I really loved my college years, mostly because
they involved the Newman Center on the campus. Also known as St. Thomas Aquinas
Church - Newman Center, it’s the hub of Catholic campus ministry there.
I was extremely involved at the Newman Center throughout
my five years of college. For four of those years, I was a board member and
directed one of the Newman Center choirs. It certainly was a “home-away-from-home.”
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| A rendering of the new St. Thomas Aquinas Church – Newman Center, which is expected to be completed next spring. Courtesy: UNL Newman Center |
To this day, I can honestly say a majority of my
spirituality, knowledge of and appreciation for my faith and religious
convictions come from what I learned and experienced at the Newman Center.
That’s why I’m thrilled the parish is in the
middle of a five-year capital campaign to build a new, expanded church and
student center as well as a Catholic fraternity and sorority.
Father Robert Matya, director of the Newman
Center and vocations director for the Diocese of Lincoln, was on Spirit
Mornings last Thursday talking about the campaign, “A Great Problem to Have.”
The campaign launched in July 2010 with a $25
million goal, and so far, $16.6 million have been raised from donations across
Nebraska and 40 other states.
“It’s a really exciting time,” Father Matya said,
referring to the construction of the new church at the same location as the old
one – 16th and Q streets.
The foundation is poured and the steel structure
is starting to come out of the ground, he said.
Unprecedented growth
For the last several years, the number of
students involved at the Newman Center and attending Mass there has
skyrocketed. The
unprecedented growth of student participation in liturgies and ministries over
the past 15 years is partially attributed to the FOCUS (Fellowship of Catholic
University Students) program at the Newman Center since 1999.
About 2,500 students
are involved with the Newman Center in some form each week, Father Matya said. Students
at Nebraska Wesleyan University and Southeast Community College are also served
by the Newman Center. More than 700 students participate in 100 weekly Bible
study groups led by FOCUS missionaries, and the four Sunday Masses draw
consistently overflowing crowds, he said.
“We were just out of
space,” in the old church, which was built in 1960, Father Matya said.
Seating in the new
church, expected to be completed next spring, will increase from 300 to more
than 650, and the available meeting and ministry space in the Newman Center,
which will be finished this fall, will double, he said.
For Father Matya, one
of the highlights of the new church is a 24-foot tall stained glass window of
Jesus in heaven surrounded by saints.
“We really wanted to
point students to see the reality of where they’re heading – to heaven,” he
said.
The project architect is Kevin Clark, Clark Architectural
Collaborative3, and construction is being completed by the Kiewit Building
Group.
Greek system
Another aspect of the Newman Center campus
renovation is the completion of a Catholic fraternity house.
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The new Phi Kappa Theta Catholic fraternity house, completed
in August. Courtesy: UNL Newman Center
|
Phi Kappa Theta Fraternity
chapter house – located immediately east of the Newman Center – was completed
in August. The fraternity house, which
includes space for communal dining, recreation, a study library and a suite for
parents, is designed to accommodate 68 men. Currently 53 men live there.
Pi Alpha Chi Sorority’s chapter house, which will
be built about three blocks from the fraternity, will be the last piece of the
construction project. It’s expected to be completed by the fall of 2016 or 2017,
and hold up to 65 women.
Impact
of campus ministry
Last spring, the Newman
Center relocated to an old Methodist church on campus, and that’s where most weeknight
Masses and ministries are held. Sunday and holy day Masses, as well as various
Newman Center activities, are currently held at the UNL Student Union.
Catholic campus ministry has
been a part of UNL since 1906, when a small group of students formed the first
Catholic club. Its impact on the community hasn’t gone unnoticed. The Newman
Center consistently fosters priestly and religious vocations and strong married
couples, as well as men and women active in parishes after college.
“Campus ministry is obviously to help students
not only just keep safe in the faith while they’re in college, but really to
help them grow and develop their character, their person, who they are, during
their years at college,” Father Matya said. “It’s so beautiful to see when that
happens.”
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Father Robert Matya, pastor of St. Thomas Aquinas Church and
director of the Newman Center, greets students after Ash Wednesday Mass
March 5 at the UNL Student Union. Courtesy: UNL Newman Center
|
At the Newman Center, students can attend
daily Mass and confession, join a Catholic fraternity or sorority, participate
in pro-life activities or other charities, attend retreats and socialize with
other Catholic students at events. Students also have the opportunity to be
involved in liturgy and music, evangelization and catechesis, community and
fellowship, service and mission.
Maggie
Skoch, a junior at UNL, said she transferred to Lincoln after her freshman year
of college specifically because of the community she experienced during visits
with friends to Newman Center activities.
“From
Bible studies to community nights, retreats to singing in the choir, the Newman
Center has all the essentials for building a strong foundation for one’s
Catholic faith,” Skoch said. “Everybody here is excited about living out their
faith.”
Students
involved at the Newman Center not only have a deep love for Christ and his
church, but also have the desire to continue to grow in their faith, she said.
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| Students and faculty fill the UNL Student Union during one of four Ash Wednesday Masses March 5. Courtesy: UNL Newman Center. |
Christopher
German, a UNL student from Humphrey and president of Phi Kappa Theta
Fraternity, said it’s
been a blessing to encounter the person of Jesus Christ through prayer and the
sacraments made possible by the strong community at the Newman Center and Phi
Kappa Theta.
“The St. Thomas Aquinas family has
literally brought the light of Christ into my life,” German said. “The Newman
Center is a collection of people on fire with the Holy Spirit, a multitude of
candles shining brightly, inviting those in darkness to come and see the reason
for our joy.”
Come
and see
If you’d like to check out the progress on the
construction, the community is invited to an open house for the Phi Kappa Theta
Fraternity house and Newman Center construction site April 12 from 10:30 a.m.
to 1 p.m., prior to the NU Spring football game.
For more information,
visit huskercatholic.org.
Blogged by Lisa Maxson, senior writer/reporter.
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