Newman Centre
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Named in honour of John Henry Cardinal Newman, the Newman Centres, are residence and Catholic ministry centers throughout the world. The centres provide pastoral services and ministries to their Catholic communities, in particular to the Roman Catholic student population within the universities. A variety of university and parish related meetings and social events take place at the centers, as well as personal events including weddings, anniversary celebrations, baptisms, masses and funeral receptions. Most trace their inspiration back to the Newman Society of Oxford University.
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[edit] Canada
[edit] Toronto
Toronto's Newman Center is housed in the historical W.D. Matthews House, located at the corner of Hoskins and St. George Streets, across the street from the Robarts Library on the University of Toronto campus. It is under the direction of the Archdiocese of Toronto and is associated with the neighbouring St. Thomas Aquinas Church.
The structure was built in 1890/1891 by wealthy Canadian businessman "The Barley King of Canada" Wilmot Deloui Matthews as his personal home. It is constructed of red clay, terra-cotta bricks, plum-coloured Credit Valley sandstone and pressed terra-cotta decorative elements. To celebrate his daughter’s wedding, Matthews hired architect George M. Miller and sculptor Gustav Hahn to design an Art Nouveau ballroom for his home. After his death in 1919, the house became a residence for Catholic students. Donations from two major benefactors allowed the Newman Foundation to purchase the property in 1922 for the sum of $100,000.
As a result, Toronto's Newman Centre is today one of that city's best preserved examples of Romanesque Revival architecture. It was one of the first buildings in Toronto to receive heritage status from the Ontario Heritage Foundation in 1977, not only for its exterior but also for the intricate and impressive interior design elements. The Archdiocese continues the preservation of the site despite the great expense. It is has also been used as a site for movie and television filming.
The property originally included a coach house on the current site of St. Thomas Aquinas Church.
Queen's University also houses a Newman Centre.
[edit] Montreal
Montreal's Newman Centre is located on the McGill University campus. In 1954, Fr Emmett Carter (Newman chaplain and later Archbishop of Toronto) bought the private residence and carriagehouse at 3484 Peel Street. The funds for this purchase were raised by an association of lay Catholics The Newman Centre continues to be administered today by the Newman Association of Montreal. It's Director is Richard Bernier. It bears resemblance to Toronto's building. The residences include separate sleeping quarters for women and men.
[edit] Vancouver
University of British Columbia has a Newman Club.
[edit] Saskatoon
Saskatchewan's Newman Centre is at the University of Saskatchewan
[edit] United States
Illinois has a Newman Center at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.
St. John's Catholic Newman Center--formerly known as the Newman Foundation--is the largest in the nation and has been considered one of the model Newman Centers in the United States. It encompasses three main entities: St. John's Catholic Chapel, Newman Hall, and the Institute of Catholic Thought. St. John's Catholic Newman Center is currently undergoing further expansion. St. John's is in the Catholic Diocese of Peoria.
Other Newman Centers/Programs in the Peoria Diocese include the Augustana Catholic Campus Ministry, Galesburg Newman Club, Monmouth Newman Club, Newman Foundation - Bradley University & ICC, St. Francis of Assisi Newman Center, and St. Robert Bellarmine Newman Center at Illinois State University.
New Mexico has a Newman Centre in Saint Albert at New Mexico State University. Also, there is an Aquinas Newman Center at the University of New Mexico, in Albuquerque.
Oklahoma has a Newman Center at the University of Tulsa.
The Diocese of Lexington, covering 50 counties in Central and Eastern Kentucky, maintains Newman Centers at eight of the Commonwealth's colleges and Universities, including Berea College, Centre College, Eastern Kentucky University, University of Kentucky, Morehead State University, Union College, Georgetown College and Transylvania University.
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania has a Newman Center that serves the University of Pittsburgh, Carnegie Mellon University, and Chatham College. It is run as part of the Pittsburgh Oratory of Saint Philip Neri.
Rolla, Missouri, has a recently renovated Newman Center that serves the University of Missouri–Rolla, and hosts monthly spaghetti dinners for campus students.
Kirksville, Missouri has a Newman Center that serves Truman State University that is active in the community.
Prominent Newman Clubs in the Southern California region include the California State University (Cal State) Long Beach Newman Club, the Cal State Fullerton Newman Clubs. Currently, the Newman Clubs in the Los Angeles Archdiocese area are independent of the Archdiocese and are completely student run.
[edit] Australia
University of Queensland and Charles Sturt University both house Newman Centres.
