Oxford University Catholic Club

The Newman Society: Oxford University Catholic Society (est. 1878 and 1990; current form 2012) is Oxford University's oldest Roman Catholic organisation, a student society named as a tribute to Cardinal Newman, who agreed to lend his name to a group formed seventeen years before the English hierarchy formally permitted Catholics to attend the university. The society was created by the merger in 2012 of the Newman Society and Oxford University Catholic Society, two independent Catholic student groups, which combined in order to bear witness to the unity and catholicity of the Church. It exists, according to its constitution, to: 'work in conjunction with the Chaplains to support and encourage Catholic students in their Christian vocation by promoting their personal, intellectual and spiritual development, social interaction, and apostolic witness within the broader context of their university experience', and has served as the model for Catholic student societies throughout the English-speaking world. While remaining aware and proud of the extensive heritage of the Newman Society, set out below, the Society is intensely conscious of its responsibility as the contemporary representative of the entire student Catholic community of Oxford University.

Today, the Society is made up of a diverse range of Oxford's student Catholics, from all backgrounds and representing a wide range of traditions with the Church. Thus, while many are involved with contemporary worship styles, such as Taizé and 'Praise and Worship' events, support for the Extraordinary Form is ongoing, as part of a broadly-based spirituality. Blessed John Henry Newman remains very much the Society's patron, with a June 2014 walking pilgrimage to the site of his conversion, at Littlemore on the outskirts of Oxford, attracting am enthusiastic turnout.

While the Society is based at the University Catholic Chaplaincy, it has links with central Oxford's other Catholic churches: Blackfriars, St Benet's, and the Oratory. The presence of the Society of Jesus in the Chaplaincy has added an additional dimension to the ethos of the Society, with Ignatian spirituality being increasingly popular, particularly among the members of the Christian Life Community groups. The Society is strongly committed to charitable work, with many members participating the activities of the Society of St Vincent de Paul, including an early morning soup run, while CAFOD and Aid to the Church in Need are also supported.

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