Story by Reagan Scott
LINCOLN (SNR) - As seniors in the University of Nebraska system prepare to graduate on May 9, they’ve had to come to terms with the fact that their senior year isn’t ending the way they expected.
Many students left for home once classes were moved to online instruction due to the coronavirus pandemic, and the St. Thomas Aquinas Newman Center on the campus of the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, typically full of students, was left empty.
But even with Masses closed to the public and events cancelled, the Newman Center has still been able to keep students connected to Christ, and seniors have been able to reflect on the ways the Newman Center has made a difference in their lives during their time in college.
Even in quarantine, the Newman Center has livestreamed Masses, and Father Robert Matya, the pastor at the Newman Center, said FOCUS Bible studies have still been going on by video conference, and that attendance is still really good.
“Some Bible study leaders have been able to reach out to people and bring them in,” he said.
One of the ways the Newman Center responded to COVID-19 was in the creation of a “virtual Newman Center.”
Located in a separate tab on the Husker Catholic website, the virtual Newman Center is a place to watch Mass livestreamed at 10 a.m. on Sundays and 5:30 p.m. Monday through Friday. Students can also schedule times to meet a priest for confession, submit prayer intentions, see video updates from Newman priests and FOCUS (Fellowship of Catholic University Students) missionaries, and access educational resources.
But even as the Newman Center takes effort to help students continue to grow in their relationships with God, Father Matya said his feelings about this year’s senior class are bittersweet.
“I’m happy for them, that they will be able to graduate, but there’s sadness too. There are so many kinds of things we celebrate here at the end of the year,” he said.
One of the things Father Matya is going to remember most about this year’s graduating class is the students’ cognizance of the need to bring newer students on campus into the community.
He said, “They’re not just working on their own spiritual lives, but allowing others to have that experience as well. I’m really grateful they found this place helpful to them, but also continued to build community here.”
Lizzy Isaacson, a senior psychology major from Gretna, said the Newman Center was her home base throughout college, and served as a space where she could know people by name, and feel known in return.
“Newman was also a fertile soil for deep friendships to grow,” she said. “A shared faith is a lot to have in common with someone right off the bat!”
Morgan Shipley, a Lincoln native and senior biology major at Nebraska Wesleyan University frequently attended 10 p.m. Mass at Newman throughout her time as an undergraduate student. The Newman Center exists to serve all college students, not just those attending UNL.
“I think the biggest impact that it had on me was its large part in helping me practice my faith on my own in college” Shipley said. “Being able to go to Mass late at night and seeing hundreds of other college students practicing their faith had a huge impact on my Catholic practices.”
Throughout each school year, students have the opportunity to attend Mass every day of the week and participate in community nights every Thursday after the 10 p.m. Mass. They can get involved in any number of Bible studies, participate in mission trips, sing in a choir, join intramural sports teams, or serve as part of the Newman Center student board, like Isaacson did.
There are catechesis and RCIA (Rite of Christian Initiation for Adults) classes offered, FOCUS, Greek events for members of fraternities and sororities on campus, monthly Theology on Tap gatherings where upperclassmen and graduate students can grow in faith and fellowship over a pint and a Catholic fraternity, Phi Kappa Theta, and sorority, Pi Alpha Chi.
Grace Dickas, a senior actuarial science and mathematics major from Omaha got involved in choir, and later became the director of music for the Newman Center.
She said, “I loved the community and traditions, and I was eager to continue an activity that I enjoyed in high school. I was welcomed into a talented group of musicians who all had different gifts to bring to the table. Together, we sang all kinds of sacred music to glorify God with the added benefit of the chapel’s amazing acoustics.”
During the day, students can be found in Adoration in the church’s Marian chapel, studying quietly in the upstairs library, or working on group projects in the classrooms in the Newman basement.
For many students, the Newman Center is a home away from home on campus. Kevin Birdsall, a senior Biological Systems Engineering student from Napa, Calif., said that despite being so far from home, he could find something constant in God at the Newman Center.
“There, I could bring all of my sadness, fear, and pain that accompanied the transition, and lay it at the feet of Jesus, making me feel less alone,” he said. “As college went on, the Newman Center became a staple in my life, from the ready access to the sacraments to the people who go there. All of this made for an escape of everyday life, and helped me to grow, both in my Catholic Faith and my maturity.”
Each semester, students can choose to go on Koinonia or FOCUS boot camp retreats, designed to build community and encounter the Holy Spirit, respectively. A number of students choose to attend national FOCUS conferences every year, where they have the opportunity to grow in faith with Catholic college students from across the country.
In fact, it is Father Matya’s opinion that the biggest factor in the growth of the Newman Center has been FOCUS, which he partnered with in 1999, the year after he was assigned pastor there. Curtis Martin had just founded the Fellowship of Catholic University Students in 1998, starting with just two missionaries at Benedictine College. The organization now has more than 700 missionaries serving students in more than 170 locations.
Since bringing FOCUS to the UNL campus, Father Matya said the Newman Center has grown from a church with seating for 300 and only two Masses every weekend, to one with seating for 650 that has well over 2,000 students attending four Masses every Sunday. The fifth anniversary of the dedication of the new church was last month.
Father Matya said one of his favorite memories from this past school year was the 10 a.m. Mass on the first Sunday of the school year. Father Matya had a student take a photo of the packed church, which he has framed in his office.
“My heart is filled with so much joy seeing all those students there,” he said.
As this school year comes to a close, many of the seniors in that photo have already attended their last Mass at the Newman Center, weeks before they would have otherwise. Now, they’ll have to learn how to grow in relationship with God away from their spiritual home.
No matter where they go, Father Matya said, it’s important that everyone is plugged in to their faith community.
“Wherever you move to, one of the first things to do is find your parish community and find out how you can get involved,” he said.
Drew Hines, the associate director of development for the Newman Center, conducts exit interviews with seniors at the end of each school year, although the current situation had him conducting interviews over the phone this year, rather than in person.
During these interviews, Hines asks the students how the Newman Center has impacted their faith, gives them encouragement for practicing their faith beyond college and talks to them about tithing.
“I almost feel guilty getting to sit down and hear their stories, rather than Father Matya or Father Mills,” Hines said. “But it’s really, really inspiring to hear how the Lord’s working through the Newman Center and through the people here.”
As these seniors go out into the world, they’ll become the stewards for their parishes, and many of them remember the Newman Center and the impact that it’s had on them.
Father Matya said, “We’re grateful to our alumni who have been impacted by their time at the Newman Center and are willing to give back to provide that for other students.”
Students share favorite memories
Karissa Dicke
Hometown: Ewing, Neb.
Major: Nursing (UNMC Lincoln)
Favorite Newman activity/organization: daily Mass and Adoration“The Newman Center became my home away from home. It helped me to grow roots in my faith by providing all of the nutrients and support through ministries and a community of people that were enthusiastic about living out their faith. It is [in daily Mass and adoration] that Jesus has drawn me into a relationship with Him that I know will be present for the rest of my life.”
Kevin Birdsall
Hometown: Napa, Calif.
Major: Biological Systems Engineering
Favorite Newman activity/organization: Koinonia Retreat and daily Mass
“Each time I attended [Koinonia], I got closer to those around me and grew in my relationship with God. The other impactful event was access to daily mass every day at times that were convenient as a student. Being able to receive the Eucharist so close to home and class transformed my schooldays, and helped me
to find joy in the monotony of my lecture schedule.”
Delaney Bachman
Hometown: Fargo, N.D.
Major: Chemical Engineering
Favorite Newman activity/organization: Pi Alpha Chi Sorority
“The Newman Center quickly became a home away from home for me as I got to know people and began to spend more time there. Through the Newman Center, I was able to make some of the best friends and truly grow in my relationship with Christ through
Bible studies, daily Mass, adoration, and discipleship. I am so thankful for the time I had at UNL and especially for the Newman Center.”
Lizzy Isaacson
Hometown: Gretna, Neb.
Major: Psychology
Favorite Newman activity/organization: Serving on the Newman Center student board
“It was meaningful to play a role in helping facilitate the welcoming community that I’d encountered at Newman and to invite others to share in that. I loved to work with other student leaders who wanted to serve. No matter the event, our goal remained the same: that the Lord would be glorified and that students would encounter Him!”
Tyler Matson
Hometown: Springfield, Neb.
Majors: Political Science & Global Studies
Biggest impact from the Newman Center: Having the opportunity to lead a Bible study for freshmen this year
“Before coming to UNL, I wasn’t very actively practicing my faith, but knew I was longing for something more. Being welcomed into such a great community of students had me desiring to enter into communion with Christ. The way Father Matya and Father Mills offer themselves and provide us with access to the Sacraments––specifically one and a half hours of confession, two Mass times, and over 11 hours of Eucharistic Adoration every day––was an absolute game-changer!”
Grace Dickas
Hometown: Omaha, Neb.
Majors: Actuarial science and Mathematics
Favorite Newman activity/organization: Choir
“Throughout the many challenges of college, I was reminded time and time again through my time at Newman that God is providing for me, that He is trustworthy, and His plan is better than anything else. The sacraments and spiritual formation I received at Newman enabled me to see the hand of God in my own life and believe that He is guiding me amidst the uncertainty of the future.”
