The Columbus St. Thomas More Newman Center, located a few blocks from Ohio State University campus, is not simply serving Catholics at the state’s largest university but attracting new ones.
The Newman Center, home to Buckeye Catholic student ministry, has experienced an uptick in college students joining the Church. During the past few years, numbers have risen significantly.
The Newman Center is set to receive 71 individuals into the Church this year. In 2023, that number was 20.
The 260 percent increase in three years could indicate students are searching more meaning, truth or a sense of belonging. The Church, it seems, is providing answers.
“I’ve seen the transcendentals being instrumental in people’s draw to the Church,” reflected Sarah Botti, director of the Order of Christian Initiation of Adults (OCIA) at Buckeye Catholic. “Beauty, truth and goodness – people seeking what is actually good, what’s actually true and what’s actually beautiful, and that’s just led a lot of people to … the Catholic Church.”
This year, 62 students entered the Church at the Easter Vigil Mass on Saturday, April 4.
Of the 62 students, 23 were catechumens, or unbaptized individuals. They received the Church’s three sacraments of initiation: baptism, the Eucharist and Confirmation.
The remaining 39 individuals, known as candidates, who were previously baptized, consisted of nearly 20 baptized Catholics who did not finish the sacraments, Botti noted.
“Some of them, COVID interfered with their diocese’s Confirmation, their family stopped going to Mass when they were young, or they stepped away from the faith themselves and are coming back,” she said.
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Baptized Catholics receive the sacraments of the Eucharist and Confirmation – or simply Confirmation if they previously received their First Communion – in the same manner as individuals baptized in other denominations.
“There’s some students who grew up in Christian traditions with strong faith but then began to ache for more tradition, reliability,” Botti said. “I think men have been drawn to the traditions of the Church and the structure of the Church, too.
“We’re seeing a need for that. As our culture generally becomes a little bit more on shifting sands, … people are really drawn to anchors.”
Last fall, six students completed the sacraments of initiation, and one was baptized Catholic at the Newman Center. On Divine Mercy Sunday, celebrated the week after Easter, two candidates are expected to enter the Church.
The traditional OCIA program begins in August and runs through Easter.
Not all students come into the Church during the Easter Vigil. Students can be initiated at various times for several reasons.
Some students begin OCIA midway through the academic year, delaying their baptism or completion of sacraments. Others need additional time beyond the Easter Vigil Mass before entering the Church.
On their faith journey, students can meet with Father Adam Streitenberger, executive director at the Newman Center, to determine a proper time for baptism or to receive the sacraments of initiation.
Saint Paul’s Outreach (SPO) and FOCUS, formerly the Fellowship of Catholic University Students, have been influential in student conversions, Botti said. The college apostolates serve students through Bible studies, small groups, prayer and fellowship.
SPO and FOCUS missionaries journey with students and are often present at the Newman Center, assisting with students’ faith formation. They remain in close contact with Father Streitenberger and Botti to help determine a student’s level of preparedness for entering the Church.
Several missionaries are assigned to OCIA at the Newman Center. About 30 students in total help with the program.
Botti estimated 70 percent of student leaders converted in the past two years.
“There’s a lot of fresh experience, which means that many of these students have people that they go to, to ask questions in a smaller setting,” she said. “There’s definitely a lot of companionship that’s happening on the individual basis with our student leaders, the sponsor relationships, missionary relationships.
“A few of the students who came in in the fall asked to be on the leadership team, and more than half of those seven students are sponsoring people this vigil.”
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Chloe Lam, 18, a sophomore at Ohio State who came into the Church this year, is interested in serving as a student leader for next year’s OCIA program.
The New Zealand native was raised Christian but experienced an attraction to Catholicism.
“I’m most looking forward to being able to receive Communion every Sunday – receiving the Eucharist and just fully being in the Church,” she said.
“I grew up Anglican and Protestant, and so, it was a very big shift from that, but I feel like there’s so much beauty in the Church. I was super drawn to it.”
Audrey Phalfer, 21, a junior, was confirmed at the Newman Center this Easter.
“Before I came back to the Catholic Church, I tried out a bunch of different churches, like non-denominational, Episcopalian,” she said. “Every time, (I) compared it to the Catholic Church because that’s what I was used to. And then, I think I finally took the hint and was like, ‘OK, maybe it’s time for me to come home.’”
Phalfer was raised Catholic and received her First Communion but did not complete the sacraments. After several years, the Ohio State student said, she desired Confirmation.
“My freshman year of college I went to a gathering with a friend, and then, one of their friends asked me something about church, and it actually made me sit down and think,” she recalled.
After exploring several churches, Phalfer found her way back.
“I was like, ‘This is something I should have gotten a while ago,’” she reflected. “I just finally felt ready to take that step.”