About Catholic Newman Community · Rochester, New York
The Catholic Newman Community at the University of Rochester is a vibrant, Christ-centered campus ministry serving students, faculty, and staff of the University of Rochester (and increasingly the Rochester Institute of Technology) within the Diocese of Rochester. Housed at the university's Interfaith Chapel and the new Joseph P. Mack Catholic Center on the River Campus, Newman provides Sunday and daily Mass, the sacraments, retreats (notably Kairos), service programs, spiritual formation, and a welcoming Catholic home for more than 7,500 alumni. Its mission is to be a welcoming family in a collaborative and inclusive interfaith environment, fostering spiritual and intellectual growth grounded in the Catholic tradition.
- Established
- 1929 (Newman Club formed); 1963 (became Newman Community with first full-time chaplain)
- Patron
- St. John Henry Newman (community is named for the cardinal and is the patron of Catholic university ministry; the patron of student chaplaincies)
- Rector
- Rev. Brian C. Cool
- Diocese
- Diocese of Rochester (New York)
Why belong here
Newman offers a warm, student-centered Catholic home on a secular research campus, gathering 300–400 students weekly at Sunday Mass, daily Mass on the River Campus, and a packed calendar of more than 100 annual programs. It pairs rigorous faith formation (Kairos retreats, RCIA/Confirmation, Eucharistic adoration, Taizé prayer, faith-formation series) with hands-on service to Rochester's poor — tutoring at the Boys and Girls Club, the migrant-worker–benefiting Newman Cup basketball tournament, Alternative Spring Break service trips, and Stephen Ministry one-to-one care. The community has more than 7,500 alumni and is preparing to open a long-awaited dedicated Catholic chapel and center.
Mass times at Catholic Newman Community
Weekly Mass schedule
Confession times
- Sunday 10:00 AM (Academic Year only), Interfaith Chapel (Middle Level)
- Sunday 6:30 PM (Academic Year only), Interfaith Chapel (Middle Level)
- Wednesday 8:00 PM (Academic Year only), Interfaith Chapel (Middle Level)
- Additional Reconciliation services scheduled with guest priests each semester during Advent and Lent
Adoration times
- Eucharistic Adoration: visit the sacristy on the Lower Level of the Interfaith Chapel at any time — a special tabernacle allows visitors to expose the Blessed Sacrament themselves
- First Friday of the month at 12:30 PM (Academic Year only), Interfaith Chapel (River Level) and Instagram Live
History of Catholic Life at the University of Rochester
Catholic life at the University of Rochester dates to 1929, when a 'Newman Club' was formed on both the men's and women's campuses — even though the first Bishop of Rochester, Bernard J. McQuaid (served 1868–1909), had once forbidden Catholics from attending the Baptist-founded institution. In the 1940s priests such as Father Paul Tuite and Father Jack Hedges bused Newman Club students to Mass — the men to St. Anne Church on the River Campus, the women to Corpus Christi on the Prince Street campus — with all meeting afterward at St. Joseph's House of Hospitality. The men's and women's colleges merged in 1954. In 1963 Father Jack Hedges became the community's first full-time Catholic chaplain when the Newman Club became the Newman Community; he hired Msgr. William H. Shannon and Jesuits Peter van Breeman and Cieran Ryan to celebrate Mass in Todd Union. The community acquired the 'Newman Oratory' on Mount Hope Avenue; that home was later donated to the university and sold, with proceeds endowing a professorship of Catholic thought (supplemented by a large anonymous gift) and launching a Catholic lecture series. Father James 'Fr. Jim' Lawlor shepherded the community from 1968 to 1974; Sister Joan Sobala, SSJ, served 1971–78 and began the 2 a.m. night pilgrimage to the Abbey of the Genesee in Piffard. Father Daniel Tormey ministered at Strong Memorial Hospital and the School of Medicine and Dentistry from 1980–87 and is honored with an endowment. Father Gary Tyman chaplained 1990–99, remembered for the time students organized an interfaith memorial for a Chinese graduate student's mother. Today the community has more than 7,500 alumni.
- 1929: Newman Club formed on men's and women's campuses
- 1963: Becomes Newman Community; Fr. Jack Hedges becomes first full-time chaplain
- 1968–1974: Fr. Jim Lawlor chaplaincy
- 1971–1978: Sister Joan Sobala, SSJ, chaplaincy
- 1970: Interfaith Chapel opens
- 1980–1987: Fr. Daniel Tormey serves hospital/medical school
- 1990–1999: Fr. Gary Tyman chaplaincy
- 2000–present: Fr. Brian C. Cool leads the community
Staff & Chaplaincy
Rev. Brian C. Cool — a University of Rochester alumnus himself (M.S. '06W, Ed.D. '21W) — serves as the J. Nelson Hoffman '55 and Joan Dutcher Hoffman '55 Director of Catholic Newman Community Pastoral Care and as chaplain of both the UR and RIT Newman communities. He is approaching his 25th year of ordained ministry. Annual reports list additional campus ministers, including Andrew Nicholas Cirillo '12 (Campus Minister for Advancement) and Sr. Leandra Kosmoski (Campus Minister). At the university-wide level, Rev. Dr. C. Denise Yarbrough served as Director of Religious and Spiritual Life and oversaw the Interfaith Chapel's twelve faith communities. Fr. Jim Lawlor, chaplain from 1968–1974, continues as an assisting priest in residence at St. Anne Church on Mount Hope Avenue.
- Rev. Brian C. Cool — Director / Chaplain
- Fr. Jim Lawlor — Assisting priest, former chaplain (1968–1974)
- Rev. Dr. C. Denise Yarbrough — Director of Religious and Spiritual Life (Episcopal, recently retired)
- Andrew Nicholas Cirillo '12 — Campus Minister for Advancement
- Sr. Leandra Kosmoski — Campus Minister
Joseph P. Mack Catholic Center & Carpenter Chapel
On Monday, February 24, 2025, more than 140 students, alumni, parents, and staff gathered in the Goergen Athletic Center to break ground on the $7.3 million Joseph P. Mack '55 Catholic Center and the William and Mary Christine Carpenter Catholic Chapel. Speakers included University President Sarah Mangelsdorf, Bishop Salvatore Matano, donor Joe Mack '55 (Trustee Emeritus), Bill and Chrissy Carpenter, student president Amelia Swan '25, and Fr. Brian Cool. The University of Rochester provided the land along Wilson Boulevard, adjacent to student dormitories. The new center will provide a worship space, meeting rooms, a multi-purpose room for gatherings, a kitchen, and offices for confidential pastoral care — fulfilling a need felt for more than a decade. The Interfaith Chapel, which opened in 1970, is being renovated to better accommodate the thirteen religious groups now sharing it (up from three in 1970).
- Project cost: $7.3 million
- Named for: Joseph P. Mack '55 and William & Mary Christine Carpenter
- Groundbreaking: February 24, 2025
- Site: Wilson Boulevard, River Campus, adjacent to dormitories
- Fundraising surpassed $5M milestone in spring 2022; goal $6M at that time
Mass, Sacraments & Prayer
Newman gathers the community each Sunday at the Mack Catholic Center and via livestream for Mass at 10:30 AM and 7:00 PM (academic year only), with a meal almost always following. Daily Mass is celebrated Monday and Tuesday at 12:30 PM and Thursday at 5:30 PM, with 'InstaMass' on Wednesdays at 10:00 PM as a study-break option. The Diocese of Rochester directory lists weekday Mass on Monday and Tuesday at 5:00 PM and Thursday at 12:30 PM; visitors should confirm the current weekly pattern. Confessions are heard Sunday at 10:00 AM and 6:30 PM and Wednesday at 8:00 PM (academic year only), and guest priests are scheduled each semester during Advent and Lent. Eucharistic Adoration is available any time in the sacristy on the Lower Level of the Interfaith Chapel (a special tabernacle allows visitors to expose the Blessed Sacrament themselves) and is held on the First Friday of each month at 12:30 PM. Taizé Prayer meditations are held periodically.
- Sunday: 10:30 AM and 7:00 PM Mass (academic year)
- Weekday: Mon & Tues 12:30 PM; Thurs 5:30 PM
- Wednesday: 9:00 PM 'InstaMass' (academic year)
- Confession: Sun 10:00 & 6:30 PM; Wed 8:00 PM
- Adoration: Open tabernacle + First Friday 12:30 PM
- Taizé Prayer meditations several times a year
Marriage & Becoming Catholic
Newman prepares University of Rochester couples for the sacrament of marriage and welcomes adults who wish to be baptized, received into full communion, or confirmed — including Catholics who missed Confirmation in high school. In 2022–23 three students were brought into full communion with the Church through this ministry.
- Marriage preparation
- Baptism, Confirmation, and reception into the Catholic Church
- Foundational inquiry into Catholicism
Spiritual Life & Retreats
Newman's flagship retreat is Kairos, a student favorite held each fall and spring. The Greek word means 'God's time.' Each weekend covers food, transportation, and lodging, with scholarships available. Kairos 42 ('Be STILL and KNOW I AM God') was held February 10–12, 2023, the first to unite University of Rochester and Rochester Institute of Technology students post-pandemic. A Wilderness Retreat offers an off-campus alternative. Three Taizé Prayer meditations were held in 2022–23. The annual Judith Johnson O'Brien Endowed Lecture focuses on women in the Church and is supported by an endowment from University President Emeritus Dennis O'Brien and his wife Judith.
- Kairos Retreat (fall and spring)
- Wilderness Retreat
- Taizé Prayer
- Judith Johnson O'Brien Endowed Lecture (women in the Church)
Service & Outreach
Service to the poor and vulnerable is a hallmark of Newman life. In 2022–23 students logged 288 hours of tutoring and mentoring at the Boys and Girls Club of Rochester. The annual Newman Cup is a 5-on-5 indoor basketball tournament whose proceeds benefit migrant farm workers in Monroe County. Alternative Spring Break trips take students into Christian-community service settings (historically to Clearfield County, PA). Stephen Ministry — Students Caring for Students — trains student-Christian caregivers for one-to-one peer care in grief, break-ups, illness, cultural adjustment, and other difficulties; the first student leaders were certified in summer 2016 after 50 hours of training.
- Boys and Girls Club tutoring/mentoring
- Newman Cup (migrant farm workers)
- Alternative Spring Break
- Stephen Ministry (peer care)
Community, Food & Social Life
Newman is famous for the meals that follow each Mass. In 2022–23 more than 900 meals were served at Newman Nite alone. Karaoke nights, Newman Cup, and seasonal socials knit the community together, with student leaders running much of the programming.
- Newman Nite (weekly community dinner)
- Karaoke nights
- Newman Cup basketball tournament
Liturgical Volunteer Ministry
Students serve the Mass as Acolytes, Communion Ministers (Eucharistic Ministers), Lectors, and Sacristans. Volunteers attend a session of spiritual, theological, and practical preparation before ministering.
- Acolytes
- Communion Ministers
- Lectors
- Sacristans
St. Sebastian Society
The St. Sebastian Society welcomes varsity and club athletes as well as NROTC midshipmen into the Newman community. In 2022–23 thirty-nine new members were welcomed.
Mission, Strategic Plan & Leadership
Newman's mission is to 'provide a welcoming family, in a collaborative and inclusive interfaith environment, for students and the larger University of Rochester community,' promoting faith formation through the sacraments, education, service, and social programming. The 2023–2025 Strategic Operational Goals emphasize celebrating a 'Year of the Eucharist,' expanding evangelization, growing the Kairos Retreat, re-establishing an Eastman School of Music leadership team, coordinating a shared UR–RIT ministry model, providing outreach to graduate and medical-center students, and increasing student leadership across all ministries.
- Year of the Eucharist focus
- Shared UR–RIT ministry model
- Outreach to graduate and medical students
- Target of 75 student leaders across ministries
Alumni, Vocations & Community Impact
Over its 58+ years with a permanent chaplaincy and 90+ years of Catholic presence, more than a dozen men from the University of Rochester Newman Community have been called to the priesthood and now serve in dioceses and seminaries across the United States. The community numbers more than 7,500 alumni. Erin and Greg Briggs '05, former choir members and regulars, pledged $114,200 over five years to help launch the chapel-and-center campaign. Fr. Jim Lawlor was honored in 2022–23 for sixty years of priesthood.
- 7,500+ alumni
- Dozen+ priestly vocations from the community
- Annual fundraising reports and donor spotlights
Pastors & rectors through the years
- Father Jack Hedges1963–
First full-time Catholic chaplain when the Newman Club became the Newman Community; hired Msgr. William H. Shannon and Jesuits Peter van Breeman and Cieran Ryan to celebrate Masses in Todd Union.
- Father James ('Fr. Jim') Lawlor1968–1974
Chaplain on the River Campus; later assisting priest at St. Anne Church; honored in 2022–23 for 60 years as a priest.
- Sister Joan Sobala, SSJ1971–1978
Chaplain on the River Campus; instituted the 2 a.m. night pilgrimage to the Abbey of the Genesee in Piffard.
- Father Daniel Tormey1980–1987
Chaplain of Strong Memorial Hospital and the School of Medicine and Dentistry; honored with an endowment fund in his name for ministry to medical and graduate students.
- Father Gary Tyman1990–1999
Chaplain; recalled students organizing an interfaith memorial for a Chinese graduate student's mother.
- Rev. Brian C. Cool2000–present
Current director/chaplain; led the effort to build the Joseph P. Mack Catholic Center; ordained 25 years as of 2025; holds M.S. '06W and Ed.D. '21W from the University of Rochester.