The Guiding Light
FOR NEVADA’S Catholic Future
“Awakening the faith of young adults during their college years is criticalfor the future ofthe Church in northern Nevada. The Newman Center is a place where students are proud to be Catholic, grow in their faith, and invite others to experience Jesus. With the newly renovated facility and active ministries, it’s now "Cool to be Catholic" at the University of Nevada!”
In today’s world, college students find themselves in an environment where faith is often questioned and challenged. Fueled by the pandemic’s effects, academic life pressures, exposure to diverse beliefs, and the increasing secularization of society, the landscape of contemporary college life can make navigating personal faith more complex than ever. Amid these influences, students wrestle with questions of identity, purpose, and belief, often without the foundation, understanding, or support to guide them.
Our Lady of Wisdom Newman Center (OLWNC), standing tall in the middle of the University of Nevada, Reno campus (UNR), is the guiding light that illuminates the path through the darkness for students. UNR has a little under 22,000 students, with an estimated 15% identified as Catholics.
A Catholic church and a Catholic student center, coupled with Bishop Mueggenborg’s visible presence and a team of Fellowship of Catholic University Student (FOCUS) missionaries, a door is opened to encounters with Jesus. Simply by welcoming students right where they are, this ministry can make all the difference for Northern Nevada Catholics.
The future of the Church in northern Nevada depends upon the critical ministry of young adult evangelization offered at Our Lady of Wisdom Newman Center. In the last two years, a $3,200,000 renovation of the entire facility, turning the center into a state-of-the-art platform for Catholic Campus Ministry. Thankfully, the renovation costs were fully covered by generous benefactors.
Now that the facility renovations are completed, we are establishing a Campus Ministry Fund to ensure the long-term success of Catholic Campus Ministry. This fund will serve as an endowment that provides annual distributions to support ministries at the Newman Center. Therefore, your donation this year to the One Church collection will benefit the Campus Ministry Fund.
FROM ATHEIST TO ALTAR SERVER
Ryan Yarhi, a freshman at UNR, made the decision to go through Order of Christian Initiation of Adults (OCIA) to convert to Catholicism. Through the process of OCIA, he appreciated the beautiful theology and learned about how a trusting and loving God saved him and others from sin. At that same time, being new to the faith, he was also new to UNR campus and experienced OLWNC. He witnessed the transformation of the building from a dark, somber, non-missionoriented space into a welcoming community of students that reflected where he was, searching for answers, seeking what faith meant. “God is good, and OLWNC is an incredible blessing to have in the community.
FROM SEEKING MORE TO COMMITMENT
Samantha Mahoney was born to Catholic parents who stopped practicing their faith. She believed in God but didn’t know what faith meant or anything in particular about Catholicism. She decided at the end of high school, to go to college, and there she would go back to church. Samantha came to OLWNC three years ago. She had been baptized and received Communion but was not confirmed until two years ago. “I was advised to explore before I converted.” As my faith developed and my questions answered, I realized I wanted to be confirmed and receive confession, ” said Samantha. She is a reader at Mass and when she attended the FOCUS SEEK Conference (a young adult faith enrichment experience) last year, it was a life changing for her. During the SEEK Conference, she shared intelligent conversations about faith and current lives.
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