About Hamilton College Newman Council · Clinton, New York
The Hamilton College Newman Council is the Catholic student community serving Hamilton College in Clinton, New York, located at 198 College Hill Road within the Diocese of Syracuse. Founded as part of the national Newman Campus Ministry movement, it provides Catholic students — and any others who wish to attend — with spiritual, intellectual, and social opportunities, including three weekly Masses, monthly community dinners, the campus-wide Knitting with Newman club, and outreach partnerships with Hope House and Thea Bowman House in Utica. The community is served by Fr. Peter (Boutros) El Hachem, a Maronite Catholic priest also trained in Roman Catholic rites, who serves as Catholic Chaplain while pastoring St. Louis Gonzaga Maronite Church in Utica. It operates under Hamilton's Spiritual and Religious Life office, led since 2025 by the College's first Dean of Spiritual and Religious Life, Rev. Dr. Colleen Hallagan Preuninger '06.
- Rector
- Fr. Peter (Boutros) El Hachem
- Diocese
- Diocese of Syracuse
Why belong here
Joining or visiting the Hamilton College Newman Council means plugging into a small, welcoming Catholic community on a residential liberal-arts campus. Students can attend Mass three times a week (Tuesdays and Fridays at noon, Sundays at 1 p.m.) in the Chapel, gather for monthly community dinners, and find pastoral conversation or confession through Fr. Peter El Hachem. The Council also offers service through trusted Hamilton-area partnerships like Hope House and Thea Bowman House in Utica, the annual Trust Treat for inner-city children, and the joyful Midnight Christmas Mass each December — making it a real home for Catholic spiritual life on the Hill.
Mass times at Hamilton College Newman Council
Weekly Mass schedule
Confession times
- Available by appointment — contact Fr. Peter at [email protected] (before or after Mass by appointment)
Hamilton College Newman Council
The Newman Council is the Catholic student organization at Hamilton College, providing 'an atmosphere for spiritual, intellectual, and social interaction — primarily for Catholic students, but open to the concerns of the campus community.' It celebrates Mass three times a week, hosts monthly dinners, runs the campus-wide Knitting with Newman club, and is involved in community service through the annual Trust Treat event and partnerships with Hope House and Thea Bowman House in Utica. The Council is the spiritual home of Catholic life on the Hill and is supported by Hamilton's Office of Spiritual and Religious Life.
Mission
The Newman Community exists to nurture the Catholic spiritual, intellectual and social life of Hamilton students while remaining open to the broader campus community. It pursues that mission through regular liturgy, fellowship meals, a knitting circle, and hands-on outreach with Utica-area agencies.
- Spiritual, intellectual and social interaction for Catholic students
- Open to the broader campus community
- Three weekly Masses in the Chapel
- Monthly community dinners
- Knitting with Newman club for faculty and students
History & Chaplaincy Succession
Catholic life on the Hamilton campus has been served by the Newman chaplaincy model for decades. For 38 years, Rev. John P. Croghan — also administrator of St. Mary's Church in Clinton — was the steady pastoral presence on the Hill; in 2007 he received Hamilton's Alumni Association Distinguished Service Award after 25 years of service. After his retirement, the College welcomed Fr. Peter (Boutros) El Hachem, a Maronite priest ordained in Lebanon in 2008 who also celebrates the Roman rite. In summer 2023 Hamilton restructured its chaplaincy, and in July 2025 named Rev. Dr. Colleen Hallagan Preuninger '06 as Hamilton's inaugural Dean of Spiritual and Religious Life.
- Rev. John P. Croghan — Catholic Chaplain for 38 years; retired
- Fr. Peter (Boutros) El Hachem — current Catholic Chaplain
- Rev. Dr. Colleen Hallagan Preuninger '06 — first Dean of Spiritual and Religious Life (2025)
Clergy & Staff
The Catholic chaplaincy at Hamilton is served by Fr. Peter (Boutros) El Hachem, who is a Maronite Catholic priest also trained in the Roman Catholic liturgical rites. He was ordained in Lebanon in 2008, served parishes in Beirut, and helped found Maronite missions in Colombia, Ecuador and Peru before coming to the U.S. in 2019 to pastor St. Louis Gonzaga Maronite Church in Utica. He is supported by the Spiritual and Religious Life office led by Dean Rev. Dr. Colleen Hallagan Preuninger '06 and Office Assistant Ariel Jarman.
- Fr. Peter (Boutros) El Hachem — Catholic Chaplain, [email protected], (315) 859-4129
- Rev. Dr. Colleen Hallagan Preuninger '06 — Dean of Spiritual and Religious Life, 315-859-4026
- Ariel Jarman — Spiritual and Religious Life Office Assistant, 315-859-4897
Mass & Sacraments
Roman Catholic Mass is celebrated on the Hamilton campus three times a week in the Chapel, with Fr. Peter El Hachem presiding. Confession is available by appointment before or after Mass. All are welcome, including off-campus guests.
- Sunday Mass — 1:00 PM, Chapel
- Tuesday Mass — 12:00 PM, Chapel
- Thursday Mass — 12:00 PM, Chapel
- Confession by appointment — [email protected]
Fellowship & Student Life
Beyond the liturgy, the Newman Council hosts regular fellowship opportunities that knit Catholic and non-Catholic students together across the Hamilton campus.
- Monthly community dinners
- Knitting with Newman — campus-wide knitting club open to faculty and students
- Spiritual conversation with Fr. Peter by appointment
Community Service & Outreach
Service is central to Newman Council identity. The Council partners with two long-standing Utica agencies, and through them Hamilton students serve meals, mentor children, and accompany neighbors in need.
- Hope House (Utica) — meals and hospitality for the hungry and homeless; established 1992
- Thea Bowman House (Utica) — after-school and family programs for at-risk children in west Utica; grew from Agape House (1986) into Thea Bowman House in 1996
- Trust Treat — annual Halloween event bringing Utica inner-city children to campus for safe trick-or-treating
- Midnight Christmas Mass — December tradition packing the Chapel with students
Spiritual and Religious Life at Hamilton
Hamilton's Office of Spiritual and Religious Life supports the Newman Council alongside a wider community of faith-based student organizations, including the Hamilton Christian Fellowship, Hillel, Meditation Club, Muslim Student Association, Chabad, and the Fellowship of Christian Athletes. The office was restructured in 2023 and is led by the College's inaugural Dean of Spiritual and Religious Life.
- Hamilton Christian Fellowship (HCF)
- Hillel
- Meditation Club
- Muslim Student Association (MSA)
- Chabad
- Fellowship of Christian Athletes (FCA)
- Newman Council
Visit & Contact
Mass is open to off-campus guests. To reach the Catholic chaplain directly, write to Fr. Peter El Hachem or call the Spiritual and Religious Life office.
- Address: 198 College Hill Road, Clinton, NY 13323
- Phone: (315) 859-4129
- Email: [email protected]
- Newman Council email: [email protected]
- Website: hamilton.edu/offices/chaplain/religious-traditions/christian-community/newman
Pastors & rectors through the years
- Rev. John P. Croghanserved ~38 years through retirement
Catholic Chaplain and longtime administrator of St. Mary's Church in Clinton; received Hamilton's Alumni Association Distinguished Service Award in 2007 after 25 years of service; helped found the Trust Treat tradition and the Midnight Christmas Mass; retired and moved to Utica.
- Fr. Peter (Boutros) El Hachemcurrent
Maronite Catholic priest also trained in Roman Catholic rites; ordained in Lebanon (2008); serves as pastor of St. Louis Gonzaga Maronite Church in Utica while celebrating Mass on the Hamilton campus three times a week.