History

In 1908, N. A. Gallagher, Bishop of Galveston invited the Paulist Fathers to begin ministry at The University of Texas at Austin. Bishop Gallagher was responding to the spiritual needs of the emerging Capitol city and missionary activity in the southwest. He charged the Paulists with the responsibility to "exercise a special care and supervision over a very choice portion of our people, the Catholic young men and women who are students in the State University." 2008 marks 100 years of Catholic campus ministry ministry at UT!

In December 1908, St. Austin’s Chapel was completed and became the first facility for Catholics on any public campus. In 1910, The Newman Club became the first and only Catholic Student Organization on the campus of The University of Texas at Austin. With headquarters in the new St. Austin’s Chapel, the Newman Club’s mission was threefold: to promote religious, intellectual, and social activities among Catholic students.

This thriving organization eventually required its own facilities. In February 1914, a twenty-one room brick building adjacent to the Chapel was established to house the Newman Club and to provide a space for Fr. John Elliott Ross to teach religion courses accredited by the university.

The Catholic presence on UT’s campus continued to flourish, and in 1918 Newman Hall, a four-story all girls dormitory run by the Dominican Sisters of Galveston, was created.

In 1946, Fr. Thomas Tierney, then Director of the Newman Club, purchased the property at 21st and University Avenue, just south of the famous Littlefield Fountain. This is the site at which the current Catholic Center is located. In those first years, the site was a small dormitory that housed Catholic students in a location that would today become prime real estate.

By 1963, the Newman Club had outgrown their original facilities and a capital campaign began to establish the first Catholic Center. The community’s zeal to raise the necessary funds gained local and state attention. The new center, the University Catholic Center, opened its doors on September 13, 1964 and was officially dedicated on February 28, 1965. This facility was a modest, one-story building that included a small chapel, an auditorium which doubled as the Sunday worship space, offices, meeting rooms, a library, basement lounge, and kitchen.

Like the spaces before it, this Catholic Center became an intellectual home for Catholic thought in Austin. Characterized by its progressive thinking and open environment, the Catholic Center reached out to both Catholics and non-Catholics alike to provide a sanctuary amidst the storms of life. The Catholic Center throughout the years provided an open forum for debate and scholarly thought.

The UT Catholic community outgrew the facility again in the 1990's, necessitating a larger facility to accommodate a standing-room only crowd for Sunday evening Mass. Construction began in January 2001 and continued for twenty months. The newly renovated University Catholic Center was completed in August 2002 and was officially dedicated September 15, 2002. The beautiful building includes a large 700-seat chapel, small Blessed Sacrament Chapel, library, full kitchen, conference room, computer lab, several classrooms and offices, and a basement that serves as a student lounge. The building design captures the vibrant colors and styles of central Texas. The renovated Catholic Center building will continue to provide a "Home Away from Home" for Longhorn Catholics for generations to come. Please stop by and see what we have to offer!

The vision that drove the founding of the initial Catholic campus ministry at The University of Texas continues to inspire the ministry to more than 13,000 Catholic Longhorns today. Despite the changing and challenging times for the latest generation of college students, the University Catholic Center is thriving. Both the Paulist Fathers and the Diocese of Austin are proud to celebrate 100 years of vibrant ministry on this public campus and look forward to continuing the growth and development of future generations of Catholic Longhorns.