Summer Break Updates

July 1, 2026

Greetings!

The Newman Center is quiet while the students are on summer break. In addition to getting ready for the next school year, check out what else has been going on! Take a moment to read about Fr. Stenger's first mass, our new FOCUS Team and see what our students have been doing over break!

Upcoming Events

July 3

Newman Center Closed

July 4

Independence Day

July 6

Feast of St. Maria Goretti -

Stop by and view our new stained glass window of St. Maria!

July 14

Newman Social Bismarck, ND

The Pier 7 p.m.

Summer Mass Schedule

Sunday- 9:30 am

Monday- 5:15 pm

Tuesday- 5:15 pm

Wednesday- 5:15 pm

Thursday- 5:15 pm

Friday- 12:10 pm

Saturday- 5:00 pm

Please check our calendar for cancellations and changes to our mass times schedule.

See the full calendar for Mass times and events here.

Student Spotlight

Each month we highlight a student whose faith has been strengthened through the Newman Center. This month, we are excited to feature Lexee.

Lexee Knopp-Heidt is a senior at NDSU studying Human Development and Family Science and Psychology. She is from Bismarck, ND and is one of our Newman Housing Ministers. Here is what Lexee wanted to share with you:

"The Newman Center has significantly helped me when it comes to growing in my faith and living out my Catholicism. It has also helped me to find a faith-based community and has provided me with countless connections and some of my best friends!"

bisonCatholic News

Congrats, Fr. Richie!

Among the 5 newly ordained priests for the Diocese of Fargo, was was NDSU Grad, Fr. Richie Stenger. We were honored to have Fr. Stenger celebrate his first mass at the Newman Center earlier this month.

Please keep Fr. Stenger and all of our new priests in your prayers.

Fr. Richie Stenger's ordination and first Mass

Meet the Team!

Keep an eye out for our new FOCUS Team serving NDSU for the 2026-2027 school year! Help us give them a warm welcome! Returning to campus is the new Team Director Benedict Gallagher, Chase Porter, Marina Curtis, and Mary Thatcher.

We are also excited to welcome two new missionaries: Ethan Smith and Veronica Pavek. Ethan is a recent graduate from Ohio State and Veronica is a NDSU grad who will be joining us after serving her first year at University of MN Duluth.

Please join us in praying for this incredible team and for the students they will encounter and accompany in faith throughout the year.

A Deeper Look into Summer Break

Over the summer, our students take part in a wide variety of jobs and activites. We would like to show you what two of our students, Grace and Louis, are up to!

Meet Grace Eicher, who is on mission with Trinity Woods camp in Wisconsin.

Here's what Grace wanted to share.

"Trinity woods is an opportunity that collides a team of college aged individuals from around the world, to serve the camp that hosts Extreme Faith Camp. I have been attending EFC for 9 years as it is something that I hold close to my heart with that being the place I had a deep encounter with the Lord and where I’ve made great memories and steps in my own faith! As Trinity team members, we help with lifeguarding, SKY elements, TAG activities, Lodge and Cooking, along with providing community and joy to the camp!

When we are not out on our crews working, we spend time in formation as a team, cleaning/supporting the environment, and lots of prayer! Some other fun things we participate in is beautiful sunrises, sunsets, and star gazing as Trinity Woods is located on a beautiful, natural land with lots of wildlife! I can not be more than grateful for my yes to serving on Trinity Woods! I wake up each day with a full cup, ready to serve, and overly thrilled to spend time with other Catholic young adults who are supportive and loving!"

Meet Louis Gaytan, who just returned from the robotics Multinational Technology Invitational.

Here's what Louis wanted to share.

"This past year, I started and Coached a local Community High School FIRST Tech Challenge (FTC) robotics team through a Christian homeschool organization called OnWord. My goal was to give students meaningful STEM learning opportunities while helping put North Dakota on the map in competitive robotics.

In our very first season, we finished 17th out of 43 teams at the Multinational Technology Invitational (MTI), which is considered the most prestigious and competitive FTC robotics competitions in the world. We also finished the season ranked 94th out of 8,484 active FTC teams worldwide, which was the best result ND history!"

Please pray for our students while they are on summer break.

It's not too late to live at Newman Living!

Know a student coming to NDSU this fall? We still have some apartments available! Even if you signed up for on campus housing next fall, you can still live at Newman Living! Contact Andrew to learn more.