St. Paul's Newman Center at 1141 North University Drive, Fargo, ND 58102 US - Newman Center History

When 36 students formed the Catholic Students Club at North Dakota Agricultural College Fargo in 1928, their aim was to provide a way to get better acquainted and promote "religious interests." Today, hundreds of Catholic students annually participate in the various programs offered by St. Paul's Newman Center at North Dakota State University. 

The Center derives its name both from one of the greatest of all saints - The Apostle St. Paul - and also from Cardinal John Henry Newman, the 19th -century English convert and theologian, who thought it important to foster the religious development of young Catholics attending secular schools: "The Idea of a University" ( http://www.cardinalnewmansociety.org/). No two better patrons could be found from modern day university students striving to live holy lives in the reality of Christ Jesus.

Fr. James Cheney is the fourteenth in a line of Newman Center directors stretching back to Fr. Leo Dworschak, an assistant at St. Anthony's Church in Fargo who started the club in 1928.  It was the first relgious organization formed as what later became NDSU: Fr. Dworschak would go on to become the fourth bishop of Fargo.

For years, the Newman Club had no resident chaplain.  Local parish priests advised and guided the group in addition to their regular duties, and an old white house on the side of the present Center served as a meeting place.   In 1948 a new chaplain, Fr. Edward Arth, directed the building of a quonset hut next door to the old House to give the Newman Club its first permanent home, but, the simple Quonset Chapel, which sat about 200 people, was destroyed by the F-5 tornado of June 1957.

With the Catholic student population rapidly growing, the time had come for a bigger and more functional facility.  Bishop Dwarschak and the Center's first resident chaplain, Fr. William Durkin, broke ground for the current facility in 1958.  The $250,000 complex included a stone-and brick faced chapel, a student lounge with stereo and TV, a social hall, offices, conference rooms and apartments for resident priests.  The chapel was enlarged and re-dedicated in 1976.  Today the same structure continues to serve well this parish family and will undoubtedly be doing so for decades to come.