Newman Centers offer college students a Catholic connection

Friday, Sep. 04, 2015

LOGAN — Utah State University’s St. Jerome Newman Center in Logan is revitalizing its ministry, according to Benedictine Sister Marilyn Mark, who served at the Newman Center from 1991-2002 and returned two years ago. With an influx of new people and students, St. Jerome has  a busy year planned, with many spiritual and social activities and events designed to foster community, from fall pumpkin mazes to Bible study classes and guest lectures. 

“I think this is going to be our best year ever,” Sr. Marilyn said. “Even though we’re kind of on our own up here in Logan, we are trying to make this a home for students on campus” by creating a sense of shared community through monthly events and by keeping the chapel open 24 hours a day.

“We are rejuvenating the ministry here by having our students be more responsible for leadership and communication, and I think that’s why we have all of the events on the schedule now,” she said. 

Brad Zynda, a junior philosophy major at USU and past president of the Newman Center, said that at St. Jerome, “We’ll be doing a Bible study and similar activities, and social events as well to explore faith a little bit more, in the brain, the heart, and among community.” 

Before Sr. Marilyn returned to the Newman Center “things were pretty slow, because there wasn’t stable commitment at the Newman Center,” Zynda said. “What we’ve been trying to focus on now is building really strong relationships.”

Crediting the new programs, Sr. Marilyn said that “since about January of last year we’ve had about five to six people who are searching the Catholic faith out,” and are seeking to convert, which is a record number for St. Jerome. 

“The physical revamping of the Newman Center” has aided in the increase in participation, Zynda said. “Thanks to a lot of support, we’ve taken a nearly 100-year-old building and put a lot of work into replacing the loft and repainting,” he said. “We’re preparing it, just as we’re preparing ourselves to minster to more people and to receive more people.”

OGDEN — Weber State University’s Newman Center, located in Ogden, serves the local and student population rather differently than other centers because the “nontraditional campus does not have the same level of dorm life,” which changes the needs of the community, said Father Charles Cummins, pastor. 

Fr. Cummins seeks to meet those needs by having the Newman Center act as a place to offer direction to students. “We are a very diverse campus, and the local kids usually work and go to their own churches, so it’s a little bit different than it used to be,” he said. 

The Newman Center provides services such as daily mass and RCIA classes, but Fr. Cummins said it would be counterproductive for them to have certain activities, like young adult groups, because each of the three Catholic parishes in Ogden has their own group. “We try to turn people to the young adult groups at their local parishes,” he said. 

The Newman Center does have one big event every fall, the Thanksgiving morning run-walk for charity that raises money and collects food donations for local food banks and charities. “Last year we had 1,300 participants, and people from all different beliefs, or no belief, they thank us for doing it,” he said. 

Continuing the tradition of keeping the faith alive, Fr. Cummins keeps the Newman Center chapel open continuously. “I always keep a light on, too, so that people know where to find us,” he said.

At the University of Utah, the St. Catherine of Siena Newman Center has been inspired by the arrival of a new pastor and new campus minister, who have energetic plans for the upcoming year. 

Campus minister Julie Bellefeuille, who arrived at St. Catherine in July along with Father Lukasz Misko, said that “for students, this is a great time to be delving deeper into your faith, so we are providing opportunities for students to be able to do that here at the Newman Center.”

These opportunities include new programs such as a freshmen group, focusing on building community within young adults, service trips, a pilgrimage to Europe for the 2016 World Youth Day, and a variety of different Mass times to fit with student schedules, she said. 

“We are planning to open up a non-commercial coffee shop or cafe for students to come to get free coffee and maybe a pastry, sit down and have free Wi-Fi, and to create an environment for students to come be comfortable,” Bellefeuille said. It will be open at the start of the school year in the center’s current lounge, she said, but will “undergo a renovation process by October to make it more of a space for students.” 

“We will be starting up many new programs,” Bellefeuille said, “but we’ll be continuing many of the programs from last year too,” like the young adult groups and Bible study.  

“We have no idea how successful some of these things will be or whether college students will be interested, but we’d love to provide opportunities for them,” she said. “That’s the real challenge and joy of this year: to figure out what God wants for this center and to constantly be directing that and have a willingness to adapt to the needs of the community, the center, and the body of Christ.”

St. Catherine’s also restarted its weekly Wednesday night candlelight worship on Sept. 2. The evening begins with Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament at 8 p.m. The Sacrament of Reconciliation is offered from 8:10 to 8:45 p.m., followed by Mass at 9 p.m.