Just a block north of the Holmes Student Center on the Northern Illinois University campus in DeKalb, the Newman Catholic Student Center has been a source of light and peace for students and permanent parishioners since its founding in 1957. Officially known as Christ the Teacher University Parish, it has been a full parish under the Diocese of Rockford since 1966, when Bishop Loras T. Lane granted that status to a ministry that had already been gathering Catholic students for twenty-five years. Today the parish remains a dual community: a campus Catholic center that welcomes thousands of Huskies each academic year, and a permanent parish that serves families, alumni, and friends who call it home across the decades.
The Mission: A Faith Community Centered on the Eucharist
The parish describes itself as a community rooted in the love of Christ in the Holy Eucharist. The current pastor, Father Robert Gonnella, frames the invitation this way: "As Jesus comes to us to make His home with us, we invite you to meet Him here and live in the love of His Sacred Heart." The parish's longstanding mission statement, developed in the early 1970s under the second pastor, calls the community to "Worship, to Minister, to Educate, to Promote Peace and Justice." Three organizing values shape the center today: belonging as a parish, thriving as a student, and the ongoing "You Will Be My Witnesses" capital campaign to renew the building and grounds.
Mass: Daily, Weekend, and a Special Sunday Night for Students
Mass is offered every day of the week. Daily Mass is celebrated Monday through Friday at 12:05 p.m., with an additional evening Mass on Wednesdays at 8:00 p.m. On Saturdays, the vigil Mass is at 4:30 p.m. Sunday Masses are at 8:00 a.m. and 10:30 a.m. throughout the year, with an additional 8:00 p.m. Mass held during the active NIU fall and spring semesters - a special accommodation for students whose class and work schedules make evening worship more accessible. The liturgies draw on the full Catholic tradition, and the music ministry is directed by Caleb Gray, who welcomes vocalists and instrumentalists to help beautify the liturgy.
Spirit and Life Wednesday: Adoration, Confession, Mass, and Pizza
Wednesday evenings are the heartbeat of the student week at Newman. The "Spirit and Life" rhythm begins at 7:00 p.m. with an hour of Eucharistic adoration accompanied by praise and worship music. Confessions are offered at 7:30 p.m. Mass follows at 8:00 p.m., and at 8:30 p.m. the group heads to the Newman Library for pizza and fellowship. The evening gathers undergraduates, graduate students, FOCUS missionaries, and Student Ministry Team members in one continuous flow of prayer and community.
Eucharistic Adoration and the Sacrament of Reconciliation
Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament is offered most days at the parish. Exposition takes place Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, and Friday at 11:00 a.m., with an extended day on Wednesdays from 9:00 a.m. until 8:00 p.m. On First Fridays, adoration runs from 8:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. The parish explains adoration in its own catechetical voice: a sacred time to adore the real presence of Jesus Christ in the Eucharist, inspired by Jesus' plea in the garden, "Could you not spend one hour with me?" Visitors are asked to maintain reverence, with no food, drinks, or loud conversation in the adoration chapel.
Confessions are scheduled throughout the week as well. Regular times are Wednesdays at 11:00 a.m. and 7:30 p.m., Saturdays at 3:00 p.m., and Sundays at 7:00 p.m. during the active academic semesters. First Fridays bring an extended confession window from 8:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. The parish also participates in the diocese-wide "Be Reconciled Day" before Easter, when priests hear confessions throughout the day.
FOCUS Missionaries and the Student Ministry Team
Student outreach at Newman is led in partnership with FOCUS - the Fellowship of Catholic University Students - and by an undergraduate Student Ministry Team. The current FOCUS team includes Team Director Erin Mahaffa and missionaries Leah Jansen, Alex Kleiber, and Michael Sommers. Together they run Bible studies across campus, walk with students one-on-one in discipleship, and host large events. The Student Ministry Team, co-chaired by Johnathan McMahon and Emily McCune, is composed of NIU students who lead Welcome Back Weekend, the Ministry Fair, and weekly fellowship such as the Welcome Back BBQ, the Newman Formal, and the PowerPoint Party. A weekly Rosary Walk around campus meets on Tuesday evenings, leaving from the narthex, and is open to all college students regardless of experience praying the rosary.
Faith Formation for Children, Youth, and Adults
Faith formation for parish children and teens is coordinated by Rachel Johnsen, Director of Religious Education. The K-8 Religious Education program meets on Sunday mornings from 9:00 to 10:15 a.m., between the morning Masses, with fellowship and refreshments in the Knox Community Room before students head to their grade-level classrooms. The curriculum for non-sacramental years is Gospel Weeklies from Pflaum, built around the Gospel reading from that weekend's Mass. Students in 2nd grade prepare for First Reconciliation and First Holy Communion through Ascension Press's "Renewed & Received" curriculum. Older students preparing for Confirmation follow a two-year cycle; the 2026-27 school year is Year A and uses "The Chosen: Your Journey to Confirmation," "Envision: Theology of the Body for Middle School," and "Encounter: The Bible Timeline for Middle School." Confirmation is celebrated each spring on the date set by the Bishop's office.
The parish also offers Catechesis of the Good Shepherd, a Montessori-based faith formation program for preschool children held in a specially prepared atrium. The CGS coordinator is Jennifer Gray (also called Jenny), supported by catechists Bethany Drendel and Lauren McMahon and atrium assistant Gabrielle McMahon. Two sessions are offered each week: Sunday morning from 9:00 to 10:15 a.m. and Monday evening from 4:00 to 6:00 p.m.
For high school youth, separate middle school and high school ministries meet on weeknights. Middle school youth ministry gathers on Thursday nights from 6:00 to 7:15 p.m., and high school youth ministry meets on Wednesday nights from 6:30 to 8:00 p.m., led by Veronica Jeronimo and Gabrielle McMahon. The summer offers Teen VBS, summer Bible study, and the Apostles' Creed Youth Study series on select Tuesdays.
Adults are invited to deepen their faith through ongoing classes. Father Gonnella leads a fall Sunday morning series on the Second Vatican Council, meeting between the Masses, with no fee or registration required.
Becoming Catholic: OCIA and Adult Initiation
Those interested in the Catholic faith - or Catholic adults who have not yet been confirmed - are welcomed into the Order of Christian Initiation of Adults (OCIA), coordinated by Jason Theobald. The program kicks off each fall with an evening of introductions and snacks in the Hoffman Room and continues through the year, culminating in the reception of the Easter sacraments.
Retreats, Mission Trips, and Summer Adventure
The Northern Illinois Koinonia, or NIK, is the parish's signature college retreat, begun in 1996 under former pastor Father Stephen Knox. Held once each fall and once each spring, NIK is a weekend of talks, small groups, skits, prayer, and rest that returns students to campus renewed. Many of the student leaders have themselves come through NIK and now serve on its team. Each January, students also travel to the SEEK national conference; the parish regularly gathers a group for the multi-day event.
Mission trips extend the parish's reach beyond DeKalb. During spring break, students travel to Murfreesboro, Tennessee, to serve with Habitat for Humanity. In summer, FOCUS missionaries lead a trip to Costa Rica. Parishioners and students also volunteer regularly at Feed My Starving Children in Aurora, both as a youth trip in summer and as a college trip during the academic year. Cooking meals for a local homeless shelter is another longstanding service effort, dating back to the parish's expansion under Father Knox.
Sacraments and Pastoral Services: Baptisms, Weddings, and Funerals
Baptisms are typically celebrated after the 10:30 a.m. Mass on the 1st and 3rd Sundays of the month and during the 8:00 a.m. Mass on 2nd Sundays. Parents are asked to contact the office manager at least two weeks in advance. First-time parents complete a Baptismal Preparation class, which can be done online.
The parish welcomes Catholic weddings for registered parishioners and NIU students, with both individuals required to be at least 19 years of age under Diocese of Rockford policy. Preparation takes at least six months and begins with the Wedding Preparation Initial Form and a meeting with a priest. The parish provides a wedding coordinator who walks couples through the liturgy, attends the rehearsal, and assists on the day. Suggested offerings are: $200 to the Newman Catholic Student Center, a $100 refundable clean-up deposit, $150 to the priest presider, and $125 to the wedding coordinator, with musicians coordinated separately through the Music Director. Rehearsal dinners can be held in the Knox Community Room; couples serving alcohol must secure Liquor Liability Insurance naming Christ the Teacher University Parish as an additional insured.
The parish also serves families at the time of death through funeral arrangements, coordinated through the parish office.
A History of the Newman Center
The ministry that became the Newman Catholic Student Center began in 1941. Northern Illinois State Teachers College (now NIU) had 1,008 students and no Catholic chaplaincy. Dr. Marguerite O'Connor, a Catholic faculty member, approached Father Charles Quinn, pastor of St. Mary's parish in DeKalb, and proposed a Newman Club for Catholic students. Father Quinn agreed, and twelve students gathered at the rectory for the first meeting, sharing ice cream and cakes. The Newman Club was born.
Within a decade, the club needed a gathering place. In 1951, Father Charles McCarren, then associate pastor of St. Mary's, borrowed $2,200 from his mother and $3,500 from the DeKalb Trust and Savings Bank to buy an old house at 618 College Avenue. Volunteers dug a basement, installed heating and plumbing, and set up folding chairs for Sunday Mass. The house served as the Newman Center until 1960.
In 1952, Father Hubert McGinn, a newly ordained priest at St. Mary's, was named part-time Newman chaplain and became full-time in 1957 - the same year the diocese purchased a 2½-acre parcel of farmland on Normal Road, complete with farmhouse, sheep shed, and a soybean crop, as the future site of a chapel and center. The farmhouse became the legendary "Newman Hilton," a rooming house for Catholic students that remained in use until the mid-1970s.
Ground was broken on the new Center with the support of Bishop Loras T. Lane, the Knights of Columbus, the Diocesan Council of Catholic Women, and many other Catholic organizations. Councils from across the Rockford Diocese contributed so that the chapel could be built for Catholic students at NIU. The first liturgies in the new 420-seat chapel were celebrated in September 1960. An educational wing followed in 1964, with classrooms, a bookstore, offices (two set aside for counseling), and a seminar room for 150 to 200 people.
At a time when the university had not yet built its own student center, the lower level of Newman became a gathering place for the entire campus. The cafeteria, run by Father McGinn's mother and known as "Mom McGinns," served meals by day and hosted large dances at night. The "Catacombs" coffeehouse was a campus fixture, offering live performances and films. In 1964, NIU extension courses through Loyola University added credit-bearing theology classes - the Bible, Church History, Morality, Social Teaching, and the Sacraments - transferable to NIU for $20 per course, continuing well into the 1980s.
Father McGinn became Newman's first pastor when Bishop Lane granted full parish status in 1966, under the title Christ the Teacher University Parish. Father Robert Hoffman arrived as second pastor in 1971, expanded the ministry, and developed the mission statement that still guides the community. He also established an endowment fund, initially seeded with $87,000 from a bequest by diocesan priest Father John Vaughn, that has since grown substantially thanks to additional bequests.
Father Don Ahles was named the third pastor in 1982, strengthening parishioner governance with permanent committees for finance, personnel, building and grounds, and outreach. Father Stephen Potter, himself a former Newman student under Father Hoffman, became the fourth pastor in 1988 and led the parish to receive the university's Student Affairs recognition award in 1991. He oversaw the 1993 addition of an elevator for greater accessibility to the lower levels.
Father Stephen Knox, also an NIU student under Father Ahles, served as pastor from 1995 to 2004. He launched the Northern Illinois Koinonia retreat in 1996, expanded the Student Ministry Team's role into Wednesday night faith enrichment and Thursday-night cooking for a homeless shelter, and led a two-year, $960,000 renovation of the worship space. The tabernacle was moved to a new adoration chapel, the altar was centered, pews were reoriented so worshippers could see one another, and new statuary was added. The renewed space was dedicated by Bishop Thomas Doran in February 2000.
Father Michael Black, pastor from 2004, developed the adult education program with a year-long "Faith Explained" course and weekly "Theology on Tap" gatherings. Monsignor Glenn Nelson, another NIU alumnus, led from 2005 to 2012, providing interpreters at the 10:30 a.m. Mass for the deaf community, acquiring two adjacent houses to house FOCUS missionaries, and encouraging numerous vocations to the priesthood and religious life. Father Matthew McMorrow, yet another NIU grad, served from 2012 to 2019 and established the Newman Missionary Team and student-led Bible studies, while renovating the library into the café and coffee bar students enjoy today.
Father Kyle Manno, the fifth alumnus to serve as pastor, led the parish from October 2020 to May 2022, bringing an energetic social media presence and launching the partnership with FOCUS. The Ahles Room was completely renovated in 2020 with new flooring, lighting, ceiling, and furniture, creating a study, meeting, and prayer space for students. Father Robert Gonnella, the current pastor, became Parochial Administrator in May 2022 and the tenth pastor of Christ the Teacher University Parish in July 2024. His focus on truth, goodness, beauty, right worship, and authentic community continues to shape parish life today.
Parish Ministries and How to Get Involved
The parish life at Newman runs on lay involvement. Liturgical roles include sacristan, usher, lector, greeter, and altar server. The Sacred Music ministry welcomes vocalists and instrumentalists under Caleb Gray's direction. The Altar Society launders and presses sacred linens and prepares the worship space. Faith Formation volunteers serve as catechists, classroom aides, or hospitality helpers. The Hospitality Ministry helps prepare, serve, and clean up after parish events. The St. Vincent de Paul Society participates in works of mercy in the wider DeKalb community, with opportunities for helpline monitoring, intake interviews, home visits, and supply closet work. The Benefit Dinner Committee organizes the annual Newman Benefit Dinner, a tradition that has continued every year since 1962. There is also an ongoing sign-up for parishioners to cook meals for the priests.
Students can connect with the Student Ministry Team, FOCUS missionaries, Bible studies, retreats, mission trips, and weekly fellowship such as the Sunday ice-cream social and coffee-and-doughnuts gatherings. The Newman Center keeps in touch through Flocknote, with email and text announcements about parish life and regular updates. The "Newman Now" alumni newsletter, mailed each spring, keeps graduates connected across the years.
Giving and the Capital Campaign
Parishioners and friends support the ministry through online giving via GiveCentral, with designated funds for Sunday Offering, Student Ministries, Building and Grounds, and the Cardinal Newman Society. The "You Will Be My Witnesses" capital campaign supports ongoing renewal of the building and grounds. Physical giving envelopes can be requested from the office manager, and gifts can be mailed to Christ the Teacher Newman Center, 512 Normal Road, DeKalb, IL 60115. Planned giving is coordinated through the business manager.
Half a century after a faculty member and a parish pastor shared two quarts of ice cream with twelve students, the Newman Catholic Student Center remains a home on the NIU campus - a place where students encounter Christ in the Eucharist, form friendships that last a lifetime, and go on from DeKalb to lead in parishes and communities across the country. The patron saint, St. John Henry Newman, is celebrated each October 9th at Newman Fest, a tailgate-style parish party that has quickly become a campus tradition. The doors at 512 Normal Road stay open, the Blessed Sacrament is exposed for adoration on Wednesdays and First Fridays, and the Sunday morning crowd still gathers for doughnuts after the 8:00 and 10:30 Masses. In a university town that has changed around it, the mission has stayed remarkably the same: to welcome, to worship, to minister, and to form disciples of Jesus Christ.