Near midnight of September 8, 1845, Father Dominic Barberi was waiting for an Anglican priest who was asking his counsel and direction. There had been a great downpour of rain, and Father Dominic was near the fireplace, drying his clothes. Father Dominic later wrote:
“The door opened – and what a spectacle it was for me to see at my feet John Henry Newman, begging me to hear his confession and admit him to the bosom of the Catholic Church! And there by the fire he began his general confession with extraordinary humility and devotion… In the morning … I received [his] profession of faith... On the following morning, I said Holy Mass for the first time in their private Oratory … At the Mass I gave Holy Communion to Mr. Newman and four other companions of his, formerly Protestant, and now most fervent Catholics.”
John Henry Newman is now a Saint of the Catholic Church, and Father Dominic Barberi, a Passionist priest, is beatified.