Perhaps you've heard of Newman Centers — the Catholic outposts for students that are built near university campuses.
Perhaps you've sung the hymn "Lead, Kindly Light" or heard the expression "Growth is the only evidence of life."
Whatever the connection, chances are your life has crossed paths at some point with John Henry Newman.
In September, the Pope "beatified" Newman. That is, he declared him "blessed," the final step before making him a Catholic saint. Undoubtedly Newman will eventually make the cut and join the ranks of St. Joan of Arc, St. Peter and St. Patrick.
Born in Britain in 1801, Newman was a contemporary of Joseph Smith. He wrote "Lead Kindly Light" about the time Joseph was giving us the Book of Mormon. And in 1845 — just after Joseph had crossed over — Newman left the Protestants and crossed over himself to Catholicism. He was such a force, such a scholar and brilliant thinker, his conversion rattled Christianity.
When Newman is finally declared a saint, he will probably become the patron saint — the heavenly helper — of scholars, poets and teachers.
But in my mind, he will always be the patron saint of conversion.
Leaving one faith to join another calls for special courage. You must not only change the way you see the world, but many times you are forced to forge new friendships, abandon former colleagues and even disrupt a family.
LDS missionaries see such courage often. The history of Christian churches are based on it — from St. Paul on the road to Damascus to St. Francis leaving a world of riches to embrace a life of poverty.
But conversion is more than a grand shift in our lives. If, as Newman said, "Growth is the only evidence of life," then we grow by making small conversions to new ways of thinking and seeing.
Racists can convert to acceptance.
Angry people can convert to kindness.
Sometimes, like Tevye in "Fiddler on the Roof," we say a change is too great, that we can't bend that far, that embracing a new direction will undermine our lives and destroy everything we have.
But as Tevye found, that is seldom the case.
Usually our fears turn out to be nothing more than dark fantasies. And in our willingness to stretch, we find ourselves blossoming inside.
That is what happened to John Henry Newman.
And if we are truly alive, it must to happen to us as well — if not in grandiose ways, in small ways, in the attitudes we have toward people who are different, who ask only not to be persecuted and rejected.
e-mail: jerjohn@desnews.com