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'''St. John's Catholic Newman Center''' is the main place of Catholic worship on the Urbana-Champaign campus and is composed of St. John's Catholic Chapel, Newman Hall and the Institute of Catholic Thought. It is the largest Newman Center in the United States and is overseen by the Catholic Diocese of Peoria.

== History ==

In the early 1900s, the majority of Catholic university students attended private Catholic institutions instead of public schools such as the [[University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign]]. However, as time progressed, a growing number of Catholic university students began attending secular universities.

To spiritually support these students, small chapels were opened near the campuses of the secular universities. Initially, this was also the goal of St. John's Catholic Chapel.

As plans were made for the construction of St. John's, the Knights of Colombus and other responsible parties decided to expand their vision. Instead of merely building a church building, they also constructed a dormitory structure for Catholic students. This dormitory is directly connected to St. John's Catholic Chapel.

The idea of providing student housing directly connected to a Catholic Newman Center was quite new and innovative. Many sources consider St. John's Catholic Newman Center to be a model example of integrating Catholic student life with campus life.

=== Timeline of Events ===

First, in 1905 students organize the Spalding Guild for Catholic students. This organization was quite similar to a Newman Club which was a group of young students who met and shared their faith. Then, in 1908, the Guild acquires Loyola House, its first headquarters, on Main Street in Urbana. Loyola House in 1912 becomes a chapter of Phi Kappa Theta, a national Catholic fraternity. By 1915, the Knights of Columbus agree to support a chaplain for students.

As a result of that request, Father John O'Brien was appointed chaplain in August 1917. In January 1920, the Foundation is formally incorporated as the Columbus Foundation. Classes are offerred by the Foundation starting in February 1920. Plans are created for construction of St. John's Catholic Chapel in May 1922.

In 1924, the Knights of Columbus purchased land at Sixth and Armory Street for $200,000. The current St. John's Catholic Newman Center remains located there today. Currently, an expansion of their facilities is underway. Please consult later portions of this article for details.

Finally, in 1926, the Columbus Foundation was renamed the Newman Foundation. By August 1926, the Cornerstone for the chapel was laid.

After one year, the chapel was completed and on September 28th 1927, the first mass was held in the chapel. Two years later in 1929, the entire Newman Foundation building was completed.

== Newman Hall ==

A coed residence hall is directly adjacent (and connected to) St. John's Catholic Chapel. Recently completed construction increased the hall's capacity from about 300 residents to nearly 600. Newman Hall is a member of the University of Illinois's Private Certified Housing system which allows freshman and incoming students to live  at Newman Hall without having to live in a University dorm.

== St. John's Catholic Chapel ==

Located a block from the Quad, St. John's Catholic Chapel is open every day for private prayer and celebrates mass at least two times a day. The primary focus for the Chapel is to provide for the spiritual needs of college students at the [[University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign]] and [[Parkland College]]. Several priests and nuns are on staff at St. John's Catholic Chapel to provide spiritual direction and other services for interested students.

== Institute of Catholic Thought ==

The Institute of Catholic Thought teaches credit and noncredit courses on Catholic topics. Several religious studies classes at the [[University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign]] are taught by faculty members from the Institute of Catholic Thought. These classes are taught from an academic perspective and count for University credit. The Institute also teaches faith-based classes at the Newman Center which are for personal enrichment and not for credit. Recently, the Institute of Catholic Thought published a new book titled "Questions College Students Ask" which was co-written by Christine Pinheiro and Dr. Kenneth Howell.

== Controlled substance charges ==

University police arrested the chapel's the Rev. Christopher Layden after finding three grams of cocaine possession on September 10, 2008. Two counts of unlawful delivery of a controlled substance and one count of possession with intent to deliver a controlled substance within 1,000 feet of a church were the counts charging him. He was scheduled to appear in court on October 21, 2008, but his trial was postponed until November 25, 2008. He was 33 at the time he was charged.

== Links ==
* [http://www.sjcnc.org/ Official website]
* [http://media.www.dailyillini.com/media/storage/paper736/news/2008/09/11/News/Newman.Center.Priest.Arrested.For.Cocaine.Possession-3426555.shtml Newman Center priest arrested for cocaine possession]
* [http://media.www.dailyillini.com/media/storage/paper736/news/2008/10/21/News/Update.Hearing.Delayed.For.Newman.Priest-3497446.shtml UPDATE: Hearing delayed for Newman priest]