Page:The Church of England, its catholicity and continuity.djvu/195

 doctrines while exercising his office as an Anglican priest in London. His license to perform his sacred duties was revoked until he should renounce his errors. These events helped to shake Newman's faith in the Church of England. He withdrew from the living of S. Mary's, and retired to Littlemore—about two miles from Oxford—where he had built a Church in connection with S. Mary's—to think over his position and to decide upon his future course of action. At the end of the year 1841 he describes himself as being on his death-bed with regard to the Church of England—the Church of his baptism. In February, 1843, he wrote, "I made a formal recantation of all the hard things which I had said against the Church of Rome. In September I resigned the living of S. Mary's, Littlemore included. &hellip; As I advanced, my difficulties so cleared away that I ceased to speak of the Roman Catholic and boldly called them Catholics."

On October 8th, 1845, he wrote to some friends from Littlemore: "I am this night expecting Father Dominic the Passionist. I mean to ask of him admission into the one fold of Christ."

On February 23rd, 1846, Newman left Oxford. He was received into the Church of Rome, and for many years to come he did not see his University again. Oakley and Ward very soon followed in his footsteps.

The blow which this act of Newman gave to thousands of Englishmen cannot be described. His action has been spoken of as "a national calamity." It was a pity to lose him. He and his fellow-workers were good men, and in a