Rev. Theophilus McNulty, O.F.M.

For many years, the name Newman has designated the Church present in students and priests at non-Catholic colleges and universities. It was the inspiration conveyed through the writing of John Henry Cardinal Newman 1890 that prompted a small group of Catholics at the University of Pennsylvania to name their organization the “Newman Club” in 1893. The idea for the club came from a graduate student from the University of Wisconsin, Timothy J. Harrington. While at Wisconsin, Harrington had been a member of a Catholic student group known as the Melvin Club formed in 1883.

Dr. Harrington, who died in 1947, lived to see the name “Newman Club” carried to hundreds of Catholic student organizations in colleges throughout the United States. St. Pius X in 1905 gave impetus to establishing Catholic schools of religion on secular campuses by his often quoted encyclical “Acerbo Nimis”, but for many years in this country, the state universities were popularly regarded as “godless” by Catholics and Protestants alike. Besides, U.S. Catholics were busy building Catholic colleges, which today number 282.

The Newman movement, which is defined as the Catholic Church on the secular campus, today counts 234 full time priests and 690 part-time priests ministering to some 725,000 Catholic students. The work of these priests is implemented by lay members of religious orders, by volunteer laymen and women, and also by Catholic faculty members and alumni. Catholic student centers are maintained at 175 colleges.

This is an impressive accomplishment and reflects the persevering tenacity of the early pioneers, for growth was slow. The first appointment of a full time priest was to work with the students was that of Father Henry C. Hengell to the University of Wisconsin made by Archbishop Messmer in 1906. The second such appointment was made by Archbishop Riordon of San Francisco later that same year when Father Thomas Moore, a Paulist priest, was appointed to the University of California at Berkeley. At the same time, centers were built at these universities. Other such establishments were made soon at Harvard, Columbia and Texas.

A milestone in the development of the Newman movement occurred when Father John W. Keough of Philadelphia was appointed full time chaplain to Catholic students at the University of Pennsylvania in 1913. From that time until his death in 1960, Father Keough devoted his time and resources to the Newman movement. Always active on his own campus, Father Keough traveled the entire country intent on the formation of Newman Clubs and their federation nationally. It was on one of these trips that two Newman Clubs were established in the Archdiocese of Atlanta (then the Diocese of Savannah). Father Keough visited Columbia, S.C., and helped in the establishment of a Newman Club at the University of South Carolina. The students met once a month at St. Peters Church with Father Martin Murphy, now pastor-emeritus of that church. From Columbia, Father Keough went to Athens, Georgia, and encouraged Father James King (Msgr. King of Atlanta) to begin a Newman Club at the University of Georgia. From there he visited the Marists in Atlanta and obtained the cooperation of Father Leo Ziebarth, S.M., who taught physics and mathematics at Marist College, in beginning a Newman Club at Georgia Tech. Through the efforts of Father Ziebarth and Lou Gordon of Atlanta, the Georgia Tech Newman Club was organized in 1928. I might mention that Msgr. Keough was always proud of his part in the formation of the clubs at the University of South Carolina, University of Georgia, and Georgia Tech, because in his opinion the greatest obstacles had to be overcome in the establishment of these Clubs. If I am not mistaken, the Southeastern Province came into existence through these clubs in 1929 or 1930, together with one at the University of Florida at Gainesville.

At a rather early date a Federation of Catholic Clubs at secular colleges was formed. This was the Catholic Student Association of America organized in 1908. The membership of Catholic Student Association of America was drawn almost exclusively from the mid-West and World War I saw it go out of existence because of lack of interest on the part of member clubs. The present National Newman Club Federation came into existence in the East. Five Catholic Clubs in New York City formed the Federation of Catholic College Clubs in 1915. In July of the next year the first annual conference of the newly formed Federation met at Cliff Haven, New York, for five days. Fifty delegates from eleven clubs located in New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania and Massachusetts were in attendance. At the second annual conference in 1917 the Rev. John W. Keough, chaplain at the University of Pennsylvania, was elected the first chaplain-general (the title then used) of the Federation, a post he held until 1935. It was through his efforts that Cardinal Newman’s name became associated with the National Federation and almost every local campus group.

Another early development of the Newman Apostolate occurred at the first annual conference in 1916 with the formation of four area or province centers; however, it was not until 1918 that any province meetings were held. In 1918, some twenty-five clubs made up the Federation, not counting the clubs in the Mid-West Association. Later in 1921, many of the mid-western clubs joined the Federation due to the travels of Father Keough, and in 1929 the Intermountain Association of Newman Clubs (established 1926) entered the Federation, again through the efforts of Father Keough.

Because of these developments, the Federation counted some 171 clubs and 17 fulltime chaplains by 1931. The new importance of the West was recognized in 1932 by the holding of the 17th annual convention in Los Angeles. Of local interest would be the 26th annual convention held in Atlanta, in July of 1941. At this convention the chaplains committee recommended the appointment of a priest as national executive secretary of the Federation, but it was not until 1952 that the recommendation was finally carried out with the appointment of Father Thomas Carlin, OSFS.

In 1935, there occurred a significant development in the official recognition of the Federation by the National Catholic Welfare Conference as a part of its department of education.

Later in 1941, the Federation became a charter member of the Youth Council of the National Catholic Welfare Conference together with the National Federation of Catholic College Students and the Catholic Youth Organization. This was a far cry from the national controversy raised by America in 1925 on the occasion of Father John O’Brien’s educational building at the University of Illinois.

Several changes in the name of the Federation have occurred during the years. The original name of Federation of College Catholic Clubs was changed in 1938 to Newman Club Federation, then in 1951 to National Newman Club Federation. In 1963, an attempt to rename it the National Newman Federation was defeated. At the present time the name National Newman Student Federation is to be considered at the next annual meeting.

The growth of the Newman Movement in numbers and interest led to the establishment of related organizations. Thus the John Henry Cardinal Newman Honor Society came into existence to further the Newman program and the interests of the Federation by honoring outstanding students, alumni, etc. In 1950, the chaplains established the National Newman Chaplains’ Association. The alumni were next. They began holding formal meetings at the national convention as early as 1952 and in 1957 formed the National Newman Alumni Association. Faculty advisors to local Newman clubs because of their contact at annual conference decided on their own distinct group in 1957 named National Newman Association of Faculty and Staff. A sixth and final group was established in 1960 with the establishment of the National Newman Foundation, an agency to disburse grants - in aid to the Newman movement.

A major step toward the full growth of Newman was made when the National Catholic Educational Association voted to accept the National Newman Chaplains’ Association as a Newman Section of its College and University Department. This recognition, due in large to Archbishop Hallinan, calls attention to the pressing problem of providing religious education for the Catholic students on secular campuses who constitute the majority of Catholic students in higher education. Happily the era of regarding such a program as an attack on Catholic colleges is fast disappearing.

Perhaps the most significant development came in 1962 when on the advice of Archbishop Paul J. Hallinan, Episcopal Moderator of Newman, the six Newman groups had their ties with each other strengthened and delineated by the formation of the National Newman Apostolate. The objectives of the National Newman Apostolate are to properly relate the constituent parts to the bishops of the United States through the youth department of the National Catholic Welfare Conference; to emphasize that the essential reason for the entire Newman Movement is to provide for the religious education of Catholic students on the secular campus; and to allow lay initiative in proper areas and to provide for a broad directive power within the Newman Apostolate by bishops and chaplains. This step brought the entire movement to maturity and articulated a position that was often under attack, namely, that the religious education of the secular college student was the chief concern of the Newman Apostolate. The previous recognition by the National Catholic Educational Association was a portent of how the battle was going. Not all problems have been solved, but at least the problems are being recognized for what they are.

American college campuses reflect an amazing variety of situations for Newman chaplains. Some are urban, some are rural, others residential or commuter type, while yet others are cosmopolitan or sectional. All of these factors as well as many others prevent an across-the-board educational program. Significant educational aids have been processed by the Apostolate for the harassed part-time chaplain; more and more assuming of responsibility by dedicated lay workers, the use of religious sisters as teachers and counselors, as well as the Federations own volunteer program to help to alleviate the problem. Final solutions will be of necessity worked out on the local campus, but much help can be provided by the apostolate and other interested groups. Statistics easily lend themselves to abuse, but they do point up the problem when we realize that now 725,000 Catholic students are the potential for the Newman program. By 1970 this number will grow to one and one quarter million.