A Special Partnership
Catholic Newman Center, UNC-Chapel Hill
In the early days of the University of North Carolina, Catholic students were rare. As late as 1917, there was only one Catholic student at the University. Today the Catholic Newman Center at UNC is a full-fledged parish serving over 750 UNC students and more than 600 families. Its membership includes faculty, alumni, neighbors and their children, and its outreach extends far beyond the campus.
In 1922 Chapel Hill became a mission of Durham, and Mass was celebrated at the YMCA. Twenty years later the Catholic population increased dramatically, however, when the University was chosen as a Navy Pre-Flight School. Of the 25,000 cadets who trained there, 34% were Catholic. The current property was purchased in 1946. By 1949 the Catholic students were calling themselves the Aquinas Club; the group became the Newman Club in 1954.
The present building was constructed with funds from the Diocese and dedicated in 1968. Originally the Catholic Student Center was to be for unmarried students only, but soon others who found it convenient were welcomed to Sunday Mass provided that their financial contributions were returned to their home parishes.
In 1971, the Newman Center was given the status of a “personal parish” – a parish erected for the needs of a particular group – under the title Mary, Mother of the Church. The chapel was expanded in 1980 to accommodate the growing community.
Over the years the Newman Center has evolved into a special partnership between campus ministry and parish life, with three student leaders serving on the parish staff each year. Msgr. John Wall, the current pastor, speaks with admiration of the spirit and enthusiasm of the students and the parishioners. Some 300 parishioners participate in small groups engaged in activities such as Scripture study or learning Catholic social teaching or prayer. Some of the groups are students only while others are intergenerational. Four different choirs bring their talents to liturgies, which include daily Mass on weekday evenings and four Masses on weekends. There are numerous retreats for students during the year. Catechetical programs serve the children of the parish from kindergarten through high school.
Msgr. Wall has spent the majority of his nearly 50 years of priesthood ministering to youth. He describes the young people he sees at the Newman Center as “serious, conscientious and altruistic,” and groups from the parish reach out to those in need in countless ways, from local activities such as Habitat for Humanity and volunteering at the Interfaith Council Homeless Shelter to “alternative breaks,” in which students volunteer their vacation time to serve the vulnerable in places as far-flung as Philadelphia, South Carolina, Kentucky and Jamaica.
The students serve each other as well. Msgr. Wall describes with wonder how a handful of students spends Wednesday afternoons cooking “fabulous” meals for the 150 classmates who come for Mass and dinner in the evening.
The Catholic Newman Center at UNC is indeed a special partnership, between campus ministry and parish, but also, through its emphasis on service and justice, with the wider community.