The Catholic Community of the University of Oregon
St. Thomas More University Parish-Newman Center
 
 
The Newman Center
The Newman Center began in 1915 as a Newman Club founded for the purpose
of bringing Catholic students together in faith and fellowship at the University of
Oregon. The arrival of the Dominicans in 1962 began a radical growth in
Catholic ministry at the University. On June 1, 1965 groundbreaking began on
the current location of 1850 Emerald Street for a Church and Center. The
Newman Club became a Newman Center complete with its own church, offices,
and meeting spaces. On September 5, 1967 the Newman Center was erected
as a personal parish, giving it specific canonical privileges and rights. In the last
45 years, our community has grown and changed in many ways, but the heart of
the ministry, faith and fellowship, remains the same. Furthermore, our blend of
student and permanent community members balances the strengths of stability
and experience with the energy and enthusiasm of youth. By providing
opportunities for leadership and faith development to students of higher
education, the Newman Center takes an active role in forming future leaders in
the Church. Through our ministry to the community of higher education, the
Newman Center is bridging our rich faith and intellectual traditions with society.
 
 
Mission Statement
The mission of the Newman Center is to bring the Gospel of Jesus Christ
expressed in the Roman Catholic intellectual and spiritual tradition into dialogue
with the academic community at the University of Oregon through the
evangelization and religious formation of the Catholic students, faculty, staff and
administrators. We are people affiliated with the University and local community
members who support the mission of Catholic Campus Ministry.
 
 
Core Values
We believe that the Eucharist is the source and summit of our lives and that
Christ forms us into His Body through the grace of the sacraments.
We believe in the importance of both a personal relationship with God expressed
in prayer and a moral life, and a communal relationship with God manifested in
liturgy and service.
We believe we are each empowered by the Holy Spirit with gifts given us in
baptism, and commissioned by Jesus Christ to exercise a particular apostolate.
We seek to understand our faith and to form our consciences according to
Christian principles while acknowledging the freedom of human reason and the
legitimate autonomy of human culture and science.
We are convinced that studying the signs of the times and working for justice and
peace are essential elements of the Gospel.
We are a diverse, multi-generational and welcoming community to form Christian
leaders
 
Six Aspects of Campus Ministry
The U.S. Catholic Bishops, in their 1985 document “Empowered by the Spirit”
identified six aspects essential to campus ministry. These serve as a model
against which we measure our priorities and activities:
1. Forming the faith community
2. Appropriating the faith
3. Educating for justice
4. Facilitating personal development
5. Developing the Christian conscience
6. Forming leaders for the future
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