John Henry Newman received into the Roman Catholic Church at Littlemore

Background. Newman, originally an evangelical academic at Oxford, became a notable leader of the Oxford Movement, an influential group of Anglicans seeking to restore pre-Reformation Catholic beliefs. He lived at Littlemore from 1842 to 1846 under quasi-monastic discipline. In February 1843, he published a retractation of anti-Catholic statements, signaling his gradual shift toward Roman Catholicism.

Reception. Newman preached his last Anglican sermon, the valedictory "The parting of friends", at Littlemore on 25 September 1843, and resigned the living of St Mary's, though he did not leave Littlemore for two more years. An interval of two years then elapsed before his formal reception into the Catholic Church on 9 October 1845 by Dominic Barberi, an Italian Passionist, at the college in Littlemore. This event was considered a sensation at the time.

Impact. Newman's reception had a profound effect on the Oxford Movement, calling into question the via media between Low Church Anglicanism and Catholicism. His conversion secured prestige for the Roman Catholic Church in Britain. The effect on the wider Tractarian movement is debated, with some scholars regarding his leading role as overstated.