St. Thomas More Catholic Newman Center
@ the University of Arizona

Our student ministry program is broken down into four aspects that are necessary not only in campus ministry but also in Christian living -- Outreach, Hospitality, Praise and Preaching and Social Justice. Each team is comprised of team members and coordinators who serve on the Core Team and work heavily with the Pastor to keep student ministries flourishing at the U of A. Each team has the mission of being the presence of Christ on the campus of the University of Arizona.

Outreach

The Student Outreach Team strives to spread the love and Gospel of Jesus Christ to the campus through events on campus and promoting events at the Newman Center. The team works on inviting others to the Newman Center, creating programs that allow the Newman community to reach out to the campus community, and focuses on keeping the Newman Center name on campus through advertising. Activities of the team include Lunch on the Mall, the Religious Club Fair, talking with local youth groups, distributing water bottles during move-in, advertising throughout campus and evangelizing.

Hospitality

It is the vision of the Student Hospitality Team to establish a community atmosphere among all who choose to make the Newman Center their place of worship. The team works on coordinating social activities, establish an ongoing sense of acceptance for all at the Newman Center, and welcoming all who come to Newman. Past events for the team include a 25 foot Welcome Back Burrito, movie nights, pizza and game nights, formals and other dances. Members of the Hospitality Team work as greeters at Masses and other Newman events and activities.

Praise and Preaching

The Student Praise and Preaching team promotes the faith formation of students through scripture-based student preaching and student-led praise and worship. The biggest activity of the team is the weekly Emmaus student gatherings on Wednesday nights. Members of the team commit themselves to building community through prayer and study of scripture that provides part of the foundation for the student preachings that take place during Emmaus. The ministry of the team also includes ecumenical preaching collaborations with other Christian groups on campus, performances of the Student Praise Band, an “open mic” preaching night and other events to promote student spirituality.

Social Justice

The vision of the Student Social Justice team is to love, honor, educate, learn and serve Christ as He taught in areas of direct service, activism and dialogue. The team uses the scriptures and large body of Catholic social teaching to drive the ministry. The team provides a large variety of opportunities in the area of social justice for students to participate in. Such opportunities include the Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. March, the March for Live, movie nights, voter registration, talks, canned food drives, work with Humane Borders and other human rights groups, Habitat for Humanity, lunch with Tucson’s homeless, alternative spring break trips and prison ministry.