About Catholic Center at Boston University · Boston, Massachusetts
The BU Catholic Center is the Roman Catholic chaplaincy serving students, faculty, and staff at Boston University. Located in the historic Newman House at 211 Bay State Road, it serves as a home-away-from-home for BU students, offering daily Mass, frequent Eucharistic Adoration, regular confession, retreats, Bible studies, and the popular '211 Tuesdays' pasta-and-talk series. Part of the Archdiocese of Boston and affiliated with the university's Marsh Chapel/Office of Religious Life, the Center describes itself as 'a beacon of faith, hope, and love on campus' that 'has long served as an incubator for vocations of all kinds.' Its mission is to foster young men and women into fully formed Catholics through a spirituality centered on Church teaching and the sacraments, especially the Eucharist.
- Established
- 1912
- Rector
- Rev. Kevin Staley-Joyce (Chaplain, Director)
- Diocese
- Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Boston
Why belong here
The BU Catholic Center is more than a parish — it is a Catholic student community in the heart of Boston University. Whether you are looking for Sunday Mass at Marsh Chapel, a weekday Mass in the 4th-floor chapel at 211 Bay State Road, time for prayer and Eucharistic Adoration, regular confession, a fall or spring retreat 'off-campus' from the bustle of the city, a weekly Bible study, fellowship over pasta at 211 Tuesdays, or simply a quiet place to study and grab coffee, the Center welcomes you. Its mission is to form young men and women into fully formed Catholics through a spirituality anchored in the Eucharist and centered on Christ — an apostolate that has 'long served as an incubator for vocations of all kinds,' says the university.
Mass times at Catholic Center at Boston University
Weekly Mass schedule
Confession times
- Wednesday 5:30pm–7:30pm (per parish-listed schedule)
Adoration times
- Frequent Eucharistic Adoration (times listed as part of the Center's daily spiritual life)
About the BU Catholic Center
The BU Catholic Center is the Roman Catholic chaplaincy for Boston University, providing Mass, sacraments, pastoral care, and student formation. Its mission is to foster the development of young men and women into fully formed Catholics through a spirituality centered on Church teaching and the sacraments — especially the Eucharist — and to draw college students into strong, personal relationships with Jesus Christ through evangelization and service. The university describes it as 'a beacon of faith, hope, and love on campus' that 'has long served as an incubator for vocations of all kinds.' It is part of the Archdiocese of Boston and recognized by BU's Office of Religious Life at Marsh Chapel as the Roman Catholic Chaplaincy.
- Sunday Mass attendance: ~400 students
- Weekly Bible studies: 100+ students
- 211 Tuesdays dinner & talk: 65+ students weekly
- Semester retreats: 90+ total attendees across three retreats
- Daily Mass, frequent Eucharistic Adoration, frequent confession
Our Story: Newman House on Bay State Road
Catholic ministry at BU has deep institutional roots. The brick home at 211 Bay State Road was built in 1899 and acquired by the Catholic Archdiocese in 1912. It is named 'Newman House' after John Henry Cardinal Newman (1801–1890), the Anglican prelate who converted to Catholicism in 1845 and was made a cardinal in 1879 — the figure after whom Catholic university chaplaincies across the United States are typically named. In 1952 the first Catholic Mass was celebrated on what was then a historically Methodist BU campus, drawing more than 800 students and signaling BU's embrace of all faiths. The building has also served other campus life over the years: in 1980, BU's first Women's Center was founded and housed at Newman House. Today the Catholic Center continues that 110+ year tradition of serving BU's Catholic community.
- 1899 — House at 211 Bay State Road built
- 1912 — Purchased by the Catholic Archdiocese for use as a Catholic student parish
- 1952 — First Catholic Mass celebrated on BU's then-Methodist campus
- 1980 — BU's first Women's Center founded at Newman House
Staff
The Center is staffed by a small, dedicated team under the direction of its University Chaplain. The team combines ordained, lay, and FOCUS-missionary leadership to serve BU's Catholic community.
- Rev. Kevin Staley-Joyce — Chaplain, Director
- Abigail Guertin — Office Manager ([email protected])
- David Wells — FOCUS Team Director
- Daniela Watkins — Campus Minister
Student Life & Fellowship: 211 Tuesdays
Each Tuesday evening from 5:30pm to 7:30pm during the academic year, the Center hosts '211 Tuesdays' — a pasta dinner followed by a presentation from an invited guest speaker. The evening is designed as a relaxed, friendly space where students learn more about their faith while enjoying good food and the fellowship of the Catholic community. Roughly 65+ students attend each week.
- Tuesday 5:30pm–7:30pm
- Pasta dinner and featured speaker
- Open to all BU students
Retreats
Each semester the Catholic Center holds an off-campus undergraduate retreat, providing students an opportunity to step away from the pace of Boston and BU coursework for fellowship with other students and communion with God. Retreats typically draw 90+ attendees across the fall and spring offerings.
- Fall 2023 — 'Fortia Corda: Brave Hearts'
- Spring 2024 — 'Remain In Me'
- Spring 2023 — 'Vita Contemplativa'
- Fall 2022 — 'Contra Mundum: Against the World'
Bible Studies & Formation
Weekly Bible studies draw more than 100 students together each week, forming part of the Center's 'spiritual and intellectual formation of BU undergraduates and graduate students' in fidelity to Catholic teaching.
- Weekly Bible studies (100+ students)
- Graduate Group for graduate students
- Spiritual and intellectual formation across the academic year
Support the Center
The BU Catholic Center relies on donations from alumni and friends to sustain its ministry. Donor support underwrites its core apostolates: Sunday Mass attendance of roughly 400 students, 100+ students in weekly Bible studies, 65+ at the Spaghetti Supper and lecture, and 90+ at three semester retreats, plus daily Mass, frequent Eucharistic Adoration, and frequent confession.
- Online giving via bucatholic.com/donate.html
- Contacts: [email protected]
Visit & Contact
All are welcome at the BU Catholic Center, located in Newman House on the Charles River Campus. Walk in for coffee, snacks, quiet study rooms, conversation, or prayer.
- Address: 211 Bay State Road, Boston, MA 02215
- Phone: (617) 353-3632
- Email: [email protected]
- Website: bucatholic.com
- Instagram: @bucatholic
- Part of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Boston