Cardinal Newman Audio Library

Cardinal Newman Audio Library is an app that reads aloud the sermons of Saint John Henry Newman, the English convert and cardinal the Church canonized in 2019. It holds close to two hundred of his sermons in audio form.

The collection is his "Parochial and Plain Sermons," recorded as spoken word so you can listen rather than read. The talks are sorted into categories — Scripture themes, feast days, and a wide range of subjects about the Christian life and Church teaching. You download the app free and can sample a talk in each category, then pay to unlock the whole library. It streams, so it does not eat up storage on your phone.

Newman writes plainly and goes straight for the heart, and hearing his words read aloud suits them well. I put one on during a drive and found myself turning it over for the rest of the day. He has a way of describing the ordinary slack in our faith that still lands a hundred and fifty years later.

It is a good fit for a commute, a walk, or any time you want something substantial in your ears instead of another podcast. It suits people who already love Newman and those who have only heard the name and want a way in.

Worth knowing: these sermons come from Newman's Anglican years, before he entered the Catholic Church, so a few points reflect where he stood at the time rather than his later Catholic writing, though the Church holds them in high regard. The full library sits behind a one-time purchase, and the reading is straightforward narration, not a dramatic performance.

It is free to sample, with a paid upgrade for the full collection, made by WGQM Partners, LLC. You can find it on the App Store: Cardinal Newman Audio Library. For unhurried spiritual reading you can listen to, it is well worth the space.