Then he enrolled as a freshman at California State University, Sacramento, close to home geographically but with a vastly larger student body and campus.

Shortly after his arrival at CSUS, Razo was invited to stop by the Newman Catholic Community.

“There was just a community of acceptance,” said Razo, now the community’s student leader coordinator. “You felt welcomed spiritually, emotionally and physically.”

On Sept. 9 and 10, Razo will join with several hundred current and former students, Newman staff and other community members for a celebration the 50th anniversary of the Sacramento Newman Catholic Community Center.

“It’s going to be something special. We’ll have people coming from the 1950s and 1960s into the millennium,” said Jesuit Father George Wanser, director of the Newman Catholic Community. “I’m amazed at how many people have come through these doors.”

Opened in April 1956, the newly-constructed Newman Catholic Center was built to serve college and community college students in the Sacramento area. This included Newman Clubs at CSUS, Sacramento City College (formerly Sacramento Junior College)

and American River College (formerly American River Junior College).

Named for the late educator, Cardinal John Henry Newman, the mission of Newman Clubs is to provide for the spiritual, educational and social needs of college students.

The late Msgr. Richard Dwyer, a longtime supporter of Newman programs, served as director of the Newman Catholic Community in the mid-1950s. Msgr. Dwyer donated land for the Newman Center on Newman Court and coordinated fund raising for it through the Newman Foundation, a nonprofit corporation formed to build and endow the work of Newman Clubs at secular colleges and universities.

During the late 1950s and 1960s, separate Newman Clubs continued to exist at the three Sacramento-area campuses, but by 1969 merged into one club. Since then several diocesan and religious order priests have served as directors of the Newman Center. They include Franciscan Father Michelle Gagnon, Salvatorian Father Michael Newman, Father John Folmer, Father Joseph McCarthy and Jesuit Father George Wanser.

Father Wanser said students through the years “very much cherish the fact they have a place where they can not only worship, but have a place to get to know one another in a Catholic community.”

Currently Masses are celebrated at the Newman Center on Sundays and Wednesdays, with weekly student community gatherings, retreats, and opportunities to participate in service projects benefiting people in need.

Students with a break between classes are encouraged to stop by the Newman Center for refreshments, quiet meditation, or study.

But at the heart of the Newman Catholic Community’s mission, Father Wanser said, is ensuring that students “experience their faith by living it out in their lives.”

In preparation for the 50th anniversary celebration, renovation work has been completed in large part by members of the Newman community. The projects include installation of new flooring, painting the interior and exterior of the building, and remodeling the library, featuring three new computer stations.

Since January, event coordinator Linda McKenna has contacted every parish in Northern California to alert thousands of former students, Newman Center staff, and other community members of the 50th anniversary celebration.

A member of the community since the early 1980s, McKenna has collected memorabilia, including more than 30 pictures and countless newspaper clippings, which will be on display at the anniversary celebration.

“The Newman Community is a place where tremendous bonds were formed,” said McKenna, crediting Msgr. Dwyer with having a vision for the center that remains.

“He was just a man before his time, so innovative, thinking ahead of all Newman could be,” she said.

The anniversary festivities begin on Sept. 9 with a dinner and dance. On Sept. 10, Auxiliary Bishop Richard J. Garcia will celebrate Mass at 10 a.m., followed by a rededication ceremony and reception.

”The hope is that the men and women who ran this place in the early years have a chance to come back and see the results of the seeds that were sown so many years ago,” Father Wanser said.

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