Over a span of 100 years, the St. Thomas Aquinas Newman Center at the University of North Dakota (UND) has been serving the spiritual needs of college-age Catholics, many of whom are experiencing life on their own for the first time.
From its humble beginnings in 1924, the Newman Center has evolved from a single-family home, to a large chapel and offices built in the early 1950s. It has survived the crippling effects of war on the student population, the social revolution of the 60s, and heartbreak when in 1997 fire and floods destroyed the chapel and offices, only to experience a new beginning with the construction of the current chapel and support building.
Today, the Newman Center at UND acts as a beacon of light for Catholics at UND in an ever-demanding secular world.
“There are 14,648 students enrolled at UND this academic year,” said Father Chris Markman, current pastor at the Newman Center. “We figure 20-25% of them are Catholic. That’s 2,929 to 3,662 students. At our current Sunday Masses there are maybe 250 to 300 students that come somewhat regularly, which means we still aren’t reaching a lot of our Catholic students, let alone all the other students on campus. The students experience the same challenges as the rest of our society, drugs, sex, porn, alcohol, depression, anxiety, fears, and the like. There are never enough resources, funding or personnel, there’s always more that can be done.”
Father Markman was a student at UND from 2000–2004 studying aviation. He said his first year at UND he wasn’t too involved at the Newman Center, but by his sophomore-to-senior years he practically lived at the Newman Center.
“I was a Peer Minister my junior year,” said Father Markman. “The Newman Center played a huge role in helping me to grow in our Catholic faith, from Inquiry Classes to life-long friends that I still have. It also helped me as I discerned my vocation to the priesthood. I finished my aviation degree my senior year, but then entered seminary right after that year.”
College is a time when many people make life-long decisions, and some choose to leave the faith. Father Markman said some people also choose to grow in the faith during their college years, which sets the tone for the rest of their lives. The Newman Center, being on campus, allows students a place to do that, within walking distance of the residence halls, and to grow together in the faith with their peers.
Several of our current priests in the Diocese of Fargo spent their time during college at the UND Newman Center, which more than likely played a part to kick-start their vocations. One of those priests is Father Jason Lefor, pastor of churches in Pisek, Bechyne, and Lankin.
“St. Thomas Aquinas Newman Center at UND was where I found a home away from home as an undergraduate,” said Father Lefor. “It is where I discovered an intentional adult relationship with Jesus Christ, his Church, and his sacraments. It is where I found life-long friends and fellow Catholics to walk through life side-by-side. It was at the Newman Center that I discovered that God was calling me to a celibate vocation as a priest.”
Father Lefor worked at St. Thomas Aquinas Newman Center as a seminarian, where he experienced the tragedy of the January 1997 fire and the great Grand Forks flood later that spring that destroyed the former Newman Center. After being ordained in 1999, Father Lefor found himself assigned to the newly rebuilt Newman Center once again as a parochial vicar, and eventually as its pastor.
“The years that I pastored St. Thomas were years of fruitful joy,” said Father Lefor. “Each day ended in joyful exhaustion, knowing that God had used me as an instrument to help the students come to know and love Jesus, his teachings, his Church, and his saving sacraments. The time as pastor flew by. It was the most fruitful experience I have had as a priest. There was no end to the people flowing into the Newman Center discovering the healing love of Christ.”
“When working with students, the role of spiritual fatherhood was definitely present,” said Father Luke Meyer, former pastor of the Newman Center and current pastor at Sts. Anne and Joachim church in Fargo. “Whether it was through teaching and spiritual direction or sharing life with students by being present at events and gatherings, the gift of spiritual fatherhood was there. My heart would be so full as I would see students grow in their faith, and respond to God’s call in their life.”
The Newman Center experience isn’t just for young men or women discerning religious life. It’s a place where all young Catholics may gather for bible study, socializing, recreation, and especially a quiet place to study, reflect, or just talk things over with God. One of the more recent active ministries on campus is provided by FOCUS missionaries. FOCUS stands for Fellowship of Catholic University Students, and they serve on college campuses nation-wide.
“Because of FOCUS, Newman Centers are going to explode over the next decade and beyond,” said Father Markman. “As the culture gets further away from God, people will be looking for meaning and purpose in their lives, and they’ll also be looking for unconditional love. Only God can give us that and the Newman Center here will be on the front lines of college students lives trying to provide that encounter with God for them.”
“Modern culture kind of speaks for itself, especially on a college campus,” said Josh Martinson, a UND grad student from Milnor. “The Newman Center is one of the few places that I can go to and get away from all the craziness outside. You can come here and be around people who are trying to further their relationship with Christ. And like Father Chris always says, it’s a home away from home. And it truly is. You can come in here and take a nap on the couch, study somewhere where you have people around you that want to see you improve as well.”
The Newman Center also provides housing for female students through the Newman House. According to the Newman Center website, “the Newman House is a vibrant Catholic home for women attending the University of North Dakota. With a special focus on sisterhood, hospitality, and academic excellence, our goal is to be a place where women can connect, challenge each other, and grow together, forming friendships that will last a lifetime.”
For Senior Psychology major Jordan Nichols of Moorhead, Minn., it’s that “beacon of light” the Newman Center provides that can draw young people to the faith.
“The Newman Center and all Newman Centers, all Catholic churches, can be a beacon of light, because we definitely live in a culture of death, in a culture of lies. Christ is truth and so when we have Christ in us, whether that be through the Eucharist or through the Holy Spirit, we can be beacons of light to other people, and show them who they really are, made in God’s image. We can show them the truth that they don’t even know that they yearn for.”
“The presence of the Newman Center at the heart of the campus is essential,” said Father Lefor. “It contains the very happiness that each one of the students are seeking. As they wash down the stream of their educational life, many of them find a safe harbor in the Newman Center. And many these find the harbor master, Jesus Christ. It is one of the most essential ministries in the Diocese of Fargo.”
Some of the events planned for the 100-year observance include the annual bike race fundraiser against St. Paul’s Newman Center at North Dakota State University on Apr. 27. Next fall during UND’s homecoming, Bishop Folda will celebrate Mass at the Newman Center on Sept. 28, followed by the 100th Anniversary Banquet at UND’s Memorial Union Ballroom. There will also be tours of the Newman Center and Newman House for visitors. More information is available at www.undcatholic.org/info-for-100th-anniversary.