About The Catholic Center at Northeastern University · Boston, Massachusetts
The Catholic Center at Northeastern University is a Roman Catholic campus-ministry hub serving Northeastern University and the surrounding colleges in Boston's Fenway neighborhood. Run by the Brotherhood of Hope in partnership with the Archdiocese of Boston, it gathers students under its 'Bring, Build, Send' mission to encounter Christ, grow in faith, and carry that faith into the world. Its home at 68 Saint Stephen Street hosts daily Mass in a 3rd-floor chapel, while Sunday Mass for over a hundred students is celebrated across the street at the Fenway Center (77 Saint Stephen St.). The Center is the flagship of the HUB (Hope for Undergraduates in Boston), an outreach that brings Catholic campus ministry to roughly a dozen non-Catholic colleges within walking distance.
- Established
- 2005
- Rector
- Br. Jason Zink, BH (Director, Pastoral Staff)
- Diocese
- Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Boston
Why belong here
The Catholic Center offers a rare combination: a deeply Catholic community rooted in the sacramental life, and a vibrant young-adult social scene built around service, retreats, and friendships. With daily Mass in the 3rd-floor chapel, weekly Sunday liturgy for over a hundred students at the Fenway Center, a standing invitation to confession, and small groups that meet by gender throughout the week, students are quickly folded into a parish family that walks with them through college and beyond. The Center's track record is concrete — alumni include multiple priests and religious serving across the country — making it an ideal home for any Catholic student in the Fenway area, whether cradle, returning, or curious.
Mass times at The Catholic Center at Northeastern University
Weekly Mass schedule
Confession times
- After every Sunday Mass
- Fridays 3:15 PM – 4:15 PM at the Catholic Center
- By appointment with Fr. Michael Zimmerman ([email protected])
Adoration times
- The 3rd-floor chapel at the Catholic Center is available for prayer during open hours
About the Catholic Center
The Catholic Center at Northeastern University is the official Roman Catholic campus-ministry hub for Northeastern and the surrounding colleges in Boston's Fenway neighborhood. It is staffed by the Brotherhood of Hope and operates under the Archdiocese of Boston. Its work is summed up in three words — 'Bring, Build, Send' — meaning to bring students into the faith, build them up to live it, and send them out to share it with the world. It describes itself as 'a sign of HOPE in Jesus Christ,' serving students with Christ-like care and love.
- Motto: BRING, BUILD, SEND
- Run by the Brotherhood of Hope
- A ministry of the Archdiocese of Boston
- Serves Northeastern and a dozen nearby secular colleges
History
The Catholic Center's roots go back to 2005, when the Brotherhood of Hope began serving at Northeastern University. In 2011, with the blessing of Cardinal Sean O'Malley, Brothers Sam Gunn, Joe Donovan, and Ted Psemeneki expanded that ministry into a multi-campus initiative called the HUB — Hope for Undergraduates in Boston. Brother Sam Gunn became its first director in 2013, and Brother Jason Zink took over as director in 2016, the year the Center formally integrated the surrounding colleges into its programming.
- 2005: Brotherhood of Hope arrives at Northeastern
- 2011: HUB (Hope for Undergraduates in Boston) launched at Cardinal O'Malley's request
- 2013: Br. Sam Gunn named first HUB director
- 2016: Br. Jason Zink joins as Director
- 2025: Fr. Michael Zimmerman appointed to the Pontifical North American College formation team in Rome
Staff
The Catholic Center is led by a small pastoral team from the Brotherhood of Hope, supported by a priest chaplain from the Archdiocese of Boston and lay staff.
- Br. Jason Zink, BH — Director, Pastoral Staff ([email protected])
- Fr. Michael Zimmerman — Chaplain ([email protected])
- Br. Joseph Donovan (Brother Joe), BH
- Samantha Ziemba — Office Manager
- Emilia Cowell — Pastoral Staff
Bro. Jason Zink, BH — Director
A native of Fort Myers, Florida, Brother Jason studied Mathematics at Florida State University, where he played trombone in the Marching Chiefs (a 500+ member marching band). He joined the Brotherhood of Hope in 1997, earned an MA in Ministry from St. John's Seminary in Brighton in 2003, served at Boston University's Catholic Center and then at his alma mater FSU for a decade before joining Northeastern in Spring 2016. He organizes an annual half-marathon with students.
Fr. Michael Zimmerman — Chaplain
Ordained a priest of the Archdiocese of Boston on May 20, 2017, Fr. Michael serves part-time as chaplain while also serving as assistant Vocation Director for the Archdiocese and adjunct Scripture Professor at St. John's Seminary. His interests include rock climbing, track and field, art, and drawing. In December 2025 he was named to the formation team of the Pontifical North American College in Rome, effective July 1, 2026.
- B.S./M.S. Chemistry, Boston University (2011)
- B.A. Philosophy, St. John's Seminary (2013)
- B.S. Sacred Theology, PNAC/Rome (2016)
- License in Biblical Theology, Pontifical Gregorian University (2018)
Ministries and Programs
The Catholic Center organizes student life around weekly large-group meetings, small groups by gender, formation classes, service trips, retreats, and liturgical ministries.
- New Life — weekly large-group meeting, Tuesdays at 8 PM
- Men's Small Groups — Wednesdays/Thursdays
- Women's Small Groups — Wednesdays
- RCIA / OCIA — 'What Catholics Believe' — Tuesdays 7:15 PM (starting Sept 30)
- Weekend Retreats in Fall and Spring
- Local Service Events and Alternate Spring Break trips
- Respect Life Committee
- Socials & Sports (Halloween parties, ice-skating trips)
- Student Leadership opportunities
Serving at Mass
Students are invited into every liturgical role: altar server, lector (reader), Eucharistic Minister, choir member, or praise-band musician for the Sunday Mass at the Fenway Center. Interested students are encouraged to email the staff.
- Altar serving
- Lectoring (reading)
- Eucharistic Minister
- Choir
- Praise band
The HUB — Hope for Undergraduates in Boston
The HUB is the Catholic Center's multi-campus outreach to roughly a dozen non-Catholic colleges within a five-minute walk of Northeastern, sharing one centralized program rather than recreating ministry at each school. It serves students at Northeastern, Berklee, Wentworth, MCPHS, Simmons, MassArt, the Boston Conservatory, and the New England Conservatory, and welcomes any student in the area who is looking for Catholic community.
- Serves roughly 10–12 secular colleges
- Shared Sunday Mass, retreats, social events
- Sister-school outreach begun in 2011 at Cardinal O'Malley's request
Alumni Vocations
The Center's alumni page is a striking testament to its fruitfulness: a long roster of priests, brothers, and seminarians who were formed at or through the Catholic Center and its predecessor ministries at Boston University and Northeastern.
- Fr. John Gancarz (BU 2011) — Archdiocese of Hartford
- Fr. Michael Zimmerman (BU 2011) — Archdiocese of Boston
- Fr. Francis (Will) Godkin (NU 2012) — Franciscans of the Primitive Observance
- Fr. Bobby LeBlanc (BU 2013) — Archdiocese of Boston
- Fr. Eric Bennett (BU 2005) — Archdiocese of Boston
- Fr. Aaron Huberfeld (BU 2000) — Institute of Christ the King
- Fr. Clement Dickie, O.P. (James Madison 2006) — Order of Preachers
- Samuel Neumann (NU 2022) — Seminarian, Archdiocese of Boston
- Several members of the Brotherhood of Hope (Temporary and Final Vows)
Hours, Location, and Contact
The Catholic Center is open during the fall and spring semesters on a posted weekly schedule, and during the summer primarily for New Life Nights (Tuesdays at 8 PM) and special events. Visitors wanting a tour or staff meeting during the off-season are encouraged to email in advance.
- Catholic Center — 68 Saint Stephen St., Boston, MA 02115
- Fenway Center (Sunday Mass) — 77 Saint Stephen St., Boston, MA 02115
- Phone: (617) 297-7364
- Email: [email protected]
- Office hours (Fall & Spring): Sun 10:30 AM–1 PM; Tue 11 AM–5 PM and 8–9:30 PM; Wed–Fri 11 AM–5 PM; closed Mon & Sat
- Summer: open for New Life Nights (Tue 8 PM) and special events
Pastors & rectors through the years
- Brother Sam Gunn, BH2011–c. 2016
Co-founded the HUB outreach in 2011 with Brothers Joe Donovan and Ted Psemeneki; became first HUB director in 2013.
- Brother Jason Zink, BH2016–present
Current Director; joined Spring 2016; oversees the HUB initiative.