About Our Lady of Wisdom · Reno, Nevada
Our Lady of Wisdom is the Catholic Newman Center serving the University of Nevada, Reno (UNR), located at 1101 N. Virginia Street in the heart of campus between Argenta and Peavine Halls. Branded today as 'Wolf Pack Catholic,' the parish is part of the Diocese of Reno and exists to lead the university community to encounter and respond to Jesus through Word, Sacrament, and prayer in Christian fellowship. With a full-time pastor, two deacons, FOCUS missionaries, student ministers, and a thriving calendar of daily and weekly Masses, the center welcomes students, faculty, and Reno residents into a lively Catholic community that has served the campus since 1965 and was dramatically renewed with a $3.2 million renovation completed in 2024.
- Established
- 1965
- Patron
- Our Lady of Wisdom (Mary, Seat of Wisdom)
- Rector
- Father Joe Walsh
- Diocese
- Diocese of Reno
Why belong here
Our Lady of Wisdom is the easiest place in Reno for a UNR student, faculty or staff member, or neighbor to plug into the Catholic life: Mass is offered every day of the academic week, with three Sunday options plus a Wednesday night Candlelight Mass and weekly adoration and confession. The renovated center is genuinely a home on campus — free daily Coffee House, Wednesday student lunches serving 200+, Friday Waffle Bar, private study rooms, movie nights, fourteen Bible studies, semester retreats, SEEK conferences in January, and service and mission trips — all run by a pastor, two deacons, FOCUS missionaries, and student ministers who specifically walk with university students in their faith.
Mass times at Our Lady of Wisdom
Weekly Mass schedule
Confession times
- Sunday: 30 minutes before each Mass
- Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, Friday: 4:30–5:00 PM
- Wednesday: 7:30 PM (during Adoration, before Candlelight Mass)
Adoration times
- Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, Friday: 4:30–5:15 PM
- Wednesday: 7:30 PM (with confessions and before the 8:30 PM Candlelight Mass)
About Our Lady of Wisdom
Our Lady of Wisdom is the Catholic parish and Newman Center serving the University of Nevada, Reno. Its mission, as stated on the parish's own website, is 'to lead the university community to encounter and respond to Jesus through ministries of Word, Sacrament and Prayer in Christian Fellowship.' The community goes by the brand 'Wolf Pack Catholic,' reflecting the UNR Wolf Pack mascot, and exists to be a welcoming Catholic home for students, faculty, staff, and Reno neighbors — including non-Catholics — in the heart of campus.
History of the Parish
Our Lady of Wisdom was established in 1965 as the Diocese of Reno's Newman Center for the University of Nevada, Reno. The diocese has long stressed the urgency of campus ministry in Nevada because the state has no Catholic institution of higher learning. For nearly six decades the parish has celebrated Sunday and weekday Masses, formed students through RCIA, Bible studies and retreats, and partnered with FOCUS missionaries. By the early 2020s the original building was in serious disrepair, and the diocese undertook a $3.2 million renovation of the center, chapel, and grounds under Bishop Daniel Mueggenborg. The renovated facility was blessed at a Mass on the Solemnity of the Assumption, August 15, 2024, attended by more than 100 vendors and supporters.
- Established 1965
- Renovated and reopened August 15, 2024
- $3.2 million renovation under Bishop Daniel Mueggenborg
The 2024 Renovation
The renovation transformed an aging building into a modern campus ministry hub modeled after cutting-edge Newman Centers across the country. Improvements included a full commercial kitchen (enabling the Wednesday student lunch), a coffee bar, pool and foosball tables, private study rooms, and flexible meeting space — all designed to support study, community, and worship in the daily walking path of UNR students.
Clergy and Staff
Our Lady of Wisdom is served by a full-time pastor, two permanent deacons, two campus ministers, an office administrator, and a team of FOCUS missionaries. The parish is led by Father Joe Walsh as pastor; he also serves the wider diocese as Judicial Vicar and Director of Vocations, and previously studied Canon Law in Rome. Deacon Brian Callister — a Stanford graduate and UNR Med physician who was ordained in 2011 — joined the parish in 2024 with his wife Rose after twenty years at Our Lady of the Snows. Deacon Jim McClenahan serves both St. Albert the Great and Our Lady of Wisdom; he has led RCIA for more than 15 years and now directs deacon formation for the diocese. Ryan and Alex serve as campus ministers (both UNR students studying Mechanical Engineering), and Therese, with fourteen years in diocesan administration, runs the office. The FOCUS team is directed by Josh, a tenth-year missionary, alongside missionaries Monica, Nathan, Jianna, Gabby, and Gabrielle.
- Father Joe Walsh — Pastor, Judicial Vicar, Director of Vocations (Diocese of Reno)
- Deacon Brian Callister — joined Our Lady of Wisdom in 2024
- Deacon Jim McClenahan — also at St. Albert the Great; RCIA and deacon formation
- Ryan — Campus Minister (UNR Mechanical Engineering)
- Alex — Campus Minister (UNR Mechanical Engineering)
- Therese — Office Administrator (14+ years with the diocese)
- Josh — FOCUS Team Director
- FOCUS Missionaries: Monica, Nathan, Jianna, Gabby, Gabrielle
Sacraments
Reconciliation is available before every Mass and by appointment. Baptisms are scheduled by appointment for registered and active parishioners. Weddings require six months' advance notice, parish membership, and completion of an Engaged Encounter. The Anointing of the Sick is available on request, and RCIA (for adults becoming Catholic) is run through the parish office, with Deacon Jim McClenahan providing over 15 years of experience in this ministry.
- Reconciliation — before every Mass or by appointment
- Baptism — by appointment for registered/active parishioners
- Marriage — 6 months' notice; Engaged Encounter required
- Anointing of the Sick — on request
- RCIA — call the parish office
Student Ministries and Community Life
Our Lady of Wisdom is fundamentally a campus parish, and the bulk of its programming is aimed at UNR students. The center hosts a daily Coffee House, a Wednesday Student Lunch serving more than 200 students each week, and a Friday Waffle Bar — all free of charge. Fourteen Bible study groups meet weekly across the semester, and the parish hosts on-site retreats each semester, sends students to the national SEEK conference every January, and runs Spring Break mission trips both nationally and internationally. Monthly service projects include feeding the homeless alongside other Wolf Pack Catholic students. The community also gathers for movie nights, free student lunches, social hangouts, and group discussions, with private study rooms available in the renovated center.
- Daily Coffee House
- Wednesday Student Lunch (11:30 AM–1:00 PM, 200+ served weekly)
- Friday Waffle Bar
- 14 weekly Bible studies
- Semester retreats (on-site)
- January SEEK conference trip
- Spring Break mission trips (national and international)
- Monthly service / homeless outreach
FOCUS Missionaries
Our Lady of Wisdom partners with FOCUS (Fellowship of Catholic University Students), a Catholic lay apostolate that places missionary teams on college campuses. The UNR team is led by Josh, a tenth-year missionary and Team Director, alongside Monica (from Orange Cove, CA; UCI grad), Nathan (first-year missionary from California), Jianna (first-year missionary from Goddard, KS; Fort Hays State), Gabby (UNR freshman, Pre-Med), and Gabrielle (fourth-year UNR geography and geology student; member of the Mackay Muckers mining team). FOCUS missionaries invite students and parishioners into a growing relationship with Jesus and the Catholic Church, inspiring and equipping them for Christ-centered evangelization, discipleship, and friendship.
Liturgical Ministries and Parish Councils
The parish runs the usual liturgical ministries needed to celebrate Mass well: lectors, greeters, Eucharistic ministers, altar servers, and bread bakers (a distinctive role at this Newman Center). Parishioners can also serve on the Finance Council, Parish Pastoral Council, Stewardship committee, Liturgy committee, and Vocations support, while a student-directed Newman Center Board gives student members direct input into the religious, social, and cultural programming of the center and represents students on the Parish Pastoral Council. Other groups include Hospitality/Fellowship, Children's Liturgy of the Word, and Glenmary Adopt-a-Mission.
- Lectors, Greeters, Eucharistic Ministers
- Altar Servers, Bread Bakers
- Music / Choir
- Finance Council
- Parish Pastoral Council
- Newman Center Student Board
- Hospitality / Fellowship
- Children's Liturgy of the Word
- Glenmary Adopt-a-Mission
Outreach and Partners
The parish works with several local and national Catholic partners in its ministry. FOCUS provides the on-campus missionary team, Catholic Charities of Northern Nevada supports outreach to those in need in the Reno/Sparks area and across rural Nevada, and the Diocese of Reno itself underwrites the Newman Center through the annual Catholic Services Appeal (CSA), recognizing that as a parish unable to 'make ends meet on its own,' the CSA helps 'keep the lights on' for the Catholic students at UNR.
- FOCUS (Fellowship of Catholic University Students)
- Catholic Charities of Northern Nevada
- Diocese of Reno (CSA funding)
- Bishop Daniel Mueggenborg
Pastors & rectors through the years
- Fr. Vince Fallon, SS.CC.
Pastor; listed in an earlier edition of the Diocese of Reno directory.
- Rev. Nathan Mamo, S.T.L.2012–2013 directory
Listed as pastor in the 2012–2013 Diocese of Reno directory.
- Father Joe Walshcurrent
Current pastor; also serves as Judicial Vicar and Director of Vocations for the Diocese of Reno.