letters
disagreeing with extreme views promoted before 1870; he said we must be obedient.  Invited to Rome to consult on a Vatican Council commission, declined; N. asked a female correspondent, Miss Holmes her opinion on the last section of his work Grammar of Assent (1870). Wrote Letter to the Duke of Norfolk in answer to Gladstone's attack on the Church’s national loyalty vis a vis the papacy; N. tried to give moderate views of infallibility, saying that it was hedged in by Scriptural and other limits on Papal power.

Many of N's friends died. In 1877 he was made honorary fellow of Trinity College, Oxford; was made cardinal by Pope Leo XIII

p. 289 N. chose his niece Anne Mozley to edit his letters; she was Anglican but a true friend.

-OOO-

Mary Klein Killough
09-18-2002