About Didde Catholic Campus Center · Emporia, Kansas
The Didde Catholic Campus Center is the Catholic spiritual home for students, faculty, and staff of Emporia State University in Emporia, Kansas. Located at 1415 Merchant Street, the center houses Saint Teresa Chapel and operates under the Archdiocese of Kansas City in Kansas. Its mission, as published on its own bulletin, is 'to find, form, and launch university students as missionary disciples of Jesus Christ, while providing a welcoming home for all Catholic students in the Emporia community.' The center serves both ESU students and a wider Catholic community through daily and Sunday Mass, frequent confession, Eucharistic adoration, Bible study, retreats, RCIA, and a vibrant FOCUS (Fellowship of Catholic University Students) missionary presence. Its director and chaplain, Father Nicholas Ashmore, simultaneously serves as pastor of nearby St. Catherine Parish, giving Didde a uniquely bridge-building role between the university and the larger Emporia Catholic community.
- Established
- 1990
- Patron
- Saint Teresa of Avila (chapel patron — St. Teresa Chapel, named after donor Teresa Didde)
- Rector
- Father Nicholas Ashmore (Director & Chaplain; also pastor of St. Catherine Parish, Emporia)
- Diocese
- Archdiocese of Kansas City in Kansas
Why belong here
Didde is more than a chapel — it is a deliberate Catholic home for ESU students in the middle of a Kansas college town. The center offers daily and Sunday Mass in Saint Teresa Chapel, frequent confession (before every weekday Mass and on Sunday), weekly Eucharestic adoration, Bible studies, a Rosary Prayer Group, RCIA/OCIA for those exploring the faith, retreats and mission trips, and a Community Night social life in the Social Hall. A dedicated FOCUS missionary team and adult staff invest personally in students, and the 'Adopt-A-Hornet' program intentionally connects permanent community members with Catholic students for mentoring and friendship.
Mass times at Didde Catholic Campus Center
Weekly Mass schedule
Confession times
- Sunday 9:45–10:25 AM
- Sunday 7:30–8:10 PM
- 30 minutes before every weekday Mass
- Also by appointment (call 620-343-6765)
Adoration times
- Wednesday — Adoration in the Chapel, Noon to 9:00 PM (per Sept 2025 bulletin)
- Sunday 6:00 PM–6:50 PM (per Archdiocesan Adoration Directory)
- Tuesday 7:00 PM–8:00 PM (per Archdiocesan Adoration Directory)
- Wednesday 7:00 PM–8:00 PM (per Archdiocesan Adoration Directory)
- Friday 11:00 AM–11:50 AM (per Archdiocesan Adoration Directory)
- All times in main chapel when school is in session
Our Story: 100+ Years of Catholic Campus Ministry at Emporia State
Catholic ministry at Emporia State began in 1912 with the Emporia Newman Club. As college enrollment grew in the 1950s and 60s, the Archdiocese of Kansas City in Kansas purchased a house as a dedicated Newman Center in 1963. In 1987, Carl and Teresa Didde commissioned the design of a new purpose-built campus center, which was dedicated on April 1, 1990, by Archbishop Ignatius J. Strecker. The on-site Saint Teresa Chapel honors Teresa Didde. The center celebrated its 25th anniversary on November 14, 2015, with Archbishop Joseph F. Naumann presiding and four former chaplains concelebrating.
- 1912 — Emporia Newman Club founded
- 1963 — Archdiocese purchases a house as a Newman Center
- 1987 — Carl & Teresa Didde commission the current building
- April 1, 1990 — Building dedicated by Archbishop Ignatius J. Strecker
- November 14, 2015 — 25th anniversary Mass and rededication by Archbishop Joseph F. Naumann
- April 2024 — First Didde Center Gala at the Lyon County History Center
Mission & Identity
Per the Didde bulletin, the center 'exists to find, form, and launch university students as missionary disciples of Jesus Christ, while providing a welcoming home for all Catholic members of the ESU community.' It serves not only students but also ESU faculty, staff and many in the wider Emporia Catholic community. The chapel is Saint Teresa Chapel; the complex includes a Social Hall for Community Nights, donuts after Mass, the Rosary Prayer Group, and weekly RCIA classes.
- Find, form, and launch missionary disciples of Jesus Christ
- Welcoming home for all Catholic students at ESU
- Open to faculty, staff, and the wider Emporia community
Staff & Leadership
Father Nicholas Ashmore serves as Director and Chaplain, having been assigned in 2023 from St. Joseph Parish in Olpe; he simultaneously remains pastor of St. Catherine Parish in Emporia. The lay staff includes a Business Manager, Administrative Assistant, Development Director, FOCUS Director, and Maintenance. Andrew Tomsche has served as FOCUS team director since Fall 2020 and leads a team of FOCUS missionaries who live out the center's missionary disciple vision.
- Father Nicholas Ashmore — Director & Chaplain (since 2023)
- Vickie Walworth — Business Manager
- Barb Lowery — Administrative Assistant
- Bry Spafford — Development Director
- Andrew Tomsche — FOCUS Director
- Alex Kuhlmann — Maintenance
- FOCUS missionaries: Danielle Breen, Victoria Barksdale, Elivia Hilferty, Lucas Huber (per 2023 roster)
Former Chaplains — Pastor History
At the 25th anniversary Mass in November 2015, Father Nick Blaha (then current chaplain) was joined by four former chaplains concelebrating: Father Bill Porter, Father Jerry Volz, Father Ray May, and Father Curtis Carlson, OFM Cap. Msgr. Gary Applegate served as master of ceremonies. Father Porter — among the longest remembered — was credited with forming many young couples and explaining marriage as a vocation to students in the 1980s and 90s.
- Father Bill Porter
- Father Jerry Volz
- Father Curtis Carlson, OFM Cap
- Father Ray May
- Father Nick Blaha
- Father Nicholas Ashmore (current, since 2023)
Faith Formation & Sacraments
Didde runs an 'I Want To…' navigation page linking students to Get Married, Join a Bible Study, Become Catholic (RCIA/OCIA), and Register as a Student. RCIA/OCIA classes meet weekly in the Social Hall, open to anyone interested in joining the Church or learning more. Marriage preparation and the full range of sacraments — including Baptism, Anointing, and Last Rites — are available, with an emergency sacramental line at (913) 735-9464. Eucharistic Adoration is a regular Wednesday devotion in the chapel.
- RCIA / OCIA — weekly class, 7–8 PM in the Social Hall
- Bible Study
- Marriage Preparation
- Confession — frequent (see schedule)
- Anointing / Last Rites — emergency line (913) 735-9464
- Baptism, Marriage, and Quinceañeras (St. Catherine)
Ministries & Community Life
Didde's life is organized around small groups, fellowship nights, and outreach. Weekly offerings include the Rosary Prayer Group (Wednesdays 6:15 PM), Community Night (Wednesdays — alternating themes like Swing Dance, games, fellowship), and Donuts after Sunday morning Mass. Outreach runs through an Outreach Minister role, the Adopt-A-Hornet mentorship program (which intentionally pairs 'permanent community members' with students), Life Chain at 6th & Merchant, retreats, mission trips, and Bingo fundraisers that have benefitted Shiloh, Emporia's local pregnancy resource center and home for women and children in crisis.
- Rosary Prayer Group — Wed 6:15 PM
- Community Night — Wednesdays
- Donuts after Sunday Mass
- Adopt-A-Hornet — permanent-community mentoring
- Retreats & Mission Trips
- Life Chain at 6th & Merchant
- Bingo Fundraisers (e.g., for Shiloh)
- Outreach Minister (student position)
FOCUS Missionaries at Didde
The Didde Center partners with the Fellowship of Catholic University Students (FOCUS), a national Catholic outreach. Andrew Tomsche leads the team as FOCUS Director — he arrived with his wife Christi and their six children (Zachary, Dominic, Nathan, Matthias, Philomena, and Catherine) in Fall 2020 after encountering FOCUS as a senior at Saint Mary's University in Winona, MN. The team includes Danielle Breen, Victoria Barksdale, Elivia Hilferty, and Lucas Huber, who serve alongside adult staff in student formation.
- Andrew Tomsche — FOCUS Director (since Fall 2020)
- Danielle Breen
- Victoria Barksdale
- Elivia Hilferty
- Lucas Huber
- Contact: [email protected]
Prospective Students & Parents
The Didde website addresses both prospective ESU students and their parents directly. Didde offers programs to foster personal growth and deepen discipleship — weekly activities, games, fun events, retreats, mission trips, daily Mass, frequent Confessions and weekly Adoration. Students come from small-town Kansas, the wider Midwest, and South America. Parents are invited to see Didde as a 'close second' to home: a community of mentors and friends who will love their son or daughter and want what is best for them.
- Welcoming home for all ESU students
- Daily Mass, frequent Confession, weekly Adoration
- Retreats and mission trips
- Diverse community — small-town Kansas, Midwest, South America
Connection to St. Catherine Parish
Because Father Nicholas Ashmore serves as both Didde's chaplain and pastor of St. Catherine Parish in Emporia, the two communities are deeply linked. St. Catherine — a parish of roughly 400 families with roots in the 1920s Mexican immigration to Emporia — celebrated its centennial in 2023 with a Mass in Spanish and a relic visit of Pope St. John Paul II. Parishioners from El Salvador, Colombia, Venezuela and Nicaragua participate in liturgies shaped by Ashmore's bilingual approach. Many Didde students also find a spiritual home at St. Catherine's Spanish-language celebrations, including quinceañeras.
- Father Ashmore serves both communities
- St. Catherine centennial — Oct. 29, 2023 (relic of St. John Paul II)
- Spanish-language Mass and quinceañeras
- Parishioners from Mexico, El Salvador, Colombia, Venezuela, Nicaragua
Giving & Support
Didde funds its mission through several streams: the Hornet Catholic Fund (annual giving), Offertory, Endowment, and Estate Giving. The center also hosts an annual gala — the first held April 6, 2024, at the Lyon County History Center — and Bingo fundraisers for local causes such as Shiloh. Mass intentions can be requested by contacting the office.
- Hornet Catholic Fund
- Offertory
- Endowment
- Estate Giving
- Annual Didde Gala
- Bingo fundraisers (e.g., for Shiloh pregnancy center)
- Mass Intentions — contact the office
Visit, Contact & Hours
Saint Teresa Chapel and the Didde Center are at 1415 Merchant St., Emporia, KS 66801. Phone: (620) 343-6765. Fax: (620) 343-6792. Email: [email protected]. Emergency sacramental line (Last Rites): (913) 735-9464. During the academic year the center is open Monday–Thursday 9 AM–10 PM, Friday 9 AM–3 PM, and Sunday 9 AM–12:30 PM and 6:30–10 PM. During breaks the center is open Monday–Friday and Sunday, 9 AM–2 PM. Text DIDDE to 84576 for direct text-message updates.
- Address: 1415 Merchant St., Emporia, KS 66801
- Phone: (620) 343-6765 • Fax: (620) 343-6792
- Email: [email protected]
- Emergency Last Rites: (913) 735-9464
- Hours: Mon–Thu 9–10; Fri 9–3; Sun 9–12:30 & 6:30–10 (academic year)
- Text DIDDE to 84576 for updates
Pastors & rectors through the years
- Father Bill Porter
Long-serving chaplain; remembered at 2015 anniversary as one of the first priests to explain marriage as a vocation to students; spoke at the 25th anniversary Mass.
- Father Jerry Volz
Former chaplain; concelebrated the 2015 rededication Mass.
- Father Curtis Carlson, OFM Cap
Former chaplain; concelebrated the 2015 rededication Mass.
- Father Ray May
Former chaplain; concelebrated the 2015 rededication Mass.
- Father Nick Blaha
Chaplain at time of 25th anniversary celebration, November 14, 2015.
- Father Nicholas Ashmore2023–present
Assigned by Archbishop Naumann in 2023 from St. Joseph Parish, Olpe; simultaneously serves as pastor of St. Catherine Parish, Emporia.