About the Institute
The National Institute for Newman Studies promotes serious engagement with Newman's life and thought through a premier research library, publications, fellowships, and the world's largest digital Newman archive.
About Saint John Henry Newman
John Henry Newman stands as a giant in the fields of theology, philosophy, and education. Influencing many academic and spiritual disciplines, Newman's writings and his lifelong search for religious truth continue to inspire scholars throughout the world.
Newman began his public life as a fellow of Oriel College and, soon after, as Vicar of St. Mary the Virgin Church in Oxford, England. He was a leader of the Oxford Movement which began in 1833. A prominent member of the Church of England for the first half of his life, he converted to Roman Catholicism in 1845. Two years later, Newman founded the first English-speaking Oratory of St. Philip Neri in Birmingham, England. In 1851, Newman undertook the founding of the Catholic University of Ireland in Dublin. He was made a cardinal of the Catholic Church in 1879. His many scholarly works have remained a significant force.
Our History
The Institute was conceived as a forum for exchanging ideas and discoveries about Newman's thought and its continuing relevance.
2000
Fr. Vincent J. Giese, founder of the Venerable John Henry Newman Association, passed away, leaving behind an extensive Newman collection.
2002
Fr. Drew Morgan and Mrs. Catharine M. Ryan envisioned a center where scholars could access Newman documents and materials. The Giese collection was brought to Pittsburgh, and the National Institute for Newman Studies was born.
2003
The first Newman scholar was welcomed. Since then, dozens of scholars have come to the Institute, receiving substantial support to advance their research.
2004
The Newman Studies Journal was established. Over 25 issues have been published since that time.
2005
The digitizing of Newman's published works was initiated to create the Newman Knowledge Kiosk, hosted by Crivella West Inc. Collaboration with the University of Toronto, Saint Mary's College in Moraga, CA, Boston College, and The Pittsburgh Oratory Library led to the achievement of this goal.
2007
The Gailliot Center for Newman Studies opened. The center was built to accommodate the Newman Research Library, administrative offices, and four residential suites for visiting scholars.
2010
The Institute established an affiliation with Duquesne University. This year also marked the creation of the Ryan Endowed Chair in Newman Studies.
2013
An agreement with the Birmingham Oratory initiated the digitization of Newman's handwritten manuscripts, located in their Newman Archive. The John Rylands Library of the University of Manchester was contracted to perform the digitization.
2016
The Institute renewed its affiliation with Duquesne University. The digitization of Newman's archive was completed, resulting in over 238,000 digital images. The Gailliot Award for Newman Studies was established.
2017
The Newman Studies Journal underwent a redesign and entered a contract to be published by the Catholic University of America Press.
2018
Joining a global community of leading research libraries, NINS began building a cloud-based digital collections platform on the International Image Interoperability Framework (IIIF). The system — which would launch as Rednal — gives scholars uniform, high-resolution access to image-based archives, their metadata, and transcriptions.
2019
NINS launched Rednal, its IIIF-based digital collections platform, just months before Newman's canonization. It has since grown into the largest digital archive of Newman-related material in the world.
2019
NINS witnessed the canonization of Saint John Henry Newman in St. Peter's Square.
2019
Duquesne University incorporated a Catholic Studies Program into their curriculum.
2024
NINS begins funding doctoral candidates in Newman studies through the Department of Theology and Religion and the Centre for Catholic Studies.
2025
Pope Leo XIV declared St. John Henry Newman the 38th Doctor of the Church and the Universal Church's co-patron of Catholic education.
2026
NINS announced that Rednal — now home to more than a million digitized canvases — will become an open-source project, sharing its digital-archive technology freely with libraries and institutions worldwide. The first public release is anticipated in 2027.
Meet Our Team
Office Manager
National Institute for Newman Studies
Bridget's background is with nonprofit and educational organizations, specializing in quality assurance, strategic planning, and grants management. She is highly involved with her parish, service, and social justice organizations, and with diocesan committees. Bridget's personal interests include the Gaelic language, kayaking, travel, and theology.
Pittsburgh, PA · (412) 681-4375 ext. 100 · Contact Bridget
Director; Associate Editor, NSJ
National Institute for Newman Studies
Christopher Cimorelli is the Director of the National Institute for Newman Studies and Associate Editor of the Newman Studies Journal. He holds a bachelor's degree in Economics and a master's degree in Theology and Religious Studies from Villanova University. Before beginning advanced graduate work, he was the Editorial Assistant of Commonweal Magazine (2008–2010). He holds a master's degree in Advanced Studies in Theology and Religion (2011) and a doctorate in Theology (2015) from Katholieke Universiteit Leuven (Belgium), where he studied under the Newman scholar, Prof. Dr. Terrence Merrigan. Prior to working at the Institute, he was an Assistant Professor of Theology at Caldwell University (2016–2020), where he served as chair of the Department of Theology and Philosophy in 2020.
He is the author of the monograph John Henry Newman's Theology of History: Historical Consciousness, 'Theological Imaginaries', and the Development of Tradition (Peeters, 2017) and the co-editor of Salvation in the World: The Crossroads of Public Theology (Bloomsbury, 2017). He has varied research interests, including Newman studies, doctrinal development, views of doctrine and the magisterium, apophatic theology, spirituality, and ecotheology.
Dr. Cimorelli is available to speak at your institution about Newman and Newman-related topics. Please contact him to learn more.
Pittsburgh, PA · (412) 681-4375 ext. 103 · Contact Christopher
Senior Archivist and UK Agent
National Institute for Newman Studies
Lawrence Gregory joined the NINS team as archivist in December 2016, working remotely from the United Kingdom, with biannual visits to Pittsburgh. Born in Lancashire, England and educated at St Bede’s RC College, Manchester, UK, Lawrence graduated from the University of Liverpool in 2017 with a Masters Degree in Archival Science. He worked for fifteen years as assistant archivist to the Roman Catholic Diocese of Salford, UK, 2002-2017 and concurrently as Corporate Records Manager at the Danwood Group Ltd 2007-2015. Lawrence is also an English Catholic historian covering the late-modern period, with expertise in the English Northern Dioceses, and specialises in the career of Cardinal Herbert Vaughan. He has published A History St Bede’s College, Manchester 1876-1950, as well as the award winning historical biographical volumes of The Clergy of the Diocese of Salford. Lawrence also sits as chairman & trustee of both the Catholic Archives Society and the Lancashire & Cheshire Antiquarian Society; he was admitted as a member of British Mensa in December 2021. In 2024 he was presented with the national award for Outstanding Individual Contribution, by the British Association for Local History and the National Archives. In 2025 he commenced his PhD at Durham University on the relationship between Cardinal Newman and Cardinal Vaughan.
As Senior Archivist, Lawrence's role with NINS is to act as archival advisor, to oversee the cataloging, and research of the digitized papers, and while acting as British agent, identifying potentially relevant archival material, developing relationships with stakeholders, then overseeing, and managing the digitization projects to their conclusion. He also works to acquire relevant bibliographical collections to add to the Institute physical library. Finally, Lawrence provides training seminars in archival methods and paleography.
Head of Research and Publications; Associate Editor, NSJ
National Institute for Newman Studies
Elizabeth Huddleston is the Head of Research and Publications at the National Institute for Newman Studies and the Associate Editor for the Newman Studies Journal. She holds a bachelor's degree in Music Education from the University of Georgia, a master's degree in Theological Studies from the University of Dayton, and a doctorate in Theology also from the University of Dayton. Her dissertation, “Divine Revelation as Rectrix Stella: The Evolution of Wilfrid Ward's Doctrine of Divine Revelation,” was completed in 2019 under the direction of Dr. William L. Portier.
Dr. Huddleston's research interests include the reception of Newman's doctrine of revelation in nineteenth- and twentieth-century theology, the relationship between music and theology, ecumenical and inter-faith conversations, and the intersection of dogmatic theology with Christian mysticism.
Dr. Huddleston is available to speak at your parish or school about Newman and Newman-related topics. Please contact her to learn more.
Pittsburgh, PA · (412) 681-4375 ext. 102 · Contact Elizabeth
Chief Technology Officer
National Institute for Newman Studies
Dr. Daniel T. Michaels (“Danny”) is the Chief Technology Officer at the National Institute for Newman Studies. He leads agile software development teams and archivists in the United States, UK, and India. Dr. Michaels is a seasoned leader with deep roots in educational technology, digital humanities, and executive leadership. Recent roles include President of Trend Academic, an IT services provider for higher education; Vice President of Technology for Mongoose Metrics, a telephony software and attribution company; and CIO of Quincy University.
He has served as a consultant and board member to the Commission on the Franciscan Intellectual-Spiritual Tradition (CFIT) since 2003, and is a past President of the Newman Foundation of Northern Ohio and past Secretary of the College Theology Society. His early research on medieval biblical exegesis and narrative art—beginning with pioneering 3D gaming software of the Basilica of St. Francis in Assisi—launched more than two decades of leadership in the digital humanities. He is the author of two forthcoming volumes on archival digitization: Faithful Reproductions: A Practical Guide to Digitization Standards for Catholic Archives, published by the Catholic Archive Society, and the broader The Standards-Based Archive: Preservation Imaging for Libraries, Archives, and Special Collections.
Pittsburgh, PA · (412) 681-4375 ext. 104 · Contact Daniel
Editor, Newman Studies Journal
Ryan Endowed Chair for Newman Studies, Duquesne University
Kenneth Parker completed his Ph.D. at the University of Cambridge in 1984, under the direction of Professor Eamon Duffy. His research interest in John Henry Newman began during his post-doctoral studies at the University of Fribourg in the late 1980s. Dr. Parker has taught at the University of Alabama and Westmont College, and served in the historical theology Ph.D. program at Saint Louis University for twenty-five years. In 2014, the College of Arts and Sciences at SLU named him the Steber Professor in Theological Studies.
While serving as interim executive director of the National Institute for Newman Studies in 2017, Professor Parker was invited to take up the Ryan Endowed Chair for Newman Studies at Duquesne University. He is the author or editor of seven volumes and numerous essays and articles. He has served as Editor of the Newman Studies Journal since 2016.
Duquesne University, Pittsburgh, PA · Contact Kenneth
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