About St. Thomas More Newman Center · Eugene, Oregon
St. Thomas More Newman Center (also known as St. Thomas More University Parish) is a Roman Catholic parish and student apostolate located at 1850 Emerald Street in Eugene, Oregon, directly across 18th Avenue from Hayward Field on the University of Oregon campus. Run by the Order of Preachers (Dominican friars) of the Western Dominican Province since 1962, the parish serves the students, faculty, and staff of the University of Oregon, Lane Community College, and other neighboring schools, together with the wider Eugene Catholic community. Its mission is lived out in the Dominican intellectual and spiritual tradition through worship, faith formation, fellowship, outreach, and student ministry programs such as FOCUS Bible studies, retreats, and mission trips. The chapel sits on the upper floor of a distinctive green and yellow building; the lower floor houses gathering spaces, meeting rooms, and the parish offices.
- Established
- 1915
- Patron
- St. Thomas More
- Rector
- Rev. Jordan Bradshaw, O.P.
- Diocese
- Metropolitan Archdiocese of Portland in Oregon
Why belong here
Students at the University of Oregon and Lane Community College come to St. Thomas More for vibrant Sunday and student Masses, daily Eucharistic Adoration, scripture study and formation nights with the Dominican friars, and a full FOCUS Bible-study and missionary-life program — all anchored in the Dominican intellectual and spiritual tradition. The community is warm, intergenerational (parishioners and students), and welcomes anyone seeking Catholic worship, sacraments, retreats, mission trips, Lenten devotions, or simply a Sunday-night dinner after Mass. As one staff member puts it, 'our students will always need to hear the message of the infinite love God has for them.'
Mass times at St. Thomas More Newman Center
Weekly Mass schedule
Confession times
- Saturday 4:00 – 4:45 PM
Adoration times
- Monday – Friday 4:00 – 4:45 PM (not held June 15 – October 5)
Our History
The Newman Center began in 1915 as a Newman Club, a gathering of Catholic students founded to foster faith and fellowship at the University of Oregon. The earliest documented reference is in the 1917 University of Oregon yearbook. In 1962, the Dominican friars of the Western Dominican Province took over the campus ministry, ushering in a period of dramatic growth. On June 1, 1965, the friars broke ground on the present building at 1850 Emerald Street, with the chapel on the upper floor and gathering spaces/offices below. In April 2015, the parish celebrated its centennial with a '100 Years of Campus Ministry' Open House at the Ford Alumni Center, and continues to mark its more than 100-year legacy on its homepage. A complete pastoral-staff roster through the years is maintained by the parish in PDF form (list_of_pastors_who_served_newman_2025.1.pdf).
- 1915 — Newman Club founded at the University of Oregon
- 1917 — First documented reference in the UO yearbook
- 1962 — Dominicans of the Western Dominican Province arrive
- June 1, 1965 — Groundbreaking on the current 1850 Emerald Street building
- April 19, 2015 — 100th Anniversary Open House at the Ford Alumni Center
Our Staff
The pastoral team is led by Dominican friars of the Order of Preachers and supported by a permanent Director of Faith Formation, FOCUS missionaries, and volunteer peer ministers from the student body.
- Fr. Jordan Bradshaw, O.P. — Pastor; born in Nogales, Sonora, Mexico; raised in Arizona; University of Arizona graduate; entered the Order of Preachers in 1983; 32 years ordained; previously served at the University of Washington Newman Center; also Director of the Dominican Mission Foundation; this is his second tenure at St. Thomas More.
- Fr. Joshua Gatus, O.P. — Parochial Vicar; departing July 12, 2026, reassigned to St. Dominic's Parish in Eagle Rock.
- Fr. Philip Neri Gerlomes, O.P. — Parochial Vicar; incoming July 13, 2026.
- Corinne Lopez — Director of Faith Formation; 23 years in ministry; previously a LIFE TEEN youth minister at St. Mary Catholic Church, Eugene; campus minister at the Newman Center since 2006.
- Keeley Murphy — FOCUS Missionary, Team Director; UC Santa Barbara graduate (Biological Anthropology, Applied Psychology, Exercise Sports Science); previously at Cal State Fullerton and the University of Utah.
- Elissa Mazkour — FOCUS Missionary; originally from Beirut, Lebanon; attended Carroll College in Helena, Montana on scholarship.
- Alice Person — Volunteer Peer Minister; UO Junior studying Business Administration with a Marketing focus; also Vice President of the Thomistic Institute.
Student Ministry & FOCUS
Student life at St. Thomas More centers on FOCUS (Fellowship of Catholic University Students) Bible studies, peer ministry, and a full calendar of retreats and mission trips. FOCUS missionaries live on or near campus to accompany students in prayer, scripture study, the sacraments, and authentic friendship. A Team Director (Keeley Murphy) and additional FOCUS missionaries staff the work, alongside Dominican-led Wednesday evening Formation nights and a student Thomistic Institute chapter.
- FOCUS Bible Studies
- Student Retreats — including the Set Ablaze series
- Student Mission Trips
- Student Sunday Dinners
- Food and Finals (exam-week support)
- Newman Scholarships
- Thomistic Institute (student chapter)
- Volunteer Peer Ministers
Sacraments
The parish celebrates and prepares students, faculty, staff, and parishioners for the sacraments. Marriage preparation is available to couples in which at least one fiancé is Catholic and is either a registered & active member of the parish, or a student, faculty, or employee of the University of Oregon; otherwise couples are directed to their local parish. Confession is offered weekly on Saturday afternoons, and an emergency hotline (458-215-4209) is available for Anointing of the Sick and last rites. Sacramental preparation and formation (Baptism, Confirmation, First Communion) are coordinated by the Director of Faith Formation.
- Marriage preparation — couples affiliated with UO / registered parishioners
- Confession — Sat 4:00–4:45 PM
- Anointing of the Sick / Viaticum — Emergency hotline 458-215-4209
- Baptism, First Communion, Confirmation — through the Director of Faith Formation
Lenten & Special Devotions
Beyond the weekly schedule, St. Thomas More observes a robust set of seasonal devotions. Ash Wednesday offers multiple Masses — including a 7:00 AM Mass at the Newman Center, a 12:00 PM service in the UO EMU Ballroom, the 5:15 PM daily Mass, and a 7:00 PM student Mass followed by a Soup Supper. During Lent the parish hosts a Lenten Book Club, Stations of the Cross on Fridays after the daily Mass, a Good Friday Cross Walk through the UO campus, and Lent Jeopardy. The annual Webfoot Gala (typically at the Ford Alumni Center) is the parish's signature fundraiser, with dinner, raffle, and silent auction.
- Ash Wednesday: 7:00 AM, 12:00 PM EMU, 5:15 PM, 7:00 PM student Mass + Soup Supper
- Stations of the Cross — Fridays in Lent after 5:15 PM Mass
- Good Friday Cross Walk across UO campus
- Lenten Book Club
- Lent Jeopardy
- Webfoot Gala at Ford Alumni Center (annual)
- Jubilee Year pilgrimage walk to St. Alice, Springfield
Community & Identity
The parish's self-understanding combines three concentric circles: the University of Oregon and surrounding colleges (with students, faculty, and staff at the core), the permanent Eugene Catholic community who share in the mission, and the broader network of volunteers and benefactors. The Dominican intellectual and spiritual traditions — preaching, teaching, formation in the truth, and celebration of the sacraments — give the community its distinctive character, complemented by FOCUS missionaries' outreach and a vibrant student-led peer ministry.
- Dominican intellectual and spiritual tradition
- Western Dominican Province friars in residence since 1962
- Service to UO, Lane Community College, and other neighboring schools
- Mixed community: students, permanent parishioners, faculty, and staff
- Distinctive green-and-yellow building across from Hayward Field