About St. John's Catholic Newman Center · Champaign, Illinois
St. John's Catholic Newman Center (SJCNC) is the spiritual home of the 10–12,000 Catholic Illini on the campus of the University of Illinois at Urbana–Champaign, and is widely recognized as one of the largest and most active Newman Centers in the United States. The Center is comprised of St. John's Catholic Chapel and the adjoining Newman Hall, a co-ed private certified student housing facility that houses about 600 students in suite- and traditional-style rooms steps from the UIUC Main Quad. Within the Roman Catholic Diocese of Peoria, SJCNC offers twice-daily Mass, daily Eucharistic Adoration, daily Confession, retreats, small-group Bible studies, FOCUS missionaries, and outreach ministries serving the parish's two co-patrons: St. John the Evangelist and St. John Henry Cardinal Newman.
- Established
- 1917 (chapel dedicated 1927)
- Patron
- St. John the Evangelist (chapel) and St. John Henry Cardinal Newman (patron of Newman Centers)
- Rector
- Father Lee Brokaw (Director and Head Chaplain, since 2024)
- Diocese
- Roman Catholic Diocese of Peoria
Why belong here
If you are a student — or anyone within reach of the UIUC campus — looking for a Catholic community, St. John's offers daily and twice-daily Mass, daily Eucharistic Adoration, daily Confession, and a depth of student-led spiritual life few parishes anywhere can match. Roughly 600 students live on-site in Newman Hall, about 130 steps from the Main Quad, and over the last year more than 100 students entered the Church through the Center's OCIA process — the largest such group in the Center's nearly 100-year history. Dozens of small-group Bible studies, the student-run Koinonia retreat, FOCUS missionaries, Mandarin-language outreach, intramural athletics, and welcome-week programming make it easy to plug into something real right from move-in.
Mass times at St. John's Catholic Newman Center
Weekly Mass schedule
Confession times
- Monday 4:00–4:45 PM (school year)
- Tuesday 4:00–4:45 PM (school year)
- Wednesday 4:00–4:45 PM and 9:00–9:50 PM (school year); 7:00 PM (summer, except June 3 and June 17)
- Thursday 4:00–4:45 PM (school year)
- Friday 4:00–4:45 PM (school year)
- Saturday 4:00–4:45 PM (school year)
- Sunday 8:00–8:50 PM (school year)
- By appointment
Adoration times
- Monday 4:00–5:00 PM (school year)
- Tuesday 4:00–5:00 PM (school year)
- Wednesday 4:00–5:00 PM and 9:00–10:00 PM (school year)
- Thursday 4:00–5:00 PM (school year)
- Friday 4:00–5:00 PM (school year)
- Daily Adoration advertised on site
Our Story
For nearly 100 years, St. John's Catholic Newman Center has been a national model for Catholic campus ministry at the University of Illinois at Urbana–Champaign. The community began as the 1905 Spalding Guild, became incorporated as the Columbus Foundation in 1920, and was renamed the Newman Foundation in 1926. The cornerstone of St. John's Catholic Chapel was laid in August 1926; the first Mass was celebrated on September 28, 1927, and the rest of the Newman Foundation building was completed in 1929. The Center is the spiritual home to the 10–12,000 Catholic Illini on campus.
- Founding chaplain: Fr. John O'Brien (1917)
- Chapel dedicated: September 28, 1927
- Located at Sixth & Armory since 1924
- Newman Hall dedicated September 7, 2008 (~$40M expansion)
- Chapel renovation completed October 2023 (~$2.5M, Daprato Rigali Studios)
- Pilgrimage site for the Diocese of Peoria 150th Anniversary
Chapel Tour
The 2023 renovation restored and elevated the chapel's most distinctive features. Encircling the nave is the opening of John's Gospel — 'In the beginning was the Word, and the Word became flesh' — and the sanctuary stenciling honors the two patrons: the heraldic eagle of St. John the Evangelist and the coat of arms of St. John Henry Cardinal Newman. Replicas of the 14 original Stations of the Cross line the walls, a new baptismal font sits in the expanded vestibule behind new 'vine and branches' doors, and a statue of St. John Henry Newman at prayer has been returned to a side shrine flanked by reliquaries. The pieta is back to its original location to the right of the sanctuary.
- New marble altar reminiscent of the original high altar
- Four Gospel symbols painted on a heavenly-blue ceiling
- Restored pews, kneelers, and organ (new console on order)
- Two new soundproofed confessionals in the narthex
- New Stations of the Cross cropped from the originals (now at St. Mary's Cathedral)
Retreats
Catholic Illini Retreats are run by students for students several times each year. Coordinator of Retreats Liz Cassidy oversees programming that leads students to encounter Jesus Christ through weekends away from campus.
- Koinonia — student-led 2-night weekend offered each fall and spring
- Catholic Illini Silent Retreat — for students ready to go deeper in prayer
- Freshman Kickoff — welcome-week afternoon for incoming freshmen
- Sign up via the retreats page to be notified
Small Groups
Small Groups are student-led, student-focused, weekly gatherings that explore Scripture as it applies to college life. They are designed as places of authentic friendship where students can rest, re-center, and find encouragement and spiritual nourishment for the week. Inquiries: [email protected].
- Dozens of student-led Bible studies
- Peer mentorship through the Catholic Illini Missionary team and FOCUS missionaries
- Welcome Week sign-ups for new groups
Parish Staff & Chaplains
St. John's is served by a team of priests and lay staff, all listed on the Team Directory page. The current chaplains include Director and Head Chaplain Fr. Lee Brokaw (appointed 2024, formerly administrator/pastor in the Galesburg cluster) and Assistant Chaplains Fr. Matthew Hoelscher and Fr. Alexander Millar. The Center also benefits from a Catholic Illini FOCUS missionary team.
- Fr. Lee Brokaw — Director and Head Chaplain (since 2024)
- Fr. Matthew Hoelscher — Assistant Chaplain
- Fr. Alexander Millar — Assistant Chaplain
- Liz Cassidy — Coordinator of Retreats
- Catholic Illini FOCUS Missionaries
- Nathaniel & Kelli Stovall and family — outreach to Chinese students
Newman Hall Residence
Newman Hall is a co-ed private certified student housing facility physically connected to St. John's Catholic Chapel by an underground passage. After the $40 million expansion dedicated September 7, 2008, the Center grew to roughly 200,000 square feet and now houses around 600 students in suite- and traditional-style rooms, all steps from the UIUC Main Quad. Amenities include study and social lounges, computer labs, and a dining area.
- ~600 residents in traditional and suite-style rooms
- Underground passage to chapel
- Steps from the UIUC Main Quad
- Amenities: study lounges, social lounges, computer labs, dining
- Air-conditioning added to chapel during 2008 expansion
Pilgrimage & Visitor Welcome
St. John's Catholic Newman Center is one of six pilgrimage sites for the Catholic Diocese of Peoria's 150th Anniversary Celebration. Visitors can receive a plenary indulgence, defined by the Catechism as 'a remission before God of the temporal punishment due to sins whose guilt has already been forgiven (CCC 1471).' A digital booklet, 'Encounter: A Look at the Restored Beauty of St. John's Catholic Chapel,' describes the chapel's history and architecture for visitors.
- Conditions for the indulgence: Confession, Communion, prayer for the Pope's intentions, and prayer of the Our Father and Creed in the chapel
- Newman Center's nearly 100-year history
- Three major chapel renovations since 1927 dedication
Catholic Illini FOCUS & Outreach
The Catholic Illini missionary team provides peer mentorship and discipleship, oversees dozens of small-group Bible studies, and helps evangelize the campus. FOCUS (Fellowship of Catholic University Students) missionaries train students to evangelize their peers.
- FOCUS missionaries serving UIUC
- Dozens of small groups across campus
- Outreach to Chinese-speaking students (Mandarin small groups and events)
Institute of Catholic Thought (Academic Courses)
Through its Institute of Catholic Thought, St. John's is able to offer academic-credit courses in Catholicism through the University of Illinois Religious Studies department, taught by Director Kenneth Howell.
- Introduction to Catholicism (Fall)
- Modern Catholic Thought (Spring)
Pastors & rectors through the years
- Fr. John O'Brien1917–1939
Founding chaplain, appointed by the Knights of Columbus in August 1917.
- Fr. Roger Schoenbechler, OSB1939–1943
- Msgr. Edward Duncan1943–1997
Longest-tenured chaplain (54 years); oversaw enormous growth of the Center.
- Msgr. Stewart Swetland1997–2006
- Msgr. Gregory Ketcham2006–2014
Oversaw the $40 million Newman Hall expansion dedicated in 2008.
- Fr. Luke Spannagel2014–2017
- Fr. Robert Lampitt2017–2024
Led the 2023 chapel renovation and blessing with Bishop Tylka; now Pastor of St. Mark (Peoria) and Chaplain of St. Joseph Newman Center (Peoria).
- Fr. Lee Brokaw2024–present
Director and Head Chaplain; previously administrator/pastor in the Galesburg cluster.