The Newman Society: The Oxford Catholic Society is Oxford University's oldest Roman Catholic organization. It is a student society named as a tribute to John Henry Cardinal Newman, who agreed to lend his name to a group formed seventeen years before the English hierarchy formally permitted Catholics to attend the university. The society acquired its current form and title following the merger in 2012 of the pre-existing Newman Society and Oxford University's Catholic Society. It exists, according to its constitution, to 'work in conjunction with the Chaplains to support and encourage Catholic students in their Christian vocation by promoting their personal, intellectual and spiritual development, social interaction, and apostolic witness within the broader context of their university experience' and has served as the model for Catholic students' societies throughout the English-speaking world.