Why Second Spring?

Several years ago, when I was pastor of Saint Maria Goretti in Arlington, we were about to begin a Capital Campaign. Simultaneously, John Henry Newman was being pronounced “Blessed.”  His beatification was about to take place. Reading about his conversion to Catholicism from Anglicanism, he marveled that so many male students at Oxford and other English Universities were also converting to the Roman Catholic Church. They were inspired by his apologias and declarations as to why he was being led to Rome. John Henry Newman entitled this resurgence of many, many English people also converting to Rome as England’s SECOND SPRING. He wrote in rhapsody and marvel of this “surge” of the Holy Spirit as Englishmen were recovering their roots and, for the first time, reading the Church Fathers, who heavily influenced Cardinal Newman.  
When I came to Saint Andrew, Blessed Newman was then being named SAINT and his Canonization date was published. Since Newman’s name was being hallowed in the Catholic Press and his writings were becoming even more extant, it seemed appropriate to pick up from where I’d left off at Saint Maria Goretti. For that reason, I felt it appropriate to name our “renewal” of stewardship and new movement at Saint Andrew as a SECOND SPRING.
So that’s the story. Preaching this included “the new Evangelization” theme of St. Pope John Paul II, the Great. It all just dovetailed over a period of years during my time in Arlington and now here. Since conversion and renewal and metanoia all point to beginning again, SECOND SPRING just felt worthy of imitation from the Good English Saint Newman. I think that great soul suffered tremendously in his life because of his conversion. He experienced bad press and the loss of both family and life-long friends when he “crossed the Tiber.”
Catholic Cardinals and Bishops were not that welcoming, and jealousy reined. Yet he endured much suffering with a spirit of surrender and humility. He was not of a warrior nature. His brilliant mind only had time and focus for THE TRUTH. Anything or anyone else outside of this just had to be endured as the cost of discipleship. I have a portrait of him in my office. I look at him and ask him to help and sustain ministers and all the Church, particularly in these very strange times. He had a fabric made of steel gleaned from deep prayer and love of Jesus Christ and His TRUE Church. I capitalize that because he did and that’s about all he’d need to say. If people wanted explanations, they could read his massive works. He inspires me. I tell people, consequently, rather than argue with others about the Catholic Church, tell them to get a Catechism of the Catholic (CCC) Church and let them read and refer for themselves. It’s all there and points grandly to the Sacred Scriptures for what we believe, as well as the many Councils down through the ages.  
Blessings and gratitude+++
Fr. Jim Gigliotti, T.O.R.