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The Newman Idea (TNI) is a religious and educational 501(c)(3) that teaches college students to see their faith as integral to thinking and seeking truth. Inspired by St. John Henry Newman, the great cardinal and patron of higher education, TNI offers the IKON® Program, which features accredited, interdisciplinary courses that provide students an intellectual foundation to integrate their Catholic faith with their majors, careers, and lives.
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OUR Story
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Dr. Don Briel
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The Spirituality of Education begins in our desire to know and ends in our desire to love
- David Delio
The Newman Idea began as a conversation among friends eating fried chicken at Willie Mae's Scotch House in New Orleans, LA.
It was the summer of 2017 and three colleagues conversed about the goals of higher education, students lives, professors lives and what could possibly be done.
Within six months, we were blessed to be formed by Don Briel (click image on left), and began a study group inspired by St. John Henry Newman (click image on right). We read deeply from history, philosophy, education, theology and literature and knew we were onto something.
After creating a board, we needed to take the next step, and by June 2018 we registered The Newman Idea in Louisiana, and the rest as they say is history (in the making!)
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Saint J.H. Newman
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WHY I DO THIS...
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The Newman Idea was founded by friends and colleagues who wanted to respond to the ongoing crisis in Catholic education. By God's Providence, we met Don Briel in the Fall of 2017, and through his vision and insight started to come together. We wanted to reach students, especially those at secular schools, who suffer in quiet desperation for meaning, who don’t understand the power of faith in their studies, and who desire personal integrity in college and as they mature. However, The Newman Idea is not a just another ministry for college students to help them find their faith...
For me its personal.
Over 25 years ago, I was one of those Catholics who went off to college, and in short order, fell away. My parents did a fine job raising me in the faith, but I thought the wide world had more to offer. I moved from Massachusetts to a new country -Texas - which was a wonderful culture shock. Being in a strange land and taking challenging courses, questions arose¾in the dorms, in the dining hall, in my classes, within me - and I felt no one could answer them.
The deepest questions I had were about God and justice, and our campus ministry/Newman Center didn’t seem to have a place for them. Eventually, I locked the questions away, as they had no relevance to the pressing concerns of college life. By the end of my sophomore year things were so confusing, nothing made sense. I remember calling home and saying, “Dad, I want to drop out, play music, and work.” And I did…
Through the love of my family and the grace of Christ, I returned to college, graduating with degrees in history, education, and a PhD in Theology. But the experience of being lost stayed with me, and three years ago Christ called me to give back.
I have been a lecturer/professor for over a decade, teaching at The Catholic University of America, Georgetown University, and until last year, an Associate Professor at the University of Holy Cross in New Orleans, Louisiana. I have seen firsthand and researched how young Catholics are losing their faith in subtle and devastating ways. This is in part because of a crisis in Catholic higher education.
I have come to see that The Newman Idea is unique and urgently needed: At a time when young Catholics are leaving the Church in unprecedented numbers, TNI gives coherence to their faith, studies, and careers. We are confronting this crisis through the IKON® (Integral Knowing Originating in Newman) Program, taught in person and online by professors for Catholic students at Catholic but especially at secular universities.
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