A PUBLICATION OF CATHOLIC CAMPUS MINISTRY AT ST. THOMAS MORE NEWMAN CENTER | FALL 2019 602 TURNER AVENUE, COLUMBIA, MISSOURI 65201 | 573.449.5424 | WWW.COMONEWMAN.ORG
Newman: A Spark for Young People
Newman’s legacy carried on through your works
O
n Sunday, October 13, Cardinal John Henry Newman was canonized by Pope Francis in Rome. Halfway across the world, our Newman Center celebrated this momentous occasion not only for the person but also for his legacy which brings Christ to our collegiate campuses. St. Newman, a convert from the Angelican Church, was a man of prayer and a fervent educator of the laity. Your support of campus ministry joins with Newman’s legacy to share his desire, that our college students are those “who know just where they stand, who know what they hold and what they do not, who know their creed so well that they can give all an account of it.” St. Newman was an educator, but knew that he couldn’t educate the mind without touching the heart. Our mission as a Newman Center today still models that interpersonal connection. Your prayers and support allow our ministry to continue St. Newman’s legacy and bring our students into community to know and experience the Lord on campus. (You can read more on Newman’s legacy and our celebration on the center spread.)
Above: St. John Henry Cardinal Newman. Left: St. Newman’s coat of arms as a cardinal featuring his commitment to ‘cor ad cor’, or heart-to-heart, prayer.
Newman to Me: My Second Home
“T
o me, Newman is my second home. It’s where I’ve made almost all of my friends in college. I’ve found a community of support and a place to do ‘Catholic things’ like Mass, confession, and Eucharistic adoration. I like that Newman is set apart from school, but is still an environment that supports higher education. There’s less hustle and bustle here. People will ask me how classes are going, but they’ll also ask me, ‘Have you prayed today?’” Sophia Fedele, Senior | Farmington, MO
From the Pastor: A beacon of truth
T
he motto of the Dominican order is Veritas, or Truth. As such, I can resonate with St. Newman’s desire to be “a preacher of truth.” As you know, there is so much noise in this world. Finding truth tellers can be a challenge for you and me as well as for our college students. Your support allows Catholic Campus Ministry to be a beacon of truth and faith and, more importantly, provides students a space to grow into the truth tellers of their generation. How does this happen? I believe it is through encountering the other that we grow in compassion, mercy, and love. Sometimes this means our literal neighbor - someone in our dorm or a classmate. Other times this means someone across the globe. Though they may be of different nationality, race, or culture, they
are our brothers and sisters in Christ. For many of our students they may just know the name of Newman as the place where they go to Church. But his legacy - and ours as sharers in his mission - is so much more than a name, or a place. Your support of the mission of Catholic Campus Ministry makes the name of Newman a place in today’s world where students not only find but become beacons of truth in their own place. I thank you for your prayers. I thank you for your support. Know that you are in our prayers as well as we fulfill our mission to share Christ’s light and truth on campus. In Catherine & Dominic,
¡Dios te bendiga!
Connecting with Christ, people because of you
“I
had no reason not to go,” MU senior Sophia Bell shared about her spur-of-the-moment trip with Newman to work at the border in Texas. Sophia knows that she came into college as a freshman thinking she had life figured out. “Since freshman year, I definitely have grown in my awareness of my meekness. Now I feel much more of a humble confidence and better awareness of the world around me.” As a human development and family science major from St. Louis, Sophia wants to work with immigrants after graduating this coming spring. “As humans, we have inherent dignity. No matter your culture, age, socioeconomic status, country - you have dignity.” Sophia’s passion for humanitarian work stems from your support of her involvement at Newman. As a student, Sophia has had the opportunity to work with several service and justice projects including mentoring at-risk youth and giving a talk during the 40 Hours of Life. Last year, she also served as the service and justice intern and coordinated events such as a homelessness sleep out and days of service. “Newman helped me to realize that faith doesn’t only exist in a building or even in a group of people singing praise and worship around you. It is in every moment of every day. Christ is always drawing near to us and it’s
our choice to draw near to him,” Sophia shares. Your prayerful support allows students like Sophia to encounter Christ through His people in profound ways. Before leaving for Texas, Sophia was worried that she wouldn’t be able to serve the real needs of the people at the border. She soon realized her role: “On Sunday, we went across the border and served lunch to the 500 people who were waiting to have their cases heard. I was hyper aware of the small impact I was having. The people there are waiting. All they’re doing is waiting and relying on people to bring them food. And I was one of those people they were relying on. It was hard and it was humbling. I felt very privileged
WHY I GIVE
Why Eric Haslag supports Catholic Campus Ministry
“M
izzou was my first time at a school that wasn’t Catholic. I didn’t know what it was like to not have religion class in my schedule, prayer at the beginning of class, or all-school Masses, let alone work with other students who didn’t believe in God. My first student Mass at Newman, although familiar, was an altogether new experience. There was something different about the energy and excitement at Newman. It was a much needed reminder that, even though I was at a public university, I was still part of an active Catholic community. I give to campus ministry so they can continue to be the strong, faith-filled community they are for so many students in Columbia who are experiencing - many for the first time what it means to live a Christian life in the world today. Eric Haslag | Olathe, Kansas
Eric Haslag (MU ‘10) graduated with a degree in computer engineering and minors in math and piano performance. While at Newman, he played piano and served as music director for the student mass as well as music director for the Newman Musical. He now is a software engineering team lead at Garmin and is a member of the St. Gregory choir at Prince of Peace Catholic Church in Olathe, Kansas. Opposite page: Sophia and her family at Campus Ministry’s ‘Taste of Columbia’ lunch this September. Sophia’s sister, Julianna, is a freshman this year at Mizzou. Left: Sophia traveled with MU junior Jefferson Daubitz, Newman staff, and parishioners to McAllen, Texas over Labor Day weekend. They served both in Texas and across the border in Mexico. They served meals to those waiting for their asylum hearing and learned about the challenges immigrants face coming into the U.S. Below: While in Texas, the group attended a bilingual mass at the Basilica of Our Lady of San Juan del Valle before heading off to work at a respite center. For many on the trip, it was their first experience of mariachi music at mass.
to even have the opportunity to serve them because they are so isolated and ignored. I was able to look them in the eye and say to them ‘Dios te bendiga’ (God bless you).” The purpose and goal of all service and immersion experiences in Campus Ministry is to connect students what our faith demands of us in regard to human dignity. This year, your support allows us not only to take trips like Sophia’s experience in Texas but also to El Salvador over Spring Break. Students will also have the opportunity to participate in service and justice learning on a local level through weekly or monthly service experiences. For Sophia, she knows her faith journey is just beginning. “I know whether I am 18, 22, or older, I don’t know everything and we are all constantly learning and growing in our faith. It’s not going to end when I leave this faith community.”
Embodying Newm { } “I have my mission, I am a link in a chain, a bond of connection between persons. He has not created me for naught. I shall do good, I shall do his work; I shall be an angel of peace, a preacher of truth in my own place.” - from the writings of St. Newman
Newman to Me: Community
“N
ewman is community. I don’t know that much about the life of St. Cardinal Newman, but what he has done has impacted so many lives. I’m positive my faith would not be as strong without what I have found here at the Newman Center. Mitchell Sedgwick, Sophomore | Crystal Lake, IL
Newman to Me: Finding Meaning
“I
n my first two years of being at Mizzou I was in a non-denominational Christian sorority. It gave me a good foundation in my faith, but I felt like something was missing. When I joined a bible study at Newman, I was able to find deeper meaning. At Newman, I found my home with my people. I can come here and find support both academically and spiritually. I can come here to do homework, but I can also go to the chapel and pray. I get to live out the sacraments while living the college life.” Cassandra Bako, Senior | St. Louis, MO (1) Music alumni joined members of the 11am Choir to create a beautiful space for worship. (2) Young alumni travel in for Homecoming from across the state as well as Colorado, Tennessee, and Illinois. (3) The 11am Mass celebrating St. Newman included parishioners, students, alumni, and visitors. (4) The Mizzou Catholic Student Association marched in the parade, displaying their new logo. (5) Alumnus Troy D’Souza shows off his new job with Oscar Meyer in the Homecoming parade. (6) Celebrations after Masses included festive cookies displaying St. Newman’s crest as a cardinal.
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Find out more about St. Newman’s life at www.newmancanonisation.com
man’s Legacy St. Thomas More NEWMAN CENTER
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@comonewman
6 Background image of “Apologia Pro Vita Sua” written by St. Newman.
#CountdowntoCanonization Three years after Newman’s death in 1890, the first Newman Club for Catholic students was established at the University of Pennsylvania. Newman was beatified in 2010 by Pope Benedict XVI after Deacon Jack Sullivan, of Boston, was healed of his spine injuries through the intercession of Newman. #miracle #beatification #canonization #JohnHenryNewman #October13
Our Priests
Fr. Rich Litzau, O.P. Pastor
Angelle Hall Director of Campus Ministry
I support and coordinate the Campus Ministry staff in casting vision and following through on our goals as the Catholic Church on our college campuses. I have a ministry of connection; I cultivate relationships with the various areas in our diocese, on our campuses, in our community, with our alumni and parents, and right here in our parish. I coordinate our Mission Trip program and collaborate with student leaders, especially our CSA boards, our student interns, and our Awakenings Rector Staff.
Fr. Mike Ford, O.P. Associate Pastor
Yvonne Chamberlain Assistant Director of Campus Ministry
I assist in providing students with leadership development skills, as well as broaden and deepen their faith lives. These tasks are primarily achieved through the coordination and support of retreats, social justice and service activities, evangelization, and fellowship. I support events hosted by both the Mizzou CSA and Stephens College CSA. I also coordinate communications and advertising. Last, but certainly not least, I am charged with nurturing a welcoming and inclusive community for diverse Catholic students.Â
Fr. Chris Aubuchon Associate Pastor
Allison Stuesse Resident Campus Minister
I oversee aspects of Campus Ministry relating to evangelization, the Ephesians 3 weekly ministry, and hospitality on our Awakenings retreat. I provide behind-the-scenes support to several other ministries including shopping, care for the student lounge, and building responsibilities for the whole parish. I live here in Newman in a little apartment upstairs! Overall, my role is to serve both collegiate and parish community through a combination of practical ministry and ministry of presence. Â
Meet the Team FOCUS Missionaries
Through Bible studies, outreach events, mission trips, and one-onone discipleship, our missionaries inspire and build up our students in the faith, sending them out to spread the good news and to live out the Great Commission: “Go, therefore, and make disciples of all nations.” (Mt. 28:19)
Kelley Burns Director of Music & Liturgy
I provide oversight and support for all things music and liturgy. This includes retreats, E3, student Mass, and adoration within both Campus Ministry and the parish. I also direct the choir at the 8 p.m. student Mass.
Franco Watts Team Director
McKenna Kukla 2nd Year at MU
JoAnn Shull Development Director
Jack Chrisafi 2nd Year at MU
Andrea Koenemann 1st Year at MU
I help to create a community of support for the students by developing relationships with parents, alumni, and benefactors. I help coordinate events like the Family Weekend “Taste of Columbia” lunch and Newman Homecoming festivities.
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Our Faith Our Mission Knights of Columbus Council 7231 Proudly serving St. Thomas More Newman Center since 1979
THANK YOU for your generous support! Last year we raised over $8500 to support 17 different charitable activities, including distributing Coats for Kids in partnership with the other two Columbia councils.