About American University · Washington, District of Columbia
AUCatholic is the Catholic Campus Ministry at American University in Washington, DC, serving the spiritual needs of students in the heart of the nation's capital. The community is staffed by the Saint John Society (SJS), a Society of Apostolic Life dedicated to the New Evangelization, and offers daily and Sunday Mass, the Sacrament of Reconciliation, Eucharistic Adoration, faith-formation programs, retreats, mission trips, and small-group community life. Its mission is to 'call, form, and send' students so that they may encounter Christ, be formed as disciples, and be sent out as missionary disciples in the Church and the world.
- Established
- 1963 (Kay Spiritual Life Center groundbreaking; Catholic Campus Ministry staffed by the Saint John Society continues in that space today)
- Rector
- Fr. Iván Pertiné (Catholic Chaplain)
- Diocese
- Archdiocese of Washington
Why belong here
AUCatholic is the place where Catholic students at American University can encounter Christ, be formed as disciples, and be sent into the world — all within the Kay Spiritual Life Center at the heart of campus. Whether you are a lifelong Catholic, a curious inquirer, or someone who has not yet stepped inside a church, the ministry welcomes you through daily and Sunday Mass, weekly Adoration, Alpha discussions, mentoring and spiritual direction, retreats, Works of Mercy service outings, a summer mission trip to Belize, and a vibrant student leadership team. It is a community that takes seriously both spiritual formation and friendship.
Mass times at American University
Weekly Mass schedule
Confession times
- Sunday 11:30 AM – 12:00 PM (Kay)
- Sunday 6:30 PM – 7:30 PM (St. Ann's)
- Saturday 4:00 PM – 4:45 PM (St. Ann's)
- Tuesday 6:00 PM – 6:30 PM (Kay)
- By appointment with Fr. Iván Pertiné ([email protected])
Adoration times
- Thursday 2:30 – 4:30 PM (Kay)
About AUCatholic
AUCatholic is the Catholic Campus Ministry at American University, a community of faith that calls, forms, and sends students to be salt and light in the Church and the Nation's Capital. By offering opportunities for spiritual formation, small-group community, and social gatherings, the ministry welcomes newcomers, strengthens disciples, and equips students for their mission in life.
- Mission: 'to call, form, and send' students so they may encounter Christ, be formed as disciples, and be sent into the world
- Located in the Kay Spiritual Life Center on the American University main campus
- Part of the Archdiocese of Washington
Our Team & Chaplaincy
The ministry is led by Catholic Chaplain Fr. Iván Pertiné, General Director of the Saint John Society, and Campus Minister Allie Vega, alongside a year-long student Leadership Team and full-time Volunteer Missionaries.
- Chaplain: Fr. Iván Pertiné ([email protected])
- Campus Minister: Allie Vega (from Colorado; M.A. in Latin American Studies from George Washington University; former Volunteer Missionary at AU)
- Leadership Team 2026: President; VP of Hospitality; VP of Music; VP of Liturgy; VP of Communications; VP of Socials; VP of Outreach; Treasurer (Eric Baber); Secretary (Elinor Harrison); Kaelyn Mahoney; Andrew Wallander; William Massa
- Volunteer Missionaries: Conny Galvez, Elizabeth Sherwin, Stephanie Muigai, Caroline Lindquist, Mikayla Sierra, Manuel Luna, Valeria Gonzalez, Zach Reese
Faith Formation & Programs
Formation is structured around a path of encounter, discipleship, and mission, with programs designed for every stage of college life — from incoming freshmen to graduating seniors.
- OCIA (Order of Christian Initiation for Adults): Sundays 10:00–11:30 AM in the Kay Lounge for those becoming Catholic or completing initiation sacraments
- Venture: a semester-long program for first-semester Catholic freshmen to form friendships in Christ
- Fragua: ongoing formation in prayer, Catholic teaching, and evangelization
- Alpha: weekly group conversations on the basics of the Christian faith, with dinner and small-group discussion
- Omega: monthly Saturday program for seniors preparing for life after college
- Mentoring and Spiritual Direction: one-on-one accompaniment with a priest or missionary
- Bible Study
- Thornton Lectures: once-per-semester Catholic intellectual lectures open to all
- The Ark DC: community for graduate students and young adults
Service, Missions & Outreach
AUCatholic forms students not only in prayer and study but in missionary service, sending them out to the wider DC community and abroad.
- Works of Mercy: twice-monthly Saturday service outings, 9:00–11:30 AM, in the wider DC community
- Summer Mission Trip: annual mission to Belize in partnership with The Catholic University of America
- Volunteer Missionary Program: a year of full-time missionary service for recent graduates at AU, Oregon State University, the University of Stirling (Scotland), or as a Mercy Missionary serving the homeless in Portland, OR
The Saint John Society
AUCatholic is staffed by the Saint John Society (SJS — socsj.org), a Society of Apostolic Life of priests and missionaries working in the USA, Italy, Argentina, and Uruguay. The Society is dedicated to the New Evangelization, and brings that missionary charism to the campus at American University.
- Society of Apostolic Life dedicated to the New Evangelization
- Active in the USA, Italy, Argentina, and Uruguay
- General Director Fr. Iván Pertiné serves as Catholic Chaplain at AU
History of the Kay Spiritual Life Center
The chapel that houses AUCatholic was conceived by AU President Hurst Robins Anderson (1952–1968) and designed by ecclesiastical architect A. Hensel Fink. Ground was broken on Sunday, June 9, 1963. The building was made possible by a major gift from Abraham S. Kay, a devout Jewish layman — a fact that was itself a statement about the university's commitment to interfaith openness, given American University's then-close ties to the Methodist Church.
- Groundbreaking: June 9, 1963
- Architect: A. Hensel Fink (also designed neighboring Wesley Theological Seminary)
- Principal donor: Abraham S. Kay
- AU President at the time: Hurst Robins Anderson
Architecture & Sacred Art
Fink's circular design was a deliberate departure from a more traditional concept. The chapel seats 288, with two small meditation chapels, meeting rooms, a sacristy, and mobile altar furniture. A 16-foot-tall, 700-pound bronze flame with gold-leaf plating crowns the building; five stained glass windows by Odell Prather depict the Creation; and a Moeller pipe organ from Hagerstown, Maryland anchors worship. The lower level — with a 125-person meeting room divisible into three, a kitchen used for Seder meals and interfaith hospitality, and shared offices for chaplains of multiple faiths — embodies the building's mission of interfaith encounter.
- Circular plan; 288-seat chapel
- 16-ft bronze flame by Allied Crafts of Philadelphia, gold-leaf plated
- Odell Prather stained glass: Eye of God, infant sun, creation of sun/moon/planets, earth, emergence of life
- Moeller pipe organ (Hagerstown, MD)
Get Connected
Students, parents, and visitors are warmly invited to get involved. The Campus Ministry office is in Lower Level Offices 7 and 8 of the Kay Spiritual Life Center, and the chaplain and campus minister are available for appointments.
- Address: 4400 Massachusetts Ave NW, Washington, DC 20016
- Office: Kay Spiritual Life Center, Lower Level, Offices 7 and 8
- Phone: 202-885-3327
- Email: [email protected]; [email protected]
- Web: aucatholicdc.org
- Instagram: @aucatholicdc
Pastors & rectors through the years
- Fr. Iván PertinéCurrent (came to AU after leading the Catholic Newman Centers at Oregon State University and Portland State University for three years)
General Director of the Saint John Society (socsj.org). Holds a License Degree in Philosophy from the Universidad del Norte Santo Tomas de Aquino (Buenos Aires), an S.T.B. in Theology from the Pontifical Catholic University of Buenos Aires, and an S.T.L. from the Angelicum, Rome.