by CHRISTINA REDEKOPP
Life! editor

For those wanting to extend their religious experience beyond attending church once a week, two centers welcome people of all denominations. Fr. Bill Petro at the Newman Center on 5th Avenue across from Corbly Hall, said the center offers a safe and comfortable environment that is not limited to Catholics. 

"Everyone is welcome," Petro said. "We have people from all denominations participate." He said they offer a support group for students, a welcome place for commuters as well as dinners and discussion groups. They have a choir and music ministry, provide counseling, retreats and do service projects. 

During the summer a weekly gathering for students will provide an evening with dinner and some activities. 

"(The Newman Center is) A welcome place where people can go and talk to others," Petro said. 

"It would be a familiar place for them and would provide a support group and foster a Catholic lifestyle they would be familiar with. It’s a place for everyone. A place they can meet other students as well as faculty and staff." 

A program that not many know about is the Newman Center’s adopt-a-family program. Petro said students get acquainted with a family near Marshall to provide them with a "home away from home. A place for dinner, laundry, some kind of a family environment. It becomes a source of enrichment for the families too. It’s a part of career guidance." 

More information about the Newman Center is available at 525-4618. 

The Campus Christian Center, next to the Memorial Student Center, is open daily to provide students a place to pray, study and socialize in a Christian atmosphere. It has a variety of student-led groups during the fall and spring semesters. 

Baptist Campus Ministries, People Reaching Out With Love (P.R.O.W.L.) and Baptist Student Union are among the groups that offer lunches, retreats and other activities. 

Information about other organizations is available by calling the Office of Student Activities at 696-6770. 
 
 

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