About Holy Spirit Catholic Newman Center · Phoenix, Arizona
Holy Spirit Catholic Newman Center is a Roman Catholic parish serving college students at and around Grand Canyon University (GCU) in Phoenix, Arizona. Established in 2016 under the Diocese of Phoenix, it operates out of a repurposed 2,500-square-foot house across from the GCU campus at 3057 W. Camelback Road, recognizable by its bright purple door. Staffed by a pastor, two religious sisters from the Servants of the Pierced Hearts of Jesus and Mary (SCTJM), and student missionaries, the Newman Center offers daily and Sunday Mass, weekly confession, Eucharistic adoration, Bible studies, OCIA (formerly RCIA), retreats, service trips, and a flagship Thursday-night 'Newman Night' of fellowship, food and worship that draws well over a hundred students.
- Established
- 2016
- Patron
- Holy Spirit
- Rector
- Fr. David Loeffler
- Diocese
- Roman Catholic Diocese of Phoenix
Why belong here
Holy Spirit Newman Center is built around the idea that college students need a 'home for the heart, a school of faith, and a path of discipleship' during the formative years when so many drift from the Church. With daily and Sunday Mass, frequent confession, weekly Eucharastic adoration, Bible studies, a vibrant OCIA program and the Thursday-night Newman Night that draws 120+ students for a free meal, a talk, praise and worship and small groups, it offers an unusually full sacramental and community life for a small parish. Its mission-trips, retreats and pilgrimage to the Grand Canyon — plus the witness of religious sisters from the Servants of the Pierced Hearts of Jesus and Mary — make it a place where students are personally accompanied toward Christ and toward each other.
Mass times at Holy Spirit Catholic Newman Center
Weekly Mass schedule
Confession times
- Sunday: 12:00 PM (September–April)
- Tuesday: 4:30 PM – 6:00 PM (September–April)
- Wednesday: 6:00 PM – 7:00 PM (September–April)
Adoration times
- Tuesday: 1:00 PM – 6:00 PM
- Wednesday: 1:00 PM – 7:00 PM
- Friday: 1:00 PM – 6:00 PM
History & Founding
Holy Spirit Newman Center was established in 2016 by Bishop Thomas J. Olmsted to serve Grand Canyon University, the fastest-growing Catholic-inspired university in the Diocese of Phoenix. It was originally shepherded by Franciscan Friars of the Holy Spirit (FHS), beginning with Fr. Joseph Francis LePage, FHS, and benefited from a $1.5 million endowment from the diocese's 'Together Let Us Go Forth ~ Juntos Sigamos Adelante' campaign. The chapel that grew out of a small repurposed house across Camelback Road from campus quickly outgrew its 45-person capacity, and by late 2019 a second Sunday Mass had to be added. In July 2020 Fr. David Loeffler was appointed Pastor.
- Founded 2016 by Bishop Thomas J. Olmsted
- Originally staffed by Franciscan Friars of the Holy Spirit (FHS)
- Endowed through the 'Together Let Us Go Forth ~ Juntos Sigamos Adelante' campaign
- Fr. Joseph Francis LePage, FHS — founding pastor
- Fr. David Loeffler appointed pastor July 1, 2020
Parish Staff & Religious Community
The community is led by Pastor Fr. David Loeffler, supported by two religious sisters from the Servants of the Pierced Hearts of Jesus and Mary (SCTJM), a Miami-based community. They are accompanied by a Development and Engagement Coordinator and a wider team of student missionaries who help run the Newman Center's ministries.
- Fr. David Loeffler — Pastor (also Director of Ecumenism & Interreligious Affairs and Chaplain of Bourgade High School)
- Sr. Clare Marie Bailey, SCTJM — Director of Evangelization
- Sr. Kelly Grace O'Ryan, SCTJM
- Cassy Beltran — Development and Engagement Coordinator
Newman Night & Community Life
The flagship gathering is 'Newman Night' every Thursday at 6:00 PM, when 120–170 students pack the small house for a free meal, a formation talk, praise and worship music, and small-group discussion. It is the backbone of the parish's sense of family and is the principal on-ramp for new students into the rest of Newman life.
- Thursdays at 6:00 PM
- Free dinner provided
- Formation talk by priest, sisters or guests
- Praise and worship
- Small-group discussion
Faith Formation & OCIA
The Newman Center places a strong emphasis on the Order of Christian Initiation of Adults (OCIA, formerly RCIA), framing it as 'an immersion into Catholic life' rather than just a course of study. Candidates are catechized in Catholic teaching and integrated into parish life through homeless ministry, nursing-home visits, 40 Days for Life, retreats, holy hours, daily Mass and one-on-one accompaniment. Twenty-two students completed OCIA at the Easter Vigil in 2025.
- OCIA classes and small-group formation
- Service component: homeless ministry, nursing-home visits
- 40 Days for Life participation
- Retreats and holy hours
- One-on-one accompaniment
Prayer & Devotions
Alongside daily Mass and weekly confession, students gather for a communal Rosary, regular Bible studies, praise-and-worship adoration, and extended silent Eucharistic adoration on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Fridays. Holy Hours and 40 Days for Life prayer opportunities round out the devotional rhythm of the parish.
- Communal Rosary
- Bible Study
- Praise & Worship Adoration
- Extended Eucharistic Adoration (Tue/Wed/Fri afternoons)
- Holy Hours
- 40 Days for Life prayer vigils
Retreats, Mission Trips & Pilgrimages
A hallmark of Holy Spirit Newman Center is its culture of going on pilgrimage together. The parish runs a semester retreat each term, an annual chartered-bus pilgrimage to celebrate Mass and adoration at the South Rim of the Grand Canyon at Mather Point, and a spring-break mission trip (in 2018 an 18-person team, including 12 students, served in the Philippines). The Grand Canyon trip has become a rite of passage for incoming freshmen, giving them a powerful first encounter with the community and the Eucharist.
- Semester retreat (each semester)
- Annual Grand Canyon South Rim pilgrimage by charter bus
- Spring-break mission trip (e.g., Philippines, 2018)
- Service and outreach integral to OCIA and parish life
Music & Liturgical Ministries
Music ministry at the Newman Center is student-led and central to the liturgies, which are celebrated on a 'makeshift altar' in the small chapel and overflow into the living room via a TV feed when attendance exceeds the chapel's seating. A dedicated group of students serves as cantors, instrumentalists and choir for daily Mass, Sunday Mass and the Thursday Newman Night.
- Student-led music ministry
- Sunday and weekday Mass music
- Praise & worship team for Newman Night
- Overflow livestream into the living room when the chapel is full
Service & Outreach
Service is described as one of the fundamentals of the community — 'giving ourselves as a community to others,' in the words of Development and Engagement Coordinator Cassy Beltran. Beyond weekly Newman Night meals (which are intentionally shared with those in need), students serve through homeless ministry, nursing-home visits, 40 Days for Life, and overseas mission trips. OCIA candidates are deliberately integrated into this rhythm of service as part of their formation.
- Homeless ministry
- Nursing-home visits
- 40 Days for Life
- Spring-break mission trips
- Newman Night meals shared with the broader community
Support & Funding
Unlike most parishes, Holy Spirit Newman Center does not rely on weekly plate collections to operate. It is one of more than 70 ministries and charities supported by the Diocese of Phoenix's annual Charity and Development Appeal (CDA), established by Bishop Olmsted. CDA funding pays for the priest, sisters and staff, free student meals, retreats, formation talks, and keeping the 'bright purple door wide open' to any college student who wants to come in.
- Funded principally through the Diocese of Phoenix Charity and Development Appeal (CDA)
- Free meals and retreats made possible by CDA
- Pastoral priority of Bishop Thomas J. Olmsted
- Part of the diocese's $10M Newman Center endowment
Pastors & rectors through the years
- Fr. Joseph Francis LePage, FHS2016–2020
Franciscan Friar of the Holy Spirit who helped found and launch the Newman Center from the repurposed house across from GCU.
- Fr. David Loeffler2020–present
Appointed Pastor by the Diocese of Phoenix on July 1, 2020, while also serving as Director of Ecumenism and Interreligious Affairs and Chaplain of Bourgade High School.