“I Wish You Had Existed When My Children Were in School.”
We hear stories like this all the time.
Recently, a donor shared that she wished Newman Connection had existed when her children were in school. Although she remains deeply involved in her Catholic faith, her children have taken different paths. She wondered whether things might have been different if they had been connected to a Catholic community during that important transition into adulthood.
Her words are difficult to hear because we know how much is at stake.
Every year, young Catholics graduate from high school and enter a new chapter of life. They leave behind familiar parishes, friendships, and routines. Some find a Catholic community that helps them grow closer to Christ. Others struggle to find their place and gradually drift away.
We cannot go back and change the opportunities that were available to this donor's children.
But we can help make sure today's students have the opportunity to find their Catholic community.
This is why Newman Connection exists. This is why our Faith Forward movement matters. Most importantly, your generosity this Giving Tuesday can make a difference.
What Happens When a Young Catholic Finds Their Community?
Sometimes, the difference between drifting away and growing in faith begins with one invitation.
For Annette, a college student from Eastern Oregon, that invitation helped change the direction of her college experience.
Before graduation, Annette worried about what would happen to her faith when she left home. A trusted mentor encouraged her to find a Newman Center, introducing her to the possibility of a Catholic community on campus.
Annette took that advice. What she found was a welcoming community, friendships rooted in faith, and people who helped her grow closer to Christ.
Looking back, she reflected on just how much that connection mattered:
“I probably would have been there for about two weeks, maybe a month, and said, 'Yeah, I'm not doing this.'”
Instead, her Newman Center became the center of her week. She found friends who encouraged her, a priest she could turn to, and a community where she could live her faith more openly.
Read Annette's full story: From Spiritual Desert to Packed Pew.
Annette's experience reminds us that young Catholics need more than good intentions. They need to know where to find community, and they need an invitation to walk through the door.
Your Gift Helps Make Room for Stories Like Andres's
For Andres Lopez, staying connected to his faith meant finding a new spiritual home when he began college at the University of Texas at El Paso.
Through the San Romero University Ministry Student Center, Andres found a community where he could continue attending Mass, receiving the sacraments, and growing in his relationship with Christ.
He described the experience this way:
“I've joined them for Sunday Mass, gone to Confession, and found the same peace I feel in my home parish.”
Andres's story shows what becomes possible when young adults find a Catholic community that feels like home. His faith continued to grow, and he now serves as a First Communion catechist in his home parish.
Read Andres's full story: From Student to Catechist.
Imagine how many more students could discover that same sense of belonging if they knew where to turn before leaving home.
That is the opportunity your generosity supports.
Every donation helps Newman Connection continue its work of connecting students with Catholic communities, supporting the Faith Forward movement, and helping ensure that more young people have the opportunity to grow in their faith after high school.
A Community Can Change the Direction of a Life
Katherine's story offers another reminder of why these connections matter.
When she arrived at San José State University, she was beginning to explore her faith again. She attended a campus student organization fair, connected with different Christian ministries, and eventually found her way to the Newman Center.
There, she experienced a welcome that helped her take the next steps in her faith journey.
Katherine described that welcome as follows:
“The immediate welcome I received was unlike any other. It wasn't forced or made up; there was genuine interest and kindness, and they met me where I was.”
That experience helped Katherine deepen her understanding of the Catholic faith, encounter Christ in new ways, and build friendships that continued to shape her life after graduation.
Reflecting on the people who helped her along the way, she shared:
“I couldn't be here without my friends from the Newman Center.”
Read Katherine's full story: From Searching to Belonging.
These are the kinds of stories that remind us why investing in young Catholics matters. A campus ministry can become more than a place to attend Mass. It can become a community that helps someone discover their purpose, grow in holiness, and carry their faith into the future.
Your gift helps Newman Connection make more of these connections possible.
We Hear the Stories. Now Let's Change What Happens Next.
The donor who shared her story with us cannot change the past. Annette, Andres, and Katherine show us what can happen when young adults find the community they need.
Their experiences are different, but they share something important: connection matters.
A student may need one invitation to discover a Newman Center. Another may need a welcoming community to help them return to the faith. Someone else may need friends who encourage them to make their relationship with Christ a priority.
Newman Connection exists to help make those introductions possible before students are left searching for a community on their own.
Through our Faith Forward movement, we are working toward a future in which more graduating seniors know where they can continue practicing their faith, build friendships, and find support in their next chapter.
However, this mission takes resources. It takes partnerships with Catholic communities. It takes people who believe the next generation deserves the opportunity to stay connected to the Church.
It takes donors like you.
When you give to Newman Connection, you help move this mission forward. You invest in the work of connecting young Catholics with communities where they can be welcomed, supported, and encouraged to grow in faith.
We cannot guarantee the path every student will take. But we can help ensure that more students have the opportunity to find a Catholic community before they leave home.
We cannot change yesterday's missed opportunities. We can help create new ones today.
This Giving Tuesday, Help Us Reach More Young Catholics
This Giving Tuesday, your generosity can go even further through Newman Connection's $50,000 matching gift opportunity.
Your gift supports the mission of connecting young Catholics with communities that can sustain their faith long after high school graduation. With the matching opportunity, eligible donations can help unlock additional support for this important work.
Whether you have supported Newman Connection for years or are learning about our mission for the first time, you can help the next generation find its place in the Church.
This giving season, consider the student who has not yet met their Newman Center friends. The senior who does not know where they will attend Mass next year. The young adult who needs an invitation to discover a community that will welcome them.
Your generosity helps make those connections possible.
We hear, “I wish you had existed when my children were in school,” far too often.
Newman Connection exists now. Help us reach the students who need us today.
Join the Faith Forward movement and help more young Catholics discover a community where they are needed, known, and encouraged to grow in their faith.
Give to Newman Connection this Giving Tuesday
Help us turn regret into action, opportunity into connection, and generosity into a brighter future for the next generation of Catholics.