By Archbishop salvatore Joseph Cordileone
On the solemnity of All Saints this past Nov. 1, the Church witnessed a moment of quiet but profound significance. Before tens of thousands of pilgrims gathered in St. Peter’s Square, Pope Leo XIV officially declared St. John Henry Newman the 38th doctor of the Church and named him co-patron of education alongside St. Thomas Aquinas. In this context, the title “doctor” means “teacher” and is bestowed on a saint whose life and writings have shaped the Church’s understanding of truth in an enduring way. Newman now stands among doctors such as St. Augustine, St. Jerome, St. Catherine of Siena and St. Thérèse of Lisieux – saints whose wisdom and witness have instructed Christian hearts for centuries.
Why Newman, and why now?
The Holy Father’s decision to declare Newman a doctor and co-patron of education is more than an honorific gesture; it is a reminder of the very heart of Catholic education and a call to renewal. Newman’s episcopal motto, “Cor ad cor loquitur” – “heart speaks to heart” – offers a key to understanding this moment. What, then, are the implications of “Cor ad cor loquitur” – heart speaking to heart – for our Catholic schools today?
First, Catholic education is, at its heart, personal.
While Catholic schools rightly take pride in rigorous academics and high standards, Newman insists that the heart of education is more personal. It unfolds in the relationship between teacher and student, in the trust and partnership between school and family, and in the quiet work of accompaniment. True education, Newman teaches, cannot be automated, reduced to utility or replaced by even the most sophisticated forms of artificial intelligence. It finds its incarnation in relationship – in heart speaking to heart. Pope Leo captured this beautifully in his homily that morning in St. Peter’s Square: “At the heart of the educational journey, we do not find abstract individuals but real people… We are called to form people, so that they may shine like stars in their full dignity.”
Second, Catholic schools are places of encounter.
They evangelize first by cultivating cultures in which young people experience themselves as known, loved and taken seriously. The Gospel becomes credible when it comes through the witness of adults who care for students and who model integrity, virtue and fidelity. Faith is transmitted by witness before it is transmitted by words. “Heart speaks to heart” means that all truth, including the truths of the faith, reaches young people most powerfully when it is embodied – when the truths of the Gospel take flesh in the adults who teach, coach, mentor and accompany them. A school’s greatest strength is faithful teachers who help students incline the ear of their hearts to recognize the voice of God – in prayer, in creation and in the life of the Church. The Catholic identity of a school is revealed not only through curriculum, but through the witness of teachers who live the faith with integrity – heart speaking to heart. As Newman wrote, “The heart is commonly reached, not through the reason, but through the imagination… Persons influence us, voices melt us, looks subdue us, deeds inflame us” (“The Tamworth Reading Room,” 1841).
Finally, we must resist purely utilitarian measures of success.
Newman reminds us that true education forms the whole person. He resisted the reduction of schooling to mere skill acquisition or workforce preparation. A Catholic school’s worth cannot be reduced to test scores, rankings or college admissions. Even more importantly, neither can we reduce the dignity of the student to these same reductive measures. If the heart is at stake, then education must shape not only the intellect but imagination, conscience and the call to holiness. Catholic schools aim not only at what students know or can do, but at who God is calling them to become.
Our Catholic schools are a great treasure of the Church and of our archdiocese! As we celebrate Catholic Schools Week, join me in praying for our Catholic schools, their students and their families. May St. John Henry Newman’s vision of Catholic education – of heart speaking to heart – remind us that every classroom, playground and prayer is a place where the heart of Christ speaks to each young person through the love of those who teach them.
