St. Thomas More Newman Center

About St. Thomas More Newman Center (Buckeye Catholic)

St. Thomas More Newman Center, doing business as Buckeye Catholic, is the Roman Catholic campus ministry serving the undergraduate and graduate students, faculty, and staff of The Ohio State University. It also welcomes students from other central Ohio colleges, including those at Columbus State Community College. The center resides across the street from the OSU main campus at 64 West Lane Avenue in Columbus and is part of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Columbus. Its renewed mission is to evangelize the campus of Ohio State by forming missionary disciples who encounter Christ and become leaders in the Church and for the world — building a Catholic community rooted in sacramental life, evangelistic zeal, and generosity in service and vocation.

History of the OSU Catholic Mission

Catholic ministry to Ohio State students began in 1946 and was originally housed in Newman Hall. In 1956 the Diocese of Columbus entrusted the work to the Paulist Fathers, a community founded by Servant of God Isaac Hecker and the pioneer of the American Newman Movement since 1907. By 1970 the Paulists and diocese built a purpose-built chapel and center on Lane Avenue, breaking ground in January 1970 with Bishop Elwell and opening the new St. Thomas More Chapel that same month. After nearly 66 years of continuous Paulist service, in 2022 the newly installed Bishop Earl Fernandes appointed Fr. Adam Streitenberger as the first diocesan executive director, and the ministry was rebranded 'Buckeye Catholic' to better express its student-focused identity.

• 1946 – Catholic campus ministry established at Ohio State
• 1949 – Newman Hall becomes the home of the mission
• 1956 – Paulist Fathers assume direction from the diocese
• January 1970 – Groundbreaking and opening of the St. Thomas More Chapel on Lane Avenue
• 2010s – FOCUS invited to campus; diocesan support for Saint Paul's Outreach expanded under Bishop Robert Brennan
• June 30, 2022 – Bishop Fernandes announces end of Paulist tenure and diocesan direct operation
• July 12, 2022 – Fr. Adam Streitenberger installed as executive director
• July 30–31, 2022 – Paulist Fathers' farewell Masses

Staff and Ministry Leaders

Following the 2022 transition, the center's pastoral team is led by executive director Fr. Adam Streitenberger, a diocesan priest who also serves as Vicar for Evangelization for the Diocese of Columbus, alongside Fr. Thomas Blau and deacon Steve Petrill. The Salesian Daughters of Mary Help of Christians are represented by Sister Loretta Dedomenicis, FMA (campus minister and spiritual director) and Sister Janna San Juan. The full-time lay staff supports formation, communications, and operations, including Patrick McNulty as assistant director (per the Catholic Times coverage).

• Fr. Adam Streitenberger — Executive Director / Vicar for Evangelization
• Fr. Thomas Blau — Priest
• Deacon Steve Petrill — Deacon
• Sr. Loretta Dedomenicis, FMA — Campus minister (Daughters of Mary Help of Christians)
• Sr. Janna San Juan — Religious sister
• Hanna Horstman, Jim Severance, Nicole Simental, Andrew Kebe, Dana Dosen, Issy Martin-Dye, Sarah Botti (OCIA), Natalie Elchynski — staff and ministry leaders

Parish Ministries and Student Organizations

Buckeye Catholic integrates the work of the campus ministry with two national missionary organizations: the Fellowship of Catholic University Students (FOCUS, based in Denver) and Saint Paul's Outreach (SPO, based in St. Paul, Minn.), both of which send young missionaries to college campuses. Programming includes Bible studies, weekly men's and women's formation, retreats, small groups, the ESTEEM leadership program, IGNITE (the student organization), service trips, social concerns ministries, faith formation, a children's and youth ministry, and a Landings ministry for returning Catholics.

• FOCUS (Fellowship of Catholic University Students)
• Saint Paul's Outreach (SPO)
• OCIA — Order of Christian Initiation for Adults
• IGNITE — student organization
• ESTEEM Leadership Program
• Bible studies, small groups, men's and women's formation
• Annual 'Fan in the Flame' retreat at Damascus (SPO)
• Service trips and social concerns outreach

Becoming Catholic (OCIA)

The center offers a full Order of Christian Initiation for Adults (OCIA, formerly RCIA) process for anyone curious about the Catholic faith. Classes meet on Sunday evenings at 7 p.m. during the school year, beginning September 7. No prior commitment is required to attend; participants are welcome simply to learn. Sarah Botti serves as OCIA coordinator and the website hosts a growing archive of recorded sessions for those who miss a class or want to revisit topics such as Baptism, Confirmation, and the Eucharist.

• Classes every Sunday at 7 p.m. starting September 7
• Coordinator: Sarah Botti
• Online archive of recorded OCIA sessions
• Topics include Baptism, Confirmation, the Eucharist, and what it means to be Catholic

The Paulist Fathers Era (1956–2022)

For nearly 66 years, the St. Thomas More Newman Center was a Paulist Fathers mission. The Paulists, founded by Servant of God Isaac Hecker, were the first Catholic community in the United States dedicated to evangelization and were the original pioneers of the Newman Movement, beginning with Newman Hall at UC Berkeley in 1907. Under their care, the center moved from Newman Hall into the new St. Thomas More Chapel in 1970, formed many seminarians and new priests (including Fr. Stuart Wilson-Smith and Fr. Evan Cummings), and built a vibrant community of students, faculty, and resident parishioners. The Paulist Fathers publicly departed the center in late July 2022 after declining the diocese's invitation to remain as chaplains under the new diocesan executive director.

• Fr. Ed Nowak, C.S.P. — final Paulist director
• Fr. Charlie Donahue, C.S.P. — Paulist associate director
• Fr. Ernest Mort, C.S.P. — served 1960–1966
• Fr. Kenneth McGuire, C.S.P. — led the 1970 move into the new center
• Rev. Richard Walsh, C.S.P. and Rev. John Weber, C.S.P. — at the 1970 groundbreaking

Diocesan Oversight and 2022 Transition

The St. Thomas More Newman Center belongs to the Roman Catholic Diocese of Columbus. On June 30, 2022, Bishop Earl Fernandes — ordained and installed as the 12th bishop of Columbus on May 31, 2022 — announced that the diocese would take direct responsibility for the center. Effective July 12, 2022, he appointed diocesan director of evangelization Fr. Adam Streitenberger as the center's first diocesan executive director, with a renewed focus on evangelization, vocational discernment, and Catholic intellectual life on the OSU campus. Patrick McNulty, previously with the diocesan evangelization office, was named assistant director.

• Diocese: Roman Catholic Diocese of Columbus
• Bishop: Earl Fernandes (installed May 31, 2022)
• Executive Director: Fr. Adam Streitenberger (appointed July 12, 2022)
• Assistant Director: Patrick McNulty
• Renewed mission: evangelization, vocations, Catholic intellectual life