Want to see a first-class relic of Cardinal John Henry Newman in the United States? Head to the Church of Our Savior in New York City, which is the first U.S. shrine dedicated to Cardinal Newman.

Archbishop Timothy Dolan of New York will bless the shrine on Sept. 23, according to the Cardinal Newman Society. That’s just a few days after Pope Benedict XVI beatifies Cardinal Newman in Birmingham, England, on Sept. 19. (Follow the papal itinerary here.)

“What a great tribute to this wonderful priest and scholar, whose example and thought are so relevant to the Church in the United States today,” wrote Patrick Reilly, president of the Cardinal Newman Society, in a letter to Father George Rutler, Catholic author and EWTN host who erected the Newman shrine at the Church of Our Savior.

“We believe that your Newman shrine is the very first in this nation, and we hope that students in particular at Catholic colleges and at Newman Centers and campus ministries on college campuses will make a special pilgrimage to the Church of Our Savior on Oct. 9,” Reilly added.

Cardinal Newman was received into the Church on Oct. 9 by Blessed Dominic Barberi in 1845. That will also be his feast day for the Oratories of St. Philip Neri in England, which Cardinal Newman established in Birmingham and London.

The Cardinal Newman Society is leading the official American pilgrimage to Newman’s beatification. Follow real-time reports on the pilgrimage from Sept. 16-20 at CardinalNewmanSociety.org.

See the Register’s coverage in the Sept. 12 issue and here. Be sure to watch the website for updates throughout the Holy Father’s trip.