Whenever students hear about the Newman Club the first thing that comes to mind is religion. But, the Newman Club offers so much more for their members than just faith and religious services.
The basic information about the club is that, as a campus ministry they have no membership requirements. “We are always open to anyone who has an interest in the club, and there is no commitment,” said Brother Michael, who heads up the club. He also said that they have about 50 members, and for a commuter college of this size that number is pretty good.
You may be wondering right now why you don’t see many flyers for the club around campus. “Although we do make flyers the best way we get more members is through word-of-mouth, you’d be surprised how effective that is,” Brother Michael mentioned, when asked about the growth of the club.
The club gives people a time to come together and talk. Throughout the week the club offers many events. It begins on Tuesday night with an event entitled Alpha, which is an off-campus dinner event. Here students get together free of charge, and they are able to get to know one another, and talk about the fundamentals of faith. Throughout the whole day on Wednesday the club offers adoration. This is a times for students to pray in silence. On Thursday is the main meeting. It goes by the name “pizza ecclesia” here members are given pizza, and main issues are discussed. One Sunday out of the month there is a mass offered on-campus, and the other 3 weekend masses are held off-campus.
It is important to understand that in addition to these things the club has about 7 retreats a year. Two retreats are big, and these are at the beginning of each semester. The other 5 are small and more about personal growth. In addition, every summer a group of students goes out of town. The summer of 2008 they will be traveling to Australia, for World Youth Day with the Pope. “Having fun is very important, we try to have events where the members can enjoy themselves, and be in an environment where we can discuss religious issues,” said Brother Michael. For this Spring Break, the club was going on a canoeing trip. “This is always a fun bonding experience,” Brother Michael said.
Not only is the club about having fun, but they encourage and are very involved with community service. The club has worked with organization such as the Sacred Heart Children’s Home and Retema Retirement Home. “It is a great feeling to give back,” Esmeralda Lopez, a member said.
If you have any questions about the club you should visit the club’s website, www.newmanclub.com. A lot of information is available on-line.