Faith-centered community coming to NDSU campus

Coming Fall of 2021, St. Paul’s Newman Center will be launching a faith-based housing program, Newman Living. A hallmark on the campus of NDSU since 1928, St. Paul’s Newman Center has served as a “home away from home” for students during their college experience. The Newman Center’s ministry has grown to match the expansion of the NDSU campus, providing countless students with opportunities to encounter and come to know the reality of Jesus Christ. Newman Living will be a transformative opportunity for students to live in an uplifting, faith-centered community where they can strive for academic success, grow in authentic friendships, and go deeper in their faith journey during college.

The facility
The Newman Living facility will be a beautiful five-story, 23-unit apartment building located on the corner of 12th Ave N. and University Drive, right across the street from NDSU’s iconic entrance gate. The hall will have the capacity to house 82 students from the tri-college community. Three and four-bedroom apartments will be available for rent. On the top floor, there will be an eight-bed residence life community, Cardinal Muench Men’s Hall, for young men with a desire to grow in fellowship, faith, character, and holiness. All apartments will have in-unit laundry, a full-size kitchen, individual private bedrooms, and access to underground parking spaces. Newman Living residents will have access to student lounges, the Newman Center library, and a fully equipped fitness studio. They will also have 24-hour access to the main Newman Center chapel for prayer whenever the heart calls.

The community experience
Newman Living residents will be immersed in a safe and caring environment, encouraging the pursuit of such virtues as chastity, sobriety, and excellence—so needed in the midst of a secular campus. Our holistic Catholic formation program will guide students to develop faith-based relationships through community prayer, meals, and social activities. Every Sunday night, all Newman Living residents will be invited to attend Buckluck in the McCormick Parish Hall. Buckluck is a large weekly meal and a longstanding tradition in the Newman Center Community. Each unit will be invited to a smaller community meal with our parish priests and religious sisters in the Newman Center’s private dining room. Floor communities will receive a patron saint which corresponds to the stained-glass windows in the main chapel. Every time a Newman Living resident walks into the brand-new 425-seat chapel, their patron saint will be there to remind them to pray for guidance and intercession in their spiritual journey.

The spiritual experience
Newman Living will be a transformative experience for students desiring spiritual, as well as academic, growth during their college years. Newman Living residents will be encouraged to take advantage of the abundant graces offered through the sacraments. Daily Mass, confessions, adoration, and morning and evening prayer will all be available for students to grow in divine intimacy with the Lord. Students will also have the opportunity to dive into the rich teachings and traditions of the Catholic Church by attending Catholic studies courses in the Newman Center’s state-of-the-art classrooms, getting involved in a FOCUS Bible study, or participating in “Disputatio” a classical discussion of apologetics based off of Thomas Aquinas’ format for moral reasoning. There will be so many opportunities for students to contemplate the deep truths and awe-inspiring mysteries within our Church teachings.

Faith-based housing works
Throughout the years, the Newman Center has sponsored faith-based housing initiatives demonstrating the fruitfulness of living in a Christ-centered community. The John Bosco House was in operation from 2006–09 and the Faustina House was active from 2015–19.

Father Eric Clark, a NDSU FOCUS missionary at the time, founded the Bosco House to create an environment where young Catholic men could live in community and pursue holiness together. When looking back on his experience Father Clark stated, “‘As iron sharpens iron, so one person sharpens another.’ Living a communal life with fellow Christians helps you to strive to be a better person. Living the communal life gives us the grace we need to live outside ourselves.” After living at the Bosco House while serving as a FOCUS missionary for the Newman Center, Clark entered the seminary. In 2014, he was ordained a priest. Now Father Eric Clark serves as the pastor of St. Peter’s Church in the Diocese of Lincoln.

Kaylyn Christopherson, a recent graduate of NDSU, had the opportunity to live at the Faustina House from 2016–18. When describing her experience living with five other women dedicated to their Catholic faith, she stated, “It was the push we all needed to grow to be better women who serve Christ at the center of our lives. I think living in a faith-based community was the best decision and biggest blessing of my college years. If you can make the decision to surround yourself with people of common faith or morals, you’re just setting yourself up for success to flourish in your faith. There’s almost no way you can’t.” Kaylyn now lives with her husband Dylan in Bismarck with their young son, Fulton.

College is a sacred time in the life of an individual. It is when young men and women decide to take ownership of their Catholic faith and pursue a meaningful relationship with Jesus Christ. Through prayer, community, and formation, Newman Living will guide college students to pursue excellence, transforming their minds and hearts to discern the will of God: what is good, pleasing, and perfect.

Leasing now
Newman Living is now accepting applications for 12-month leases beginning the Fall of 2021. Leases will begin at the affordable price of $500/person/mo. for those desiring to live in three-bedroom apartments, four-bedroom apartments, or the Cardinal Muench Men’s Hall. The stated price includes heating, air-conditioning, electricity, and wifi. If you would like to apply or receive more information, visit bisonCatholic.org/housing.