Newman Special Project Campaign

Message from our pastor, Fr. John Paul Forté, OP:

Dear Newman Community,

I hope that these first five weeks of the Fall Semester have been treating you well, and that you are finding rhythm in your classes, relationships, daily habits, and spiritual lives.   
 It has been a wonderful start to this new academic term at U of A, and at the St. Thomas More Newman Center.   

The Spirit has blessed us with a thriving community of students and permanent residents, but the Spirit has also left the financial support of this mission in our hands.

First the remarkable growth (Over a 30% rise in student participation the past few years):

  • We began with a wonderful Faith and Newman Ministry Formation Retreat with our Student Ministry and TORCH Small Group team, joined also by our Newman FOCUS team facilitated by Fr. Emmanuel and me. It was a wonderful tone and theme setting encounter for ourselves, students and Newman FOCUS team.
  • The following weekend was our welcome BBQ on the front lawn of the Newman Center hosted by the Ladies of our Newman Sustaining Board.   About 175 students and many others feasted on delicious burgers and sides and enjoyed meeting one another and others in our Newman Community while also enjoying live entertainment provided by our Music Ministry.
  • In the weeks that followed came the first weekly gatherings of our Young Adults and Graduate Students, our Newman Undergraduates, our TORCH Small Groups kickoff, a Day Retreat for FRESHMAN, our first Lumen ‘faith formation’ gathering centering in “Pathways to God” and the Mass of the Holy Spirit on Campus, that drew a massive number of students and residents of Newman Community.
  • It has been an excellent beginning to our Fall Semester with many more exciting events coming this semester, including our annual Fall Undergraduate Retreat, October 11-13.

Now to the strain on our facilities and finances:

  • We are very blessed at the St. Thomas More Newman Center with a building for students to gather, and with a supportive resident community that lovingly supports our mission and operations. I am grateful for ALL of you and invite your continued stewardship of the Newman Center’s mission and ministry.
  • Our spaces for weekly student programs continue to be stressed and remain a creative exercise in our ability to host our events.  A good problem!  Costs for retreats and weekly meals, supplies, and operating expenses continue to rise!  Again, a good problem! 
  • We set a goal a few years back of having Offertory Contributions cover Operating Expenses. While we have made some progress toward achieving this goal, we still came up short this past fiscal year ended June 30, 2024. Offertory Contributions were $430,714 (an 11% increase over 2023) while Operating Expenses were $495,075 (only a 6.7% increase over 2023) but our shortfall was over $64,000.
  • We need your help in the form of weekly giving to our Sunday collections, and to online giving in the areas of student meals and ministry; Newman Center supplies and monthly utilities, monthly building and maintenance for an aging Newman Center, as well, as building a sustaining fund to offset costs that arise over and above our current yearly budget.

Thank you for your love and ongoing support of the St. Thomas More Newman Center!  May we continue “to be transformed through an encounter with the Spirit of Truth and the Love of God!  Amen!

Peace and Blessings,
Fr. John Paul Forté, OP
Pastor

Pre-Campaign Study Announcement

 The Newman Center and the Diocese of Tucson, are in the planning stages to address the need for a major expansion project of our beloved St. Thomas More Newman Center.

 We have presently launched a pre-campaign study to assist us in determining how to move forward.

Ruotolo Associates Inc of Ridgewood, New Jersey –  a national firm with 45 years of experience working with Catholic parishes and other nonprofits – will conduct this study and will assist the Diocese of Tucson, and the Newman Center on this exciting venture.

  • Based on the feedback of all in the Newman Community.. this study will help us, in determining the best plan of action for moving forward with this proposed project.
  • Every member of the Newman Center will have an opportunity to participate in this pre-campaign study.
  • Ruotolo Associates will conduct personal interviews: a focus group and a survey (both in-pew and online) – depending on what may be the best way for you to respond.
  •  I encourage “everyone” to participate when called upon. Your input is very important as we look to the future.   We need to have high participation for this study.
  • Included is “FAQ page” in the bulletin and on the Newman website – that describes the detail and flow of the pre-campaign study. The goal of FAQ is to help you to better understand the methodology and timetable for this process.

Thank you in advance for your input, and we look forward to hearing your ideas and dreams for the Newman Center.  Thank you.   Amen! and Bear Down!   

Fr. John Paul Forte, OP

Frequently Asked Questions

1.  What is a pre-campaign study?

A pre-campaign study is a thorough and detailed assessment of a parish community’s willingness and capacity to move forward with a capital fundraising endeavor.

2.  Why do we need a pre-campaign study?

It is imperative for any parish that wishes to have a capital campaign to raise funds for major capital improvements to conduct a feasibility study to determine if parishioners are willing and able to support it. The final report will be used to validate the proposed projects and legitimize the effort amongst our parish community.  

3.  What types of questions are asked?

Ultimately, the pre-campaign study tells us who we are as a parish. Topics will include the strengths and weaknesses of the parish and its leadership, receptivity toward the proposed projects, willingness to make a pledge commitment, and willingness to volunteer for the campaign. 

4.  Who participates in the pre-campaign study?

EVERY parish family will be given a chance to participate. Some families will be asked to participate in one-on-one interviews or a focus group, and ALL families will be asked to complete a survey available both electronically and in-pew.

5.  Why are some families asked to interview?

Families that have been parishioners for a long period of time or are actively involved in ministries are asked to interview because they are generally able to provide thorough and detailed information about parish history, current parish issues, and are usually able to properly evaluate necessary leadership potential in a capital campaign.

6.  Who is conducting the pre-campaign study?

Ruotolo Associates, a philanthropic consulting firm based in Ridgewood, NJ, with over 45 years of experience working with Catholic organizations, has been retained to conduct the study.  We determined that Ruotolo Associates’ methodology best matched the needs of our parish community.

7.  How long will the pre-campaign study take, and will we see the results?

The study will be conducted in October.  After the final report is presented to the leadership, key highlights will be shared with an update on the status of the capital campaign.1.This is a placeholder tab content. It is important to have the necessary information in the block, but at this stage, it is just a placeholder to help you visualise how the content is displayed. Feel free to edit this with your actual content.

Statement of Need

Dear Newman Community,

Since 1926, the St. Thomas More Newman Center has served the Catholic community of the University of Arizona guided by our mission statement “to be transformed through an encounter with the Spirit of Truth and the Love of God.” Newman is an intergenerational community of students, alumni, university staff and faculty, families, young adults, and year-round Tucson
residents. The campus ministry is served by Dominican Friars, Sisters, and Laity, as well as the Sisters of Charity of Seton Hill. It provides formation for over forty college students and young adults to lead outreach and ministry to their peers as Student Ministers and FOCUS Missionaries. Each week, over one thousand Catholics gather to learn the principles of Christian discipleship through Mass, Adoration, Evening Prayer, Small Groups, and the numerous ministries of the campus ministry.

Our current facilities, established in the 1960s, have served as a wonderful place for prayer, study, community, and ministry; however, these facilities are showing their age with deferred maintenance and handicapped accessibility needs for the modern era. Newman is also experiencing exponential growth in participation at all its offerings, up 15-20% from the previous
year. The time has come to write the next chapter for Newman’s physical location by renovating existing spaces as well as funding new construction that will allow us to carry out our ministries long into the future. The Newman Center’s leadership, with the support of our Bishop Edward Weisenburger, has begun planning to address the need for a new and improved campus while also honoring decades of ministry.

Church

The current chapel seats 240 people and has two small restrooms on the ground level that are unfit for high traffic. There are also challenges with the layout of the church, which positions the restrooms and Newman Center ministry locations far away from the chapel. Current plans are to renovate the existing chapel into a ground-level gathering space for ministry and connect it to a newly constructed Newman Center and chapel to the east with an indoor elevator connecting the existing basement-level meeting spaces, ground-level lobby and ministry spaces, and second-story offices and meeting rooms.
Preliminary Estimated Projected Cost: TBA. It is now our role to plan for the next one hundred years of ministry and mission at St. Thomas More Newman Center. We want to ensure that those students, young adults, and resident community members have a place that is welcoming, inviting, and accessible to all. We look forward to the responses and comments from all who take part in this pre-campaign study so that we may continue to develop a plan to address the needs of our campus ministry parish. Your participation is very important, and we thank you in advance for your prayers and financial support.

  • Seating capacity for approximately 450 people
  • Modern HVAC, lighting, and sound technology needs
  • The overall shape will be a modified in-the-round setting with three aisles
  • Stained Glass windows, Stations of the Cross, and other prayer nooks that aesthetically align with the look and feel of our southwest location
  • An obvious entrance to the church from the street that connects directly with the main lobby of the Newman Center
  • Restrooms, including accessible ones for ADA compliance

Office and Meeting Space

Currently, the offices are former small “casitas” which are significantly inadequate and lack security. These would need to be demolished for a new addition that would become the Newman Center with ground-level and second-story office spaces for administrative support and campus ministry needs.

  • Common space area for larger gatherings on the ground level for up to 500 people
  • An indoor elevator connecting the existing basement-level meeting spaces, ground-level
    lobby and ministry spaces, and second-story offices and meeting rooms.

Preliminary Estimated Projected Cost: TBA

It is now our role to plan for the next one hundred years of ministry and mission at St. Thomas More Newman Center. We want to ensure that those students, young adults, and resident community members have a place that is welcoming, inviting, and accessible to all. We look forward to the responses and comments from all who take part in this pre-campaign study so that we may continue to develop a plan to address the needs of our campus ministry parish. Your participation is very important and we thank you in advance for your prayers and financial support.

Fr. John Paul Forte, OP

Survey Invitation

Dear Newman Community,

As you may have heard from previous announcements, the Newman Center is undergoing a Pre-Campaign Study to help us determine a plan to move forward with the expansion of our facilities. This study began a few weeks ago and is being administered by Ruotolo Associates, the firm retained with the assistance of Bishop Weisenburger and the Diocese.

We invite you to participate in this study by completing a brief survey that will take approximately ten minutes. Your participation is crucial in understanding and determining the best plan for our parish to move forward with this project. We really appreciate you taking some time to respond to this survey.

If you participated in an interview or focus group, PLEASE DO NOT COMPLETE A SURVEY to avoid duplicate responses.

Please know this is completely confidential, and Ruotolo Associates is receiving all responses directly. We want to gauge your thoughts and feedback regarding the proposed projects. This survey is available to all parishioners. Please click the link and complete the survey (or scan the QR code).

Thank you in advance for your support.

Fr. John Paul Forte, OP