Today is the feast day of St. John Henry Newman. He has been dear to my heart for a number of years. When I was an Anglican, and was drawn to the depth of reverent liturgy, and the historic understanding of the faith, it was Newman who helped me think through a number of issues of the faith. What bothered me (back then only) was how he had a very clear understanding of the faith, and yet he "swam the Tiber" and became Catholic. I thought if someone really understood the Anglican faith, then he would stay Anglican. I could not accept that Newman did not understand the faith; he was so brilliant, only a fool would presume he did not know the truth. Yet, if he knew the truth, and became Catholic, then there must be something to the Catholic faith that I did not know. Well, you can guess the rest. I took a step further in the theological journey, and found the One, Holy, Catholic, and Apostolic Church. God is truly patient with us!