Newman Centers in the diocese continue to draw students

Matthew Cruz, left, visits with seminarian Carlos De La Rosa and Father Chaplain Father Richard Gutierrez. Cruz frequents the Newman Center at Texas A&M University-Kingsville.

Mary Cottingham | STC

---

In 2012, Bishop Michael Mulvey had a vision. He saw an urgent need to bring the Catholic faith to young adults. Youth who are on the cusp between their teenage years and becoming full adults. He, spearheaded an effort, along with the help of a priest advisory committee, architectures, construction workers and many contributors, to erect Newman Centers and chapels in strategic areas of universities and college campuses in the Diocese of Corpus Christi.

Where a Newman Center existed at Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi, the student center was expanded, and a chapel was built to accommodate a growing student population. New chapels and Newman Centers were erected in Kingsville and Beeville for students from Texas A&M University-Kingsville and Coastal Bend College-Beeville.

The centers now a reality, provide students with a faith-based community and are a “home away from home” to members of the Catholic Student Organization (CSO). These centers are a respite for others seeking meaning, community and love.

Intern Dino Quiocho, a junior at Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi chillaxes after lunch with his CSO buddies after Free Lunch Wednesday.  Mary Cottingham | STC

Dino Quiocho, a junior at Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi, who hails from Houston and who is currently an intern working at the Newman Center, says the community at the Center is the best. At first, it was awkward to form relationships, “but once you see other people striving to be the light of Christ and striving to be closer to God, that pushes you to be closer to God. I mean, that was just like the best thing for me. Whenever I go back home, it’s hard to be away from here, because I have so many people pushing me towards God.”

The Newman Center in Corpus Christi is managed by Amy Barragee, director of Campus Ministry for Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi. She, along with the help of two consecrated lay members of the Focolare movement, Bea Romo and Birgit Oberhofer, offers spiritual direction as students transition to adulthood.

Barragee says many students stress about their majors or grades and are trying to decide if they should still be in school and “the ones who are graduating are asking themselves, ‘What am I going to do with my life now?’ they also have family and relationship issues that they struggle and stress over.”, but the students are enthusiastic about the Newman center and are the ones making phone calls, cleaning up, making prayer intentions, printing bulletins and doing social media stuff for the Newman Center.

They’re the ones doing the fundraising for the mission trips, but sometimes they don’t know how to do a big project – that’s where Bea and Birgit help,” she said. “They take them through steps and see them through to where they want to be.”

Students at the Newman Center from Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi gather around a newcomer (baby). They are, from left, Regan Rodriguez, Hannah Atteberry, Birgit Oberhofer, Natasha Medina, Andres Trevino, Jessica Reyes, Avery Rodriguez and Lisette Luna. Mary Cottingham | STC

Romo’s and Oberhofer’s role is one of accompaniment. Romo has skills as a life coach and Oberhofer is in the process of becoming a Catholic spiritual director. “One of the ideas of the bishop was to offer accompaniment to students here,” Romo said. This idea is also one that Pope Francis has been stressing – to accompany each other.

“Bishop Mulvey’s suggestion, in terms of what our role would be here, part of that is forming ourselves to accompany students by giving them life tools and knowledge. A huge part of it is listening and directing and providing a space where they can talk openly and to help them identify what is going on inside and what God might be telling them,” Romo said. “Also, we provide the faith and offer our own experience.”

Avery Rodriguez, whose home is in Bandera, said that when she started coming to the Newman Center, she didn’t know much about her faith. “I learned a lot more about myself thanks to Amy, Bea, and Birgit to show me like different parts of the faith that I hadn’t discovered before for myself,” she said. “Ever since I got here, I’ve been much happier.”

“It’s just really great because everybody here is really striving for holiness, and we challenge one another to go deeper in our prayer life. We got a group together and started going to daily Mass at different parishes, depending on what our class schedule is like,” said student Hannah Atteberry.

The Newman Center at St. Thomas Aquinas Chapel and Newman Center in Kingsville is “booming,” says Nina Joiner, Director of Campus Ministry in Kingsville. In just a few short years, the Center has produced five young seminarians.

Joiner is responsible for making sure the Center continues to run smoothly, but five interns are charged with cleaning and running the place. Every Thursday during the school year, the Kingsville Newman Center hosts a free lunch for anywhere between 500-600 students, thanks to about 20 members of Kingsville parishes who are happy to volunteer. 

“The thing is Bishop Mulvey got everything started. But he had to make sure that the right person was in place, and that person was Nina,” Chaplain Father Richard Gutierrez said. “She brings in all these people, and they turn around and inspire the students to keep coming in.”

Thanks to Bishop Mulvey’s vision and Head Chaplain Father Joseph Lopez, who got the ball rolling, the Center has recently acquired four missionaries from Fellowship of Catholic University Students (FOCUS), who are actively promoting the joy of the gospel all around the Kingsville campus. Members of FOCUS are Samantha Ayers, Jesus Lopez, Maria Diaz and Eddie Valdez.

“Everybody contributes, everybody does something, and everybody has their own little niche. But one of the big things is they remember that they’re just part of something bigger than them. But we can’t do it without them – that is the way, I also feel, the Catholic Church is run,” he said. “You get a small taste of something universal.”

After students graduate, Father Gutierrez hopes that students feel comfortable enough where they don’t think that because they go back home, there’s no place for them at church. He wants them to remember they are welcomed everywhere. But the most important thing is that they don’t let go of their faith. 

Father Gutierrez says when students are praying, other students are respectful. “They’re doing it on their own. “We’re not forcing it on them. And I feel that that’s very important,” he said. 

Members of the CSO meet once a week, and the Newman Center is open Monday-Thursday from 10 a.m.-9 p.m. and 10 a.m.-5 p.m. on Friday. Mass is on Sunday at 1 p.m. and daily Mass will begin again in the Fall. Students can utilize the computer lab, watch television, hold Bible study, host retreats and pray. “Last semester anywhere from 10-20 students would show up for daily Mass,” Father Gutierrez said.

Where Newman Centers are thriving in Corpus Christi and Kingsville, the Newman Center in Beeville has an opportunity to grow. The Coastal Bend College-Beeville has always had a small student residential life, and some students who use to attend the college are now taking classes online.

“We’re trying to get it off the ground this semester. Every semester there are different issues that pop up. Like we might have a strong contingency in the Fall, but in the Spring, it drops down because a lot of those were nursing or radiology students who now go to hospitals or doctors’ offices in the afternoons. So, they’re no longer on the campus,” said Deacon Santos Jones, who is the part-time administrator and spiritual director at the CBC Newman Center.

 “The Bishop asked that we offer various programs for the Catholic community in Beeville as campus ministry does not fill the center’s schedule,” Deacon Santos said. “The Center is also unique in that they facilitate middle school and high school programming once a month. A time when all three parishes come together to learn and grow in faith. The Center has led churches to combine efforts for trips to the March for life, retreats and Steubenville events.

“We facilitate a combined RCIA program for all three parishes as well for those students needing the sacraments at the college. We are also working towards offering a city-wide baptismal prep program by the summer. Currently, we do offer the program baptismal prep for St. Joseph, but we’re working out the kinks before we open it up to the other parishes,” he said.

Bishop Mulvey’s vision of offering the Catholic faith to the young adults and youth has come to fruition.  All three Newman Centers continue to have opportunities to grow and reach those who need spiritual nourishment.