FALL 2021
THE NEWMAN CENTER
St. Agatha - St. James
INSIDE THIS ISSUE RETURN TO LIFE / FALL OUTREACH / PENN & DREXEL JOINING FORCES NEWMAN NIGHTS & DINNERS / THE PARK & DEN / KEEPING NEWMAN RUNNING STUDENT TESTIMONIES & SPOTLIGHT / YA & GRAD MINISTRY NEWMAN BABIES / NEWMAN STEWARDSHIP CAMPAIGN
Message from our
DIRECTOR & PASTOR
What a beautiful and exciting time! We're so grateful
to have students back on campus this Fall. It's already been amazing to see how enthused the students are to be back as well. Our events have been packed with both new and returning students, The entire month of September is focused on outreach. This allows for our campus ministry team at each campus to be fully invested in reaching out to new students. We began the year with a Novus retreat for freshmen (and sophomores this year), which is a great way to welcome students into our community during their first days here. Then our teams spent every day out on each campus, tabling, offering free water bottles, and taking every opportunity to engage new students as they arrived on campus. Each night we would hold special "Welcome Week" activities, like Volleyball night, ChickFil-A night, and Newman dinner so that students had the chance to meet each other and our Newman community at the Center and on campus. We have now transitioned into our normal rhythm of activities, including our small group Bible studies, Newman Night speaker series and our famous Newman dinners! We especially want to thank all of you, parents, alumni, and friends for making all of this possible for our young people!
Patrick Travers, SCV Newman Director ptravers@saintsaj.org
&
Fr. Carlos Keen, SCV Pastor of St. Agatha - St. James Parish ckeen@saintsaj.org
F
all is in the air! The crispness of the autumn weather is nostalgic for so many of us. It is associated with many things: the changing leaves, family get-togethers, annual sporting activities, and most of all, "Back to School"! Perhaps this year, more than others, we have especially appreciated the Fall. As we reencounter old friends and meet many new ones, we are experiencing our old traditions through new eyes of immense gratitude! Here at Newman, we are rejoicing in this "Return to Life," which is the theme of this magazine. In the pages that follow, we hope you will feel a part of our joy as we celebrate the gift of the Christian life with our thriving community. From our student's smiling faces and powerful testimonies, we hope you know how much we value your role in this special community. -Lillian Fallon, Communications Coordinator
ETURN TO LIFE
FALL 2021
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HING O UT
FOCUS ON CAMPUS
Nowadays, we can't wait for young people to come to Church. We need to get out on campus and engage students where they're at! Our FOCUS missionaries were out on campus every day of Welcome Week, tabling, passing out water bottles, and inviting students to our many outreach events throughout the first week on campus.
OUTREACH EVENTS
Within their first 72 hours on campus, most college freshmen make their group of friends they will spend most of their time with. We make it a priority to offer ways to engage students these first few days. Studies show that it is much more likely that students will be engaged with their faith if their friends are as well. In addition to going out to campus, we hold multiple events at the Newman Center, including Chick-Fil-A night, Newman Dinner in the Park, and a bonfire night with s'mores.
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fall outreach
ovus Retreats One of our trademark events is our annual NOVUS retreat for incoming freshmen. This year we included sophomores, as many didn't have the full campus experience last year. It's a great way to warmly welcome students to campus, and it's a great way for them to make friends before the year even begins. Our student leaders, campus ministers, and FOCUS missionaries did an incredible job! The retreat went very well, with many new students welcomed to the Newman community! We have already seen the fruits of our efforts! Freshmen Bible studies that have formed, as well as a Movie club that meets at Newman more than once a week to relax and share a good flick!
ock-In We started the year off right with the Newman Lock-In! The night party was full of games, good food, a city-wide scavenger hunt, a midnight dodgeball match, a bonfire with s'mores, and fellowship with other students. For this event, we bring together students from both Penn & Drexel and welcome new students into our Newman family. Shout out to our Drexel Newman alumni who came and cooked pasta!
FALL 2021
THE NEWMAN CENTER
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b
JOINING FORCES
e
Penn & Drexel
t After many years of the Penn and Drexel ministries working alongside each other, this year we decided to collaborate even more, as we adopt a new weekly schedule of events.
t
Instead of two separate community moments during the week, we decided to welcome both Penn and Drexel to the Tuesday Newman Night speaker series and the famous Newman Dinners on Thursdays.
e r
Both events are combined between Penn & Drexel students, and sharing resources allows us to to create more experiences for encounter and better quality programing. We've already received positive feedback from students who are embracing this opportunity to unite both ministries and make double the amount of friends! We are so happy with how smoothly the transition has gone. The Newman Center is truly a home to all students in University City. - Jule & Michael, Penn & Drexel Campus Ministers
THE
DREAM
TEAM
Jule Coppa may be new to her Penn Campus Minister position, but she and Michael Gokie (Drexel's Campus Minister) have worked together for years already. Having served as FOCUS' Team Leader for Drexel, Jule has a special place in her heart for both ministries. Michael and Jule make a great Campus Minister Team, helping to guide the student leaders and FOCUS missionaries.
Penn Campus Minister
JULE coppa
t o g e t
&
h
MICHAEL
e
gokie Drexel Campus Minister
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THE NEWMAN CENTER
FALL 2021
joining forces
DONOR SPOTLIGHT
Thank you to the Colgan Foundation for their continued support of our Newman Dinners! It's been such a life-giving event every Thursday that brings in new people and allows for community building over a hot meal!
ewman dinners We're so grateful to be able to hold our "famous chicken parm" Newman Dinners out in our new park right next to the Newman Center. It's a great place for people to get to know each other, share a meal, and play lawn games.
newman nights
+
Our joint Newman Night on Tuesdays were kicked off with a three week series, on the topics of "Encounter - Grow - Serve." Speakers from our ministry team, including FOCUS missionaries, broke down the core values of missionary discipleship. "It's been a wonderful time getting to know other people in the community! These Newman Nights have shown me just how widespread "After sharing the physical building with Penn for three years, I'm
the Newman Family is outside of my own campus -- and it only serves
excited to finally share the same Newman Center community.
me more opportunities to enrich my college faith experience!"
Having these formation opportunities together makes me feel like
- Francis Virtucio, Pre-Junior Drexel
I'm a part of a much more unified parish family." - Juliana Wallgren, Drexel Newman President, Junior
"The joint gatherings are a great opportunity to both be involved in the faith and the many terrific people of the Newman Center." - Jacob Polis, Junior Drexel
SPRING 2021
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New Hangs:
"The Den"
T
K
PAR E H
&T
Lawn Games
Our new Park has quickly become the spot for lawn games like "spikeball," cornhole, and frisbee. It's been an amazing gift to have this outdoor space available to our students. It's been crucial for building community and having fun! New Statue of Mary
THE NEWMAN CENTER
HE DEN The Park
Did you know that we got a new Marian statue in our park? She is Our Lady of Reconciliation, a special devotion of our Sodalit brothers. We anxiously awaited her arrival for months and once she was installed in the park, it all felt complete!
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Our team creatively turned our old garage into a beautiful new game room complete with a pool table, a big screen TV, and comfy couches. Perfect for any hangout!
What a beautiful space our new Park has become! What used to be a parking lot has been transformed into a spacious urban green space, perfect for outdoor hangouts that are so convenient in the warm summer and fall weather and while we're still looking to remain cautious due to the pandemic.
FALL 2021
team spotlight: operations
eeping Newman Running
Many of you know about our impressive redevelopment that's lasted several years. For the major renovations, we worked with outside contractors. For a lot of smaller projects, however, we were able to save money by doing the work in house. We are so grateful for the people behind the scenes who work so tirelessly to keep Newman going.
Below are photos of only a few of the projects our operations team have worked on: total renovation of the rectory kitchen (below left); turning our outdoor garage into a cool game room called the "Den" (below right); repainting and remodeling many indoor areas, including the Newman lounge (bottom left of page).
Chris George Asst. General Manager
Chris George is the true man behind the scenes. For the past three years, he not only has helped oversee much of the redevelopment, but has also overseen the day-to-day maintenance and operations of the Newman Center & Parish, which totals more than 55,000 sq. ft.!
Alberto Villavicencio Maintenance Assistant
Alberto joined our team several years back and has assisted on many redevelopment projects. He is a joy to have on staff and always greets students with a smiling face!
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a
pla c e
ere wh
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b
el
ongs
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"The Newman Center is my home away from home. It's my place of peace on a campus that's so busy and often fails to appreciate and give thanks for each moment. Being around the people at the Newman Center sets my faith ablaze and inspires me to grow in my devotion to Christ." - Nigel Newby
"The Newman Center is a place where I can get "The Newman Center is my favorite place on campus. I away from the craziness of college, even just know I'll always find people to study with, share for a few hours. It has definitely made college adventures, and ask for advice. It really is a family, life a lot more bearable because I know I have and it's the best feeling in the world!" somewhere to go when I need some calmness or just a place to hang out."
- Emma Koskovich - Nneso Offor
DAVID SANDERS SOPHOMORE, DREXEL
“...THE NEWMAN CENTER IS A HOME AWAY FROM HOME.”
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community spotlights
It has helped me to handle conflicts more gracefully, perceive the world differently in terms of successes and failures, and has allowed me to be a better friend, teammate, and family member. I’m so grateful for the ways in which Jesus has gently pursued me through FOCUS & the Newman Center. -Grace Estabrook, 22' Penn
A M A Z I N G G R IN FOCUS A C E Grace (right) with Penn FOCUS Missionary, Molly Bent (left)
rowing up, my family was very active in the Presbyterian church. I went to church because I was told to, but I didn’t have a prayer life, didn’t have good, virtuous friends, and didn’t really know who Jesus was.
Freshman year of college, I fell away from Christianity. I didn’t find a church that I liked on campus, I fell in with people who didn’t have my best intentions at heart, and I felt very distant from God. Spring semester of my freshman year was one of the darkest times in my life.
Sophomore year, I knew something had to change. I found a great church off campus and went every Sunday, alone. It was a step in the right direction, but I was still lacking what I now see as essential to Christian life - good, virtuous friendships and community.
This past year, upon meeting Molly (one of the FOCUS missionaries) and many other people at Newman, my life, perspective, and heart have been transformed in ways that I didn’t know were possible. The Newman Center has provided me with a wonderful, faithful community of friends that I didn’t even know was what I so desperately needed. I now go to Mass weekly, pray every day because of the desire to be constantly communicating with God, attend Bible study, am in discipleship, and have the desire to convert to Catholicism. I’ve recently joined Newman’s RCIA program, because I recognized the beauty and freedom in the lives that my Catholic friends were living, and I felt like Jesus was gently calling to take my faith deeper. Exploring the Catholic faith has given me an eternal perspective on life and has made me desire living the way God wants me to live. A special thanks to "The Ambassador's Fund" for supporting our Athlete Outreach Program.
Anjelo (right) with Penn FOCUS missionary, Claudio
ntering into a new place can seem intimidating. E I moved from Pittsburgh to Phily to serve as FOCUS'
Team Director at Drexel. The brothers welcomed me with open arms and invited me into the community. In turn, their warm welcome has influenced how I greet new faces at Newman! St. Benedict has a great rule for hospitality, which is to have open hearts as new people come in. Having a stance of availability allows us to welcome in new people with love and joy. I love being a part of this Ministry and their efforts to making sure no person feels unwelcome. It has been especially important to me and my team to reach out and invite every student we encounter, especially non-Catholics. We've seen lots of non-Catholic students join our events! They've been so open to hanging out during Newman Nights, attending BBQs, playing lawn games, and getting involved. I'm looking forward to investing further in these relationships and seeing where God leads these students! -Anjelo Rocero, Drexel FOCUS Team Leader
FALL 2021
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ALIVE
Young Adult & Grad Student Ministry
Weekly Meetings
The core of the Young Adult group are the Wednesday evening meetings, where members are able to share faith experiences, learn & pray together. Retreats & Social Events
As the group is quite active, they will often get together on weekends, and attend retreats put on by Fr. Remi together. Hiking Group
Every Saturday, young adults and students have been hiking on the Wissahickon Trail. If you're interested in joining, you're always welcome!
Penn Grad Student & Young Adult Leader:
Mica Udani
"Have you ever prayed the surrender novena? That’s pretty much how I feel when I come to Newman: I go to Newman and trust in Him. I can sit before Mass, breathing in the smell of the varnished wood of the pews, the choir's voices echoing around me. I can learn more about Him from the wisdom of the brothers, and I can see Him in the faces of my friends. We can surrender together and laugh together and know that in Him, we’re always safe. It’s like coming home. I can come to Newman, and all I have to be is me. I can be how Jesus sees me."
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The YA group at Sts AJ is the community I have been praying for: a family, a home, a place to love and be loved. - Taylor Barnette, Penn Nurse I love the group because I get to learn about and express my Catholic faith in a comfortable environment with amazing peers. - Dan Scofield. Drexel Alum It's a place of community that is always challenging and inviting me to be a better daughter of Christ and unfold my full potential. - Sofía Zayas, Penn Vet student Every Catholic needs a community and that's what the YA group is for me. - Richard Patti, Penn Grad Student
new life
ext Generation
Newman Babies
Our last edition included some young Newman couples who discovered their call to holiness in the vocation of marriage. Since our theme this Fall is "Return to Life," we thought it would be appropriate to highlight the beauty of "new life" itself! God has already blessed quite a few of these couples with children, and we couldn't be happier for them!
Rebecca & Aaron Osborne
& the Nazareth Group
Many of these couples are also part of a very special group, called the "Nazareth Group" for young married couples. They meet with Fr. Carlos Keen once a month in person, and support each other in their faith journeys in married life. Many also have become mentors to other engaged couples preparing for matrimony in our Pre-Cana program.
Tom & Elaine Seykora
Max & Ashley Henderson
Rebecca & Aaron have been parishioners at St. AJs for 3 years, since Rebecca began Veterinary school at Penn. Rebecca just came into the Catholic Church through the RCIA program. Baby Katharine was born in September.
Tom (Penn '17) is now in medical school at Georgetown and Elaine (Penn '18) works as a nurse. Both were involved in Penn Newman. Married in 2020, Baby Lucy was born in Jan 2021.
Max (Drexel PhD in Physics, '15) & Ashley (Drexel MD, '15) were involved in Drexel Newman during grad school, and now are part of the Nazareth group. Their baby Harper Giana was baptized at St. AJ's.
Teresa Brugarolas & Mike Gould
mark & abby Breen
Matt & Melanie Gould
Mark & Abby came to to the parish through a connection to Fr. Carlos & the Nazareth Group. They welcomed baby Olivia Grace this past year.
Matt (Penn, '14) and Melanie (Penn, '17) met at Newman in 2012 during their work-study. Both are a part of the Young Adult and Nazareth groups. Harry James (10 months) was baptized at Sts. AJ's in July.
Teresa Brugarolas (PhD, Penn '14) has been a part of the Young Adult and now Nazareth group for almost ten years. She Married Mike Gould (brother of Matt, right) last December, and both welcome Joseph Ignacio on September 25th.
FALL 2021
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development
“They ate &
What Does
NEW
were satisfied” - Mk 8:8
Stewardship Really Mean?
NTRODUCTIONS Amy Bishop, Development Manager
Hi everyone! I’m so grateful to be a part of the Newman community with you all. I recently moved to Philadelphia in May of this year! Having encountered God in a very personal way during my college years, I am very devoted to working for the Newman Center which allows others to experience this as well. I truly believe the college/young adult years are the most spiritually formative. I am honored to be working with the SCV Brothers and the staff members here to serve college students and foster a wonderful community. As a fundraiser, I see my role as primarily a communicator and relationship builder, being able to share experiences and highlight the specific needs of the Newman Center so that the ministries and operations can continue to thrive.
These words of Scripture refer to the miracle of the loaves and the fishes; God’s great power, generosity and ability to turn all that we offer Him into something so much greater than we could have imagined. And this is exactly what God is doing here at the Newman Center: He is showering us with an abundance of life, energy and love! We love seeing so many faces here at our various events, ministries and liturgies - and our mission is for everyone that is hungry for God to be satisfied. Therefore, we humbly present to God all that we have to offer and trust in His ability to multiply all of our gifts and efforts. Please join us in offering these gifts - whatever you are able to contribute will be greatly appreciated and cherished! Every gift goes a long way. Please help us make sure all students that come to us are truly able to eat and be satisfied - spiritually and physically! Below is a summary of last year's income and expenses:
NEWMAN STEWARDSHIP CAMPAIGN We are so grateful to all of you for the success of last year's Newman Stewardship Campaign, in which we surpassed our goal of $25k Together you helped us get through this past year, which has allowed us to reach so many people through our Fall outreach this year! Now we are kicking off the 2021 Newman Stewardship Campaign to keep Newman running and we need your help to raise another $25k. Your contribution will go directly to supporting our ministries: Bible studies, retreats, Newman nights, speakers etc. We can't do any of these things without your generosity! Any contribution you can make to the Newman Center has a tremendous impact on the lives of many young people! Thank you all for your continued commitment and generosity to our Newman community.
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To support our mission, please visit newman.upenn.edu/give or drexelnewman.com/give. Or contact Amy Bishop at abishop@saintsaj.org
DONOR SPOTLIGHT
A special thank you to those who have contributed to our Redevelopment fund! Especially:
Peter and Teresa Schaefer Kwon Lee Marita Santos The Connelly Foundation Roman Ventura
newman.upenn.edu/give drexelnewman.com/give
THE HEART-TO-HEART A special thank you
Sacred heart Society $10,000+ Francis Drexel Fund, The Colgan Foundation, The Ambassador Fund, Marita Santos, Peter & Lily Ferry.
IMMACULATE HEART Society $5,000 - $9,999 Craig Carnaroli, Stephen Childs, Jeff & Elisa Klein, Tim & Laura Ristoff, Matthew & Melanie Gould, Francis & Kathleen Hager, Jeffery & Cathy Gokie, John & Susan McInerney.
St. john henry newman society $1,000 - $4,999 Jeremiah & Kay O'Grady, Andrew Dierkes, Brian & Anne McCarthy, Doug & Pia Brintnall, Therese Brady & Mark Demo, Anne & Chris Walsh, Adelina Kieffer, Sylvia Liemonta, Daniel Romeu, R. Tony Tripeny, Eric Furda, AJ & Margie Suarez, Angela Anderson, Thomas & Christine Giordano, Fr. Carlos Keen, SCV
$20/Month
Cover the costs for one student to attend a FOCUS Bible study for the semester
GIVING SOCIETY Lance & Catherine Katigbak, John F. Lomartra, Maxwell & Ashley Henderson, Frank Gabriele, Rebecca Rose Metzger, Madison & James Paron, Jonathan Reilly, Christopher J. Fried, Seung Hyun Youn, Ana Lopez, Chris & Michele Cano, Patrick Travers, SCV Peter & Dawn Dodson, Allie Burton, John & Rosalee Dilulio, Timothy & Barbara Madden, Michael & Cyndi Tramontano, Jonathan & Johanna Tyburski, Valerie Rube, Susan Benzie, Teresa Brugarolas, Lorita Donovan, Ann Maguire, Michael Morosky, Edward Ging, George & Marjorie Pennacchi.
st. Katharine drexel Society
$500 - $999 Patrick Hislop, Michael & Susanna Guarino, Michael Mauk, Raul & Marin Espericueta, Thomas & Margaret Hogan, Cesar & Emily Ruiz, Kathleen Travers, Mercedes Chartier,
Devin & Jacqueline Caster, Peter McIntosh, Luke Anthony Benedict, Thomas & Margaret Connelly John and Lou Ann Benedict Esteban Gonzalez Rosell, John Ortega, Michael Zeoli, Tim Burns, Joe Maloney, Aaron Strauss, Kenneth & Cecilia Soo, John & Stacey Cardone, Anthony & Madeline Carradorini, newman Dinners Maria Arevalo, Christopher Cynkar, 120+ weekly attendees Eugene Enclona, Sarah Cahill, Jonathan Stensberg, Nancy Neely, Jill Bender, Steve Berg, bible studIES & Andrew & Patricia Callahan, Small groups Carlos de Quesada, Peter & Claudette Fallon, 150+ weekly attendees Robert A. Gleason Jr. Alfred Halas, Kenneth Kelleher Jr. Gregory & Kathy Mayes, Gregory P. Oussani, Dale Philippi, Eugene Rainis, Retreats (Semesterly) Edward A. Receski, William & Loretta Romanow, 200+ attendees John W. Schindler, Susan Schrader, Beverly Schwarz, John and Christine Sommer, Maura Mimnagh Thibault, Lisa Walls, Albert & Lauren Youssef.
Make your monthly gift!
$50/Month
$100/Month
$150/Month
Cover Operational Expenses at the Newman Center & St. AJ's For One Day
Cover An RCIA Candidate's Expenses
Fund Our Newman Night Speaker Series For The Semester
THE NEWMAN CENTER AT ST. AGATHA - ST. JAMES 111 S. 38th St Philadelphia, PA 19104 newman.upenn.edu / drexelnewman.com
Design Credits Lillian Fallon (lfallon@saintsaj.org)
Non-Profit
Organization US
Postage PAID
Philadelphia, PA Permit No. 175
Photography Credits Lillian Fallon Kamryn Figueras