Named in honour of
John Henry Cardinal NewmanVenerable John Henry Newman, CO was a Roman Catholic priest and cardinal, a convert from Anglicanism in October 1845. In his early life, he was a major figure in the Oxford Movement to bring the Church of England back to its Catholic roots.
Eventually his studies in history...
, the
Newman Centres are residence and Catholic ministry centers at non-Catholic universities throughout the world. They were inspired by Newman's writings encouraging societies for Catholic students attending secular universities.
The
first Newman Center was established in 1893 at the University of Pennsylvania by Timothy Harrington, a graduate medical student, together with John Gilbride, James and Joseph Walsh with assistance of Father P.J. Garvey, pastor of the local St. James Catholic Church.
The centres provide pastoral services and ministries to their Catholic communities, in particular to the Roman Catholic student population within the universities. However, since these centres are located on university campuses, Christians of other
denominationsA Christian denomination is an identifiable religious body under a common name, structure, and doctrine within Christianity.Worldwide, Christians are divided, often along ethnic and linguistic lines, into separate churches and traditions. Technically, divisions between one group and another are...
often come and participate as well. A variety of university and parish related meetings and social events take place at the centers, as well as personal events including weddings, anniversary celebrations, baptisms, masses and funeral receptions. Most trace their inspiration back to the Newman Society of Oxford University.
The following are partial lists of Newman Centers/Catholic Student Associations.
Toronto
TorontoToronto is the most populous city in Canada and the provincial capital of Ontario. It is located in Southern Ontario on the northwestern shore of Lake Ontario. With over 2.5 million residents, it is the fifth most populous municipality in North America...
's Newman Center is housed in the historical
W.D. Matthews House, located at the corner of Hoskin Avenue and St. George Street, across from the
Robarts LibraryThe John P. Robarts Research Library, commonly referred to as Robarts Library, is the main humanities and social sciences library of the University of Toronto Libraries and the largest individual library in the university...
on the
University of TorontoThe University of Toronto is a public research university in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, situated north of the city's Financial District on the grounds that surround Queen's Park. The university was founded by royal charter in 1827 as King's College, the first institution of higher learning in the...
campus. It is under the direction of the Archdiocese of Toronto and is associated with the neighbouring St. Thomas Aquinas Church.
The structure was built in 1890/1891 by wealthy Canadian businessman "The Barley King of Canada" Wilmot Deloui Matthews as his personal home. It is constructed of red clay, terra-cotta bricks, plum-coloured Credit Valley sandstone and pressed terra-cotta decorative elements. To celebrate his daughter’s wedding, Matthews hired architect George M. Miller and sculptor Gustav Hahn to design an
Art NouveauArt Nouveau is an international movement and style of art, architecture and applied art—especially the decorative arts—that peaked in popularity at the turn of the 20th century . The name 'Art nouveau' is French for 'new art'...
ballroom for his home. After his death in 1919, the house became a residence for Catholic students. Donations from two major benefactors allowed the Newman Foundation to purchase the property in 1922 for the sum of $100,000.
As a result, Toronto's Newman Centre is today one of that city's best preserved examples of
RomanesqueRomanesque architecture is an architectural style of Medieval Europe, characterised by semi-circular arches, and evolving into the Gothic style, characterised by pointed arches, beginning in the 12th century...
Revival architecture. It was one of the first buildings in Toronto to receive heritage status from the Ontario Heritage Foundation in 1977, not only for its exterior but also for the intricate and impressive interior design elements. The Archdiocese continues the preservation of the site despite the great expense. It is has also been used as a site for movie and television filming.
The property originally included a coach house on the current site of St. Thomas Aquinas Church.
The current pastor is Father Michael Machacek, who succeeded Father Patrick O'Dea. Father O'Dea served at Toronto's Newman Centre since 2001, and was succeeded by Father Machacek in 2009.
Toronto's Newman Centre also has a diverse music ministry, with one main music ministry each for the 11 AM and the 7 PM Masses. The music for the 11 AM Mass, led by Matthew Otto features a traditional SATB choir with piano. The 7:00 PM music ministry plays music from the Gather Hymnal, as well as music from the contemporary Christian music genre, featuring a choir, cantors, a string and sax section, and a complete rhythm section of drums, bass, piano and guitar. This music ministry is led by Charles Min.
Montreal
MontrealMontreal is the second-largest city in Canada and the largest city in the province of Quebec. Originally called Ville-Marie , the city takes its present name from Mont-Royal, the triple-peaked hill located in the heart of the city, whose name was also initially given to the island on which the...
's Newman Centre is located on the
McGill UniversityMcGill University is a public research university located in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. It bears the name of James McGill, a prominent Montreal merchant from Scotland, whose bequest formed the beginning of the university...
campusA campus is traditionally the land on which a college or university and related institutional buildings are situated. Usually a campus includes libraries, lecture halls, residence halls and park-like settings...
. In 1954, Fr Emmett Carter (Newman chaplain and later Archbishop of Toronto) bought the private residence and carriagehouse at 3484 Peel Street. The funds for this purchase were raised by an association of lay Catholics. The Newman Centre continues to be administered today by the Newman Association of Montreal. Its Director is Richard Bernier.
It bears resemblance to Toronto's building.
Saskatoon
SaskatchewanSaskatchewan is a prairie province in Canada, which has an area of and a population of 1,023,810 , mostly living in the southern half of the province. Of these, 233,923 live in the province's largest city, Saskatoon, while 194,971 live in the provincial capital, Regina...
's Newman Centre is located on the
University of SaskatchewanThe University of Saskatchewan is a coeducational public research university located on the east side of the South Saskatchewan River in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada, founded over 100 years ago in 1907. The University of Saskatchewan Act was passed by the Legislative Assembly of Saskatchewan in...
campus at St. Thomas More College. The Newman Centre at the University of Saskatchewan represents itself as a Catholic campus club that seeks to provide a welcoming Christian atmosphere. The club was founded in 1926 in the tradition of Cardinal Newman. It is based out of St. Thomas More College but is for students in any college at the university. It is the goal of the Newman Centre to improve the lives of the members through an array of spiritual, cultural, social, and intellectual events. The Newman Centre works closely with STM Campus Ministry.
United States
St. John's Catholic Newman CenterSt. John's Catholic Newman Center is the largest Newman Center in the United States. It is located on the campus of the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. Consisting of St...
at the
University of Illinois at Urbana-ChampaignThe University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign is a public research university in the state of Illinois, United States. It is the oldest and largest campus in the University of Illinois system....
—formerly known as the Newman Foundation—is the largest in the nation and has been considered one of the model Newman Centers in the United States. It encompasses three main entities: St. John's Catholic Chapel, Newman Hall, and the Institute of Catholic Thought. St. John's Catholic Newman Center finished an expansion/renovation in August 2008. St. John's is in the Catholic Diocese of Peoria. It is one of the few Newman Centers that also encompasses a large undergraduate housing, through the University's Certified Private Housing program, having over 600 live-in residents, a cafeteria, etc
St. Robert Bellarmine Catholic Newman Centerat
Illinois State UniversityIllinois State University is a public university in Normal, Illinois, United States. Most commonly referred to as ISU, the school was founded in 1857 by Jesse W. Fell ; Abraham Lincoln drew up the legal documents to establish the university...
—formerly known as the Newman Club—is one of the strongest Newman Centers for fostering vocations among young Catholic adults. The Newman Center proves this with its six newly married couples in 2008, three ordained priests, and currently twelve seminarians studying for the priesthood. St. Robert Bellarmine's is in the Catholic Diocese of Peoria.
John Paul II Newman Center at the University of Illinois, Chicago— serves the the largest Catholic student population in the Midwest and one of the largest in the country. UIC has 25,000+ students to which over 15,000 are Catholic. The John Paul II Newman Center in 1999 established the Arthur J. Schmitt Chair in Catholic studies for students to study the Catholic faith and receive college credit for doing so. Currently, students may receive a minor in Catholic studies. Of the other programs the John Paul II Newman Center offers, Vocation Discernment is a key focus as they average 10-15 students each year who study to become priests and religious brothers and sisters. The Integritas Institute for Ethics, a third program, seeks to educate students on the importance of ethics and morality among students in various colleges around campus. The John Paul II Newman Center is in the Catholic Archdiocese of Chicago. Other Newman Centers/Programs in the Peoria Diocese include the Augustana Catholic Campus Ministry, Galesburg Newman Club, Monmouth Newman Club, Newman Foundation - Bradley University & ICC, St. Francis of Assisi Newman Center, and Salve Regina Newman Center at Eureka College.
All Saints Catholic Newman Center at
Arizona State UniversityArizona State University is the largest public research university in the United States under a single administration, with total student enrollment of 68,064 as of fall 2009...
serves the students, faculty, and staff of ASU, and also has an active community of all ages and backgrounds. All Saints is in the Catholic Diocese of Phoenix.
St. Mary's Catholic Center at
Texas A&M UniversityTexas A&M University, often referred to as A&M or TAMU, is a coeducational public research university located in College Station, Texas. It is the flagship institution of the Texas A&M University System. The seventh-largest university in the United States, A&M enrolls over 48,000 students in ten...
serves the student community there well. They made a bold decision to turn their permanent parishioners into volunteers for the campus ministry and discontinued all other parish programs not related directly to campus ministry. 200 families stayed and the rest went to the other parish in College Station. The Catholic Campus Ministry Association has done presentations before national audiences concerning the success of St. Mary's, hoping to inspire struggling ministries at other campuses.
The
Newman Catholic Student Center Parish at the
University of North Carolina at Chapel HillThe University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill is a public research university located in Chapel Hill, North Carolina, United States. The university is the oldest in, and flagship of, the University of North Carolina system...
and the
Duke Newman Catholic Student Center at
Duke UniversityDuke University is a private research university located in Durham, North Carolina, United States. Founded by Methodists and Quakers in the present-day town of Trinity in 1838, the school moved to Durham in 1892...
serve two of the larger Catholic Campus Ministry programs in the region. The Newman Centers provide activities such as Masses and prayer services, dinners, social events, and service opportunities such as the Alternative Spring Break program. The Diocese of Raleigh, NC also has Newman Centers at NC State,
Elon UniversityElon University is a private, liberal arts university located in Elon, North Carolina.The University was founded in 1889 by the Christian Church, which is now the United Church of Christ. Formerly known as Elon College, it became Elon University on June 1, 2001...
, UNC-Wilmington, and
East Carolina UniversityEast Carolina University is a public, coeducational, engaged doctoral/research university located in Greenville, North Carolina, United States. Named East Carolina University by statute and commonly known as ECU or East Carolina, the university is the largest institution of higher learning in...
.
The
Middlebury CollegeMiddlebury College is a private liberal arts college located in Middlebury, Vermont, United States. Founded in 1800, it is one of the oldest liberal arts colleges in the United States. Middlebury was the first American institution of higher education to grant a bachelor's degree to an...
Newman Club meets on Sundays for student mass. The club is associated with St. Mary's Catholic Church, found right next to the college's campus.
New MexicoNew Mexico is a state located in the southwestern region of the United States. Inhabited by Native American populations for many centuries, it has also been part of the Imperial Spanish viceroyalty of New Spain, part of Mexico, and a U.S. territory. Among U.S...
has a Newman Centre in Saint Albert at
New Mexico State UniversityNew Mexico State University, or NMSU, is a major land-grant university in New Mexico, with campuses in Alamogordo, Carlsbad, Doña Ana County , Grants and Las Cruces and with extension and research centers across New Mexico...
. The
University of New MexicoThe University of New Mexico is a public university in Albuquerque, New Mexico, USA. Founded in 1889, it offers bachelor's, master's, doctoral, and professional degree programs in the arts, sciences, and engineering...
in Albuquerque hosts the Aquinas Newman Center. Socorro, NM also has a Newman Center—St. Patrick's—which is hosted by New Mexico Tech. Silver City, NM has St. Francis Newman Center at Western New Mexico University
OklahomaOklahoma is a state located in the South Central region of the United States of America. With an estimated 3,617,316 residents in 2007 and a land area of 68,667 square miles , Oklahoma is the 28th most populous and 20th-largest state...
has a Newman Center at the
University of TulsaThe University of Tulsa is a private university awarding bachelor's, master's, and doctoral degrees located in Tulsa, Oklahoma. It is currently ranked 88th among doctoral degree granting universities in the nation by US News and World Report and is listed as one of the "Best 366 Colleges" by the...
.
The
Diocese of LexingtonDiocese of Lexington can refer to either of two dioceses of Lexington, Kentucky:* Episcopal Diocese of Lexington, a diocese of the Episcopal Church in the United States of America* Roman Catholic Diocese of Lexington, a diocese of the Roman Catholic Church...
, covering 50 counties in Central and Eastern
KentuckyThe Commonwealth of Kentucky is a state located in the East Central United States of America. Kentucky is a Southern state situated in the Upland South, although the state is infrequently placed, geographically and culturally, in the Midwest. Kentucky is one of four U.S. states constituted as a...
, maintains Newman Centers at eight of the Commonwealth's colleges and Universities, including
Berea CollegeBerea College is a liberal arts work college in Berea, Kentucky , founded in 1855. Current full-time enrollment is 1,514 students...
,
Centre CollegeCentre College is a private, four-year liberal arts college located in Danville, Kentucky, USA, a community of about 16,000 in Boyle County, approximately south of Lexington, KY...
,
Eastern Kentucky UniversityEastern Kentucky University, commonly referred to as Eastern or by the acronym EKU by local residents, is an undergraduate and graduate teaching and research institution located in Richmond, Kentucky, U.S.A....
,
University of KentuckyThe University of Kentucky, also known as UK, is a public, co-educational, university, and is also the state's land-grant university, located in Lexington, Kentucky...
,
Morehead State UniversityMorehead State University is a public, co-educational university located in Morehead, Kentucky in the foothills of the Daniel Boone National Forest in Rowan County, midway between Lexington, Kentucky, and Huntington, West Virginia. The 2005 and 2006 editions of "America's Best Colleges" by U.S....
,
Union CollegeUnion College is a private, non-denominational liberal arts college located in Schenectady, New York, United States. Founded in the wake of the American Revolution, it was the first institution of higher learning chartered by the New York State Board of Regents...
, Georgetown College and
Transylvania UniversityTransylvania University is a private liberal arts college related by covenant to the Christian Church . The college is located on a 35 acre campus about 4 blocks north of downtown Lexington, Kentucky, and is currently ranked number 77 on US News & World Report's Best Liberal Arts Colleges...
. The Diocese of Covington maintains at least one Newman Center at
Northern Kentucky UniversityNorthern Kentucky University is a public, co-educational university located in Highland Heights, Kentucky, seven miles southeast of Cincinnati, Ohio. NKU is primarily an undergraduate, liberal arts institution, but it also features graduate programs...
.
PittsburghPittsburgh is a city in and the county seat of Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, United States, and the second largest city in the state. Its population was 334,563 at the 2000 census; by 2006, it was estimated to have fallen to 312,819. The population of the seven-county metropolitan area is...
,
PennsylvaniaThe Commonwealth of Pennsylvania , often colloquially referred to as PA by natives and Northeasterners, is a state located in the Northeastern and Middle Atlantic regions of the United States...
has a Newman Center that serves the
University of PittsburghThe University of Pittsburgh, commonly referred to as Pitt, is a state-related research university located in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States. Founded as Pittsburgh Academy in 1787 on what was then the American frontier, Pitt is one of the oldest continuously chartered institutions of...
,
Carnegie Mellon UniversityCarnegie Mellon University is a private research university in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Since its inception, Carnegie Mellon has grown into a world-renowned institution, with numerous programs that are frequently ranked among the best in the world...
, and
Chatham CollegeChatham University is an American liberal arts women's college with coeducational graduate programs through the doctoral level, located in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania's Shadyside neighborhood. The campus population of approximately 2,200 includes undergraduate women and graduate women and men...
. It is run as part of the Pittsburgh
Oratory of Saint Philip NeriThe Oratory of Saint Philip Neri is a congregation of Catholic priests and lay-brothers who live together in a community bound together by no formal vows but only with the bond of charity. They are commonly referred to as Oratorians...
.
Rolla, MissouriRolla is a city in Phelps County, Missouri, United States, midway between the larger cities of St. Louis and Springfield. The population was 16,367 at the 2000 census. It is the county seat of Phelps County. The Rolla Micropolitan Statistical Area consists of Phelps County.Rolla is an important...
, has a recently renovated Newman Center that serves
Missouri S&TMissouri University of Science and Technology , is an institution of higher learning located in Rolla, Missouri, and part of the University of Missouri System...
, and hosts monthly spaghetti dinners for campus students.
Kirksville, MissouriKirksville is the county seat of Adair County, Missouri, United States. It is located in Benton Township. The population was 16,988 at the 2000 census. Kirksville also anchors a micropolitan area that comprises Adair and Schuyler counties. The city is perhaps best known as the location of...
has a Newman Center that serves
Truman State UniversityTruman State University is a public liberal arts and sciences university in Missouri and a member of the Council of Public Liberal Arts Colleges. About 5,700 students attend Truman, pursuing degrees in 43 undergraduate and 9 Graduate programs. It is located in Kirksville in northeastern Missouri...
that is active in the community.
Prominent Newman Clubs in the Southern California region include the California State University (Cal State) Long Beach Newman Club , the Cal State Fullerton Newman Club, & Cal Poly Pomona Newman.
Central California has a Newman Center at California Polytechnic State University- San Luis Obispo
The Diocese of Sacramento has three Newman Centers, the
Newman Catholic Community at
California State University, SacramentoCalifornia State University, Sacramento is a public university located in the city of Sacramento, California. It is part of the California State University system...
, the
St. Thomas Aquinas Newman Center at
California State University, ChicoCalifornia State University, Chico is the second-oldest campus in the California State University system. It is located in Chico, California, about ninety miles north of Sacramento...
and
Newman Center at
University of California, DavisThe University of California, Davis is a public research university located in Davis, California, and one of ten campuses in the University of California system. Commonly referred to as UC Davis, the school was originally established in 1905 as the University Farm, an extension of UC Berkeley. UC...
.
University of Hawaii Manoa has a Newman Center that also serves as the school's Catholic Campus Ministry. The center also goes by the name Holy Spirit Parish which draws parishioners from the surrounding community. Center is currently run by the Jesuits' under the Diocese of Honolulu.
The University of Chicago's Calvert House is also a Newman Center that serves as the center for Catholic life and service at the University.
The Archdiocese of Agana (the capital of Guam, territory of the United States) has a Newman Center for The University of Guam and Guam Community College, and is open to high school students as well.
The Roncalli Newman Center is a church with parish status in the diocese of La Crosse, Wisconsin. It is currently host to many students, as well as several hundred families, and functions as a normal parish.
Florida Institute of Technology has a Newman Club / Catholic Campus Ministry which had 20 active members in 2008. It is led by Fr. Doug Bailey and does various service project, spiritual activities, and outdoors and fun activities throughout the fall and spring semesters.
University Of California, San Diego has a Newman Center. It operates out of the Center for Ethics and Spirituality on campus.
A list of other US Newman Centers has been kept up to date by the
Newman Center at Caltech
Australia
University of QueenslandThe University of Queensland, also known as UQ, is a public university located in Brisbane, Australia. Founded in 1909, it is the oldest university in Queensland and the fifth in the nation. The main campus is located in St Lucia, southwest of the Brisbane CBD...
and
Charles Sturt UniversityCharles Sturt University is an Australian multi-campus university located in New South Wales and the Australian Capital Territory. It has campuses at Bathurst, Canberra, Albury-Wodonga, Dubbo, Goulburn, Orange , Wagga Wagga and Ontario...
both house Newman Centres.
External links