THE beatification of Cardinal John Henry Newman by the Pope will be celebrated by both Anglicans and Catholics today.
The Pontiff, on a four day state visit to Britain, will move Cardinal Newman a step closer to becoming a saint at an open-air mass in Birmingham.
The beatification will be the first to be carried out by Benedict XVI since he was elected in 2005, following his lifelong interest in the cardinal.
Catholic leaders in Oxford said the ceremony would be an important one for followers.
Cardinal Newman built SS Mary and Nicholas Church, in Sandford Road, while still an Anglican in 1835. He converted in 1845.
Three years later he built the village’s primary school which still bears his name.
The Rev Margreet Armitstead, an Anglican vicar, paid tribute to the Cardinal’s legacy in Littlemore. She said: “His most important role was building the church and school because Littlemore did not have them beforehand.
“He brought people in the area together and that is something we still try to do.”
The church has unveiled a new portrait of Cardinal Newman to mark his beatification. Pictured is
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