Our History

In the fall of 1939, Fr. Thomas Connolly and Mrs. Dorothee Coleman saw a clear need: a place for the Catholic students of Eastern Illinois Teacher’s College. Dorothee opened her home to thirteen students who called themselves the Catholic Study Club.

In 1940, Fr. Dan Moriarty was assigned to Charleston. He changed the name of the group to the Newman Club. From its humble beginnings, the Newman Club created a community where students could devote themselves “to the study of the sacraments, the meaning of the Mass, and the significance and efficacy of prayer.” (Dario Covi, Newman Club president, 1943.) It was also a group where “we…enjoyed the kind of social calendar popular among college and university clubs in general: hay rides, skating parties, wiener roasts, picnics, and an occasional banquet” (Dario Covi)

Fr. Dan became Msgr. Dan Moriarty and stayed on as the chaplain and director for 45 years, retiring in 1985. Along the way he was joined by a number of associate chaplains (Frs. John Franklin, Virgil Mank, Ken Venverloth, and Dean Probst). After Fr. Dan’s retirement, Fr. Robert Meyer was assigned as chaplain to the Newman Catholic Community at EIU (1985-99). A number of chaplains have served the center since 1999 including Msgr. James Comiskey, Fr. Chris Brey, Fr. Joe Ring, Fr. Adolph Menendez, Fr. John Titus, Fr. Hyland Smith, and Fr. Braden Maher. Most recently, as of June 28, 2024, we welcomed a new priest appointed by Bishop Paprocki, Fr. Michael Berndt, to serve as chaplain and director of campus ministry. 

The Newman Community purchased an old church on Lincoln Avenue in 1964 to serve as their home until 1999, when in August, we moved to our current location on Roosevelt Avenue. Throughout the years Newman has continued to be a place where Heart Speaks to Heart. The presence of a Catholic community on campus has been an important part of the life of the university for eighty-five years.