The Cardinal Newman Society (CNS) announced today, December 16, that the 2010-2011 edition of The Newman Guide to Choosing a Catholic College is now available to Catholic families and students as a free application for both the iPhone and iPod touch platforms.

The Newman Guide app was developed in partnership with the iPieta development team, which publishes the popular iPieta app for the iPhone.

“Our goal in publishing The Newman Guide is to help Catholic families navigate the often confusing world of choosing a Catholic college based on strong Catholic identity,” said Tom Mead, Executive Vice President of The Cardinal Newman Society.

“The Guide was already available as a book and as a free resource on TheNewmanGuide.com, but what was missing was a version that took advantage of new mobile technologies.  Partnering with iPieta to develop this app was an easy decision based on the design and faithfulness, not to mention ease of use, of their own iPhone application.”

The iPhone version of The Newman Guide includes all of the content from the print edition, including essays by Fathers Benedict Groeschel, Father C. John McCloskey and Dr. Peter Kreeft that help families put the college search in context.

Also included is the entire text of Pope Benedict XVI’s landmark “Address to Catholic Educators,” which the Holy Father delivered at The Catholic University of America in April 2008.

As an added bonus, the iPhone edition includes a collection of papal documents of great relevance to Catholic students and to Catholic higher education.  These include: Ex corde Ecclesiae (John Paul II), Sapientia Christiana (John Paul II), Fides Et Ratio (John Paul II), Veritatis Splendor (John Paul II), Inter Munera Academiarum (John Paul II), Humanae Vitae (Paul VI),Veterum Sapientia (Bl. John XXIII), Divino Afflante Spiritu (Pius XII), Humani Generis (Pius XII), Casti Connubii (Pius XI),Divini Illius Magistri (Pius XI), Divini Redemptoris (Pius XI), Studiorum Ducem (Pius XI), Spiritus Paraclitus (Benedict 15), E Supremi (St. Pius X), Pascendi Dominici Gregis (St. Pius X), Aeterni Patris (Leo XIII) and Rerum Novarum (Leo XIII).

A search function is also available in the new application which enables users to search the college profiles, the individual essays and the papal documents.  A section with links to TheNewmanGuide.com and the recommended Catholic college websites is also available.

The Newman Guide is published by The Cardinal Newman Society, which since 1993 has been working to strengthen and renew Catholic higher education.