"I always know that I have another home at the Newman Center."

Rachel Merriman

The Newman Center has impacted me because it has brought me much closer to my faith. As many people say at the Newman Center, they had never met people who desired to know Christ and become closer to him until they went to the Newman Center. That is the same for me. I see the happiness and pure joy on the people’s faces who have committed to a life full of Him. Although it pains me to say this, as I wish I had some cool story of how I converted, I was raised as a cradle Catholic. I did not always go to a Catholic school as a child, but I was at a Catholic school for most of it.
I used to have a really strong relationship with God when I was in middle school, especially in 8th grade. Still, my relationship with God seemed to deteriorate once high school started. I had always desired to go to a youth group, but I never went by the end of high school because I was simply scared of going. It was something new that I knew I would have to put myself out there for, and I felt I was not ready.
However, in coming to GCU, I had known beforehand that there was a Newman center where Catholics could come together and be a community. I wanted that. Although it took me a while to finally get to the center, I am so glad I did so. The Newman Center has not only opened my eyes to a Catholic community but has also allowed me to make Catholic friends. The people at Newman are so sincere and kind and are generally the best people I have ever met. I always know that I have another home at the Newman Center.

​"Attending Mass and Newman Nights with so many other broken people like myself has been immensely helpful."

Lane Nelson

The amount of love God has given me through those around me is immeasurable. There wouldn’t have been all of those who God has blessed me with over the last year if it weren’t for the Holy Spirit Catholic Newman Center. Believe it or not, I had never even met a nun until I met the Sisters, and I had never really had a conversation with a Priest until I met Fr. David, and that's coming from a Catholic. I always had kept my faith at an arm's length of me throughout my life, that is until I began to attend the Newman Center. It was there, in that little humble house with the purple door across the street, that I actually began to deepen my friendship with Christ. I can now say that my faith is much closer than at arm's length, though I still have much farther to go, and the Newman Center has made all the difference, and I believe it will continue to do so.​
I never really had any Catholic friends growing up in Oregon, so I never had conversations about my faith until I came to the Newman Center. Attending Mass and Newman Nights with so many other broken people like myself has been immensely helpful in opening myself up to growing in my faith. Having people to open up to, to ask, and answer the tough questions with has been a huge help in sharpening my faith. I had only been to confession a few times before coming to the Newman Center, so having a place so near to repent and ask for forgiveness has been such a grace. Neither had I ever really been in the presence of Jesus in Adoration more than a few times, but being able to have a place to go and find solitude with the Lord has been such a blessing, one that I never knew existed until coming to the Newman Center, and something so powerful that I never knew I needed in order to truly live.
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Much Love,
Lane

"It feels like family and a part of my heart that was missing has been fulfilled."

Stephanie Rubio

During my Spring semester of freshman year is when I started to go to the Newman Center. My roommates and I would go to mass on Sundays and leave right after. We didn’t stick around or go to any of the events that would happen during the week. A part of me still had those walls and didn’t want to let people in or let anyone get to know me. Before the Newman Center, I thought I was at my best with the Lord and there was no other way of strengthening my relationship with him. I knew I already had a good relationship with God and have always been part of the church, but what I saw in everyone here was completely different. I decided to go to the retreat by myself, although I had a bunch of anxiety and was filled with fear. I pushed myself out of my comfort zone and I decided to go. This is where I got to know everyone and realized no one is perfect, we all have our struggles and weaknesses. We’re all so similar in different ways and the number of people I got to know has been a blessing. I then started to go to Newman more often and getting to know everyone, it helped me bring down those walls that I had. It saddens me to know how much I missed out on, events and people I could’ve met if I’d gone to Newman sooner and said yes to God.
I found myself learning more about God’s love and realizing how much Newman became my second home. It feels like family and a part of my heart that was missing has been fulfilled. For a while I let fear and anxiety stop me from diving in and saying yes to God. I was intimidated by the knowledge everyone had, and how little I knew about my faith. Thankfully I no longer feel this way and realized we all start somewhere and it’s ok not to know every single detail. This is the time to grow and ask questions. I still struggle and have my challenges. I am not perfect at all nor is my relationship with God, but I now know where to run to and all the available resources. This is an experience I would love to share with everyone back at home and hope to inspire others just like everyone at the Newman Center did to me. Do not take Newman for granted because you never know all the people and lessons that you are missing out on. I encourage everyone to stay and challenge themselves!

"As I reflect on everything I lost such as my anxiety and fear, among many other things, I found the Lord has called me by name to do things greater than I."

Rogelio Betancourt

I grew up in a Catholic household and was forced to go to Church. As I got older I never wanted to go or make time for the Lord. Slowly drawing away from what was most important, I always felt that something was missing but never decided to figure out what that was. Now, I can say what that was; the Lord our God.
Once arriving on campus I decided to explore my faith and started going to a Protestant church, but it never felt right to be there. Still open about my faith, I was invited to a rosary group and later invited to the Newman Center. I decided to go to Confession after being at Newman some time and I have never felt so at peace. "Confession is the greatest exorcism," said Msgr. Rossetti. Confession is a major key to acknowledge that we aren’t perfect which is why we were given the sacrament of Confession.
The Newman Center has had a tremendous impact on my growth as a follower of Christ. I never used to pray with faith, but rather with the wrong mentality or wrong intentions, seeking to only give me pleasure or to gain things; for example "only if I had this I would be happy", but that is so far off.
As I reflect on everything I lost such as my anxiety and fear, among many other things, I found the Lord has called me by name to do things greater than I. I am only a tool and, just like a hammer needs a human to work, I am the tool to try and bring others to heaven and the Lord is the Shepherd. Without the Lord I am nothing. Just a hammer sitting on a table.

"[God] took my anxiety and hardships and turned them into joy and comfort."

Jordan Ashcraft

In high school, I started practicing my faith more consistently, but it still felt like something was missing. My Sundays were full, but the week still had a slight feeling of loneliness and emptiness. Going to college revealed the reason for my loneliness. Our campus minister at the Newman Center reached out to me the summer before my freshman year of college and invited me to attend rosary and games with the Newman Center. My first Wednesday, the third day I was living on campus at GCU, I attended rosary and games and this began my journey with the Newman center. First semester was a little rocky because I did not come to Newman as much as my soul desired. Second semester, I began coming to Newman multiple times a week and my heart finally began to feel full throughout the week instead of just on Sundays. My friendships began reflecting the love of Jesus and because of that I was finally able to shine the light Jesus gave me.
During the summer, we went on a pilgrimage which was truly life changing. After the pilgrimage, I started attending daily mass and volunteering at the Newman center. Glorifying God and doing His will became my biggest mission in life and my constant prayer. Now, I am a sophomore and my life is fully engulfed in the Newman center. From holy hours to Duc In Altum and Newman night and even the rare and small moments of silence around this center, it has become my place of safety. There is a sense of familial love in the people here but most importantly, God is here filling each of our minds and souls. God is giving us a home here and family amongst one another.
Through a small house across the street from my college campus and the beautiful souls that make the house a home, He took my anxiety and hardships and turned them into joy and comfort. He has immensely changed the lives of each individual here, so why not give Him a chance to do the same for you.

"We are like a second family to each other, all striving for the greater glory of God. If one person falls, we pick them up"

Krzysztof Solawa

It all started from a simple search on Google Maps of “Catholic Churches near me.” My parents and I recently moved to Arizona from Chicago to start a new chapter in my life. I left all my friends and family back in Chicago. No one from my high school went to GCU, so I didn’t know anyone. When I first started attending GCU as a freshman, I didn’t know much about the Newman Center. I thought it would be the place where I could attend Mass and that would be all. For being a good faithful Catholic, I thought you just have to attend Mass on Sundays and a monthly confession. However, the Holy Spirit Newman Center made me realize there’s way more than that. As mentioned before, I would only go to Holy Mass on Sundays for most of my first semester. I wasn’t involved with all the other events that were happening. I wasn’t keen on going to the retreat. I thought it would be a waste of time and I wanted to pull the “I have a lot of homework” excuse. But despite that, it changed the way I practiced my faith. There’s way more to just attending Mass and monthly confession. My heart began to feel full and realized that there was a larger path to get closer to God.
​I am so grateful for everyone that pushes each other to be stronger within the faith. We are like a second family to each other, all striving for the greater glory of God. If one person falls, we pick them up. We do not leave anyone behind. I am so thankful for the guys here at Newman who I am proud to call them my brothers. I am more involved with my Catholic faith than I have ever been in my life. I aim to be at Newman multiple times a week whether it be Holy Hour, Duc in Altum, Daily Mass, and Newman Nights. For those who are new to the Newman Center, do not be afraid. “For God did not give us a spirit of cowardice but rather of power and love and self-control” (2 Timothy 1:7). Feel free to come up to any one of us, and we’ll be glad to show you around our second home. On the outside, it may look like a small house with a purple door, but on the inside, it is an opening towards the heart of the Father.

"My relationship with Christ has become the firm foundation I have always desperately needed and desired."

Zeely Sawyer

I grew up in a loving Catholic household where I went to church every weekend, and for most of my life, it was just an hour that I could whip out my little paper and mini colored pencils and draw. I didn't know what it meant or what I was doing until I reached middle school, when my anxiety had taken control of me. My fears, curiosities, and questions about life and death inspired me to discover more about God.
God knew exactly what I needed to reach the next step in my faith: deciding to go to GCU and making the scary decision to step through that purple door. Over the past four years, my relationship with Christ has become the firm foundation I have always desperately needed and desired. Sister Clare and Kelly, Father David, and Marian showed, taught, and talked with me every step of the way. I had a safe place I knew I could always go.
The Lord revealed what a beautiful gift He intended for me to share with the world when I was a little girl drawing in mass. Because of Newman, I learned I must share the glory of God with others through my gift and passion for art, creativity, and design.
As I soon graduate, I reflect on everything the Lord has done for me; he has never let me down. I have learned that my life has a greater purpose, to do things greater than I, for his most holy and perfect will. The Holy Spirit Newman Center has been my family, community, and home; for all this, I am forever grateful.