First Phase of St. Paul’s Newman Center to Be Complete By July 2021
The old building was built in 1958
FARGO, N.D. — With a growing Catholic population at North Dakota State University, a nearby church is trying to meet the demand.
St. Paul’s Newman Center was the first religious organization NDSU students could go to off-campus. It opened in 1958 serving about 3,000. It closed last month.
That’s because the church is building a new one which will serve the 28% of Catholic students from the university. It will cost the church about $21.5 million and is expected to be complete by 2021.
“Our culture is really an open door culture and so there are a lot of people who partake in our bible studies, our classes and our Catholic studies program. It’s really an opportunity to serve the entire university,” NDSU Newman Center Director Father James Cheney said.
This is the first phase of the Newman Center which will consist of a chapel, faith-based housing and meeting space. The second includes townhomes and apartments, but construction has not begun because it has struggled to get approval from the city for months.
