This Fall, we are introducing a special opportunity to honor those that have made a significant contribution to the Newman ministry! This interactive display is in the Gilded Room (connecting the Church Hall and the Newman Center). It's a joy to share the history of this important ministry (first Newman Center in the country!) and those that have been an incredible witness to the virtue of Stewardship.

If you or someone you know is interested in learning more, please contact Raul at raul@saintsaj.org

Joe Dembik, Class of 2018

Having discovered the Newman Center from the beginning of freshman year, thanks to the NOVUS retreat, Joe was very involved in the Newman ministry throughout his college career. Learning to practice his faith in college was great practice for living it out in the world and sharing his faith with others through his parish and his job.

Now, working as the Assistant Director of College Guidance at Holy Ghost Prep in Bucks County, PA, Joe also teaches religion. He witnesses to the love of God working his life not only through his work but through his family! Joe married his college sweetheart and has two beautiful daughters!

We are offering prayers of gratitude for Joe and the way he is continuing to share and live the Gospel through his teaching of the faith and his vocation as father!

Leah Brogan, Class of 2009

Leah graduated from the College in 2009 as a Psychology major. She was also a member and captain of the Women’s Cross Country and Indoor and Outdoor Track and Field programs. Leah was active in her faith prior to Penn—having attended Catholic elementary and high schools—and was seeking to join a community at Penn that united both her athletic and Catholic identities. She found the Newman Center to do just this! After graduating, Leah pursued professional and graduate training to attain her doctoral degree in clinical psychology through Drexel University. Her faith serves as a guiding light and source of compassion in working with children, adolescents, and their families in healing from trauma and navigating development in a complex world. She is now a clinical psychologist at Cooper University Hospital in New Jersey and lives with her family in the Philadelphia suburbs.

We are offering prayers of gratitude for Leah and her work in mental health, as she provides healing and compassion to those who are suffering!

Tom Stevens, Class of 2020

I graduated in 2020 and studied Philosophy, Politics, and Economics (PPE).

My experience at Newman was excellent. It was easy to make friends there (Newman Nights, retreats, burgers with the bros, Men’s house, etc) and the brothers were awesome. Newman gave me a place where it was easy to go deeper in my Faith and relationship with God, whether that was receiving the sacraments, listening to talks, Christ in the City, or being pushed out of my comfort zone to start a bible study when Focus started. In the constant business of college, it gave me easy ways to prioritize my faith.

My wife Josie and our 1.5 year old son just moved back to the Philly area after living in LA for a few years. God opened the doors for us to come back home (e.g., new jobs for Josie and I) and get some grandparent babysitting help. Not to be cliche, but I really do experience God working through my marriage and parenting. Both are hard (e.g., toddler hurling his toy cars at people during mass), but both are extremely rewarding (e.g., unadulterated joy of said toddler while hurling cars) and continue to teach me that “my life is not about me.”

We are offering prayers of gratitude for Tom, his family and their witness to the beauty of the marriage vocation and family life!