Catholic Terps

Over 90 Years of Service to the University of Maryland Community

A specific chaplaincy for the Catholic students at the university of Maryland started in 1933, the same year Testudo became the University’s mascot. As long as there have been Terps, there have been Catholic Terps! The Newman Club at the University of Maryland was founded by dedicated Catholic students who wanted to practice their faith on campus. The first chaplain was Fr. Leo Feely, the neighboring pastor of Holy Redeemer in College Park. Shortly afterwards, the Franciscans of Holy Name College in Washington served as chaplains, and the first Mass on Campus was celebrated in Spring of 1938 by Fr. Leonard Walsh, OFM.

Franciscan priests offered Mass on Campus for the next 20 years as the Newman Club grew on campus. In 1952, Memorial Chapel was completed on campus and the chaplaincy’s headquarters moved to chapel office space. On October 19, 1952 the first Catholic Mass was offered at Memorial Chapel.  

In 1955, a diocesan priest, Fr. Tepe was appointed chaplain and began the process of fundraising and constructing the Catholic Student Center. Thanks to generous donations from parents, students, and alumni, property was bought on Guilford Dr. in 1961 and construction began in 1963. The CSC was dedicated on April 10, 1965.

In 1968 the Newman Club at the University of Maryland was reorganized away from being a dues paying club with private membership to a campus ministry model. At the same time, Father Tepe was succeeded by Father William Kane, who served as primary chaplain from 1967 to 1986. Father Kane introduced a student retreat program in 1971 which has continued uninterrupted to this day. Father Kane was succeeded by Father Thomas Kalita in October of 1986. That same year, what had at first only been a private club, officially became a chapel when the Blessed Sacrament was first reserved in the Catholic Student Center Auditorium, today the Chapel of Christ the Divine Teacher. In 1988, at the suggestion of Cardinal James Hickey, the first Sunday evening Mass was celebrated in Memorial Chapel.  

Father William Byrne (now Bishop of Springfield in Massachusetts) was appointed chaplain in 1999. His tenure included the beginning of Wednesday Night Dinners, the introduction of focus missionaries, the construction of the Marian Grotto, and countless other new initiatives. His time saw the beginning of new growth at the Catholic Student Center as well as a boom in priestly and religious vocations.  

In 2010, Father Robert Walsh was appointed chaplain. During his time the chapel of Christ the Divine Teacher was completely renovated, changing it from a makeshift worship space in an auditorium to a proper chapel. The continued growth of the student population and the need to improve aging facilities, led Father Walsh and Ann Gradowski to begin the planning of the Centered on Christ Campaign for the renovation of the Catholic Student Center. The covid-19 pandemic and the change in chaplains in 2020, as well as delays from the permitting offices, delayed construction until 2024. However, the construction of the Newman Room and Phase 1 of the entire project is now nearing completion. The current chaplain, Fr. Conrad Murphy, arrived in July of 2020.