A new painting depicting the reception of St John Henry Newman into the Catholic Church in October 1845 is now on view at St Margaret Mary, Perry Common.

The painting is the work of Bristol-based artist, and member of the Ordinariate of Our Lady of Walsingham, Michael Long.

It forms part of a Newman Gallery project at the church made possible thanks to a number of grants and the people of St Margaret Mary.

The gallery also includes a kitchenette for refreshments, seating, screen for teaching, resources for First Holy Communion and the Youth Club.

The project cost over £30,000 and was made possible thanks to a combination of grants and parish fundraising including The National Lottery Community Fund, Allchurches Trust Limited, Active Citizen Funding (West Midlands Police and Crime Commissioner) and The Friends of the Ordinariate of Our Lady of Walsingham.

The painting shows Blessed Dominic Barberi, an Italian missionary priest (Passionist order) on the left and St John Henry Newman on the right. The location is Littlemore, near Oxford. 

Dominic Barberi had travelled to Littlemore by open coach in bad weather, which is why he was warming himself by the fire (centre).  The desk to the right is the desk Newman wrote the book, An Essay on the Development of Christian Doctrine.  

Barberi was beatified by Pope Paul VI in 1963. Newman was beatified by Pope Benedict on his visit to Birmingham in 2010 and canonised by Pope Francis last October in Rome.

St Margaret Mary Newman Gallery - artwork explanation

WATCH! A video explanation of the new painting

Parish Priest, Fr Simon Ellis, with the new painting.