Welcome TO NEWMAN HALL!
Whether you’re new to Berkeley or simply new to Newman, we’re glad you’re here. Our parish brings together UC Berkeley students, students from nearby campuses, and local adults and families. This blend of student and resident parishioners creates a vibrant, unique community of faith. Newman Hall Holy Spirit is a parish of the Dominican Fathers.
We are especially committed to serving UC Berkeley students as they explore and take ownership of their faith as young adults. Students, get the latest on: newmanvillage.slack.com
Newman Hall Holy Spirit Parish has an incredible legacy and an essential spiritual mission for the Church’s future, but it is housed in a building that badly needs your help!
We need 100% participation from everyone, including students.
Our challenge is to raise $600,000.
We are asking everyone to give an additional 60% more of their annual giving.
Haven’t given? Now is the time to start!
Don’t have the means? Donate time or talent!
Join others to lead a fundraising or musical event! Be creative but give.
We have three critical issues:
1. Single-pane hallway glass that must be replaced with double-pane safety glass. Let’s stop trying to heat Berkeley.
2. A 59-year-old, inefficient boiler that is prone to breaking. Parts are no longer made.
And 3. a leaking patio with a wasted space. Who wants dripping ceilings and black mold?
It can be done.
Wouldn’t it be awesome to offer everyone a warm, safe building so that we can focus on people and not the building’s problems?
We can do it if we all commit to doing it together!
MASS TIMES
Saturday (vigil) Mass: 5pm
Sunday Mass: 8am, 10am, 5pm, 9pm (candlelight)
Join Us For Mass Online Sunday at 10AM
Daily Mass
Monday to Saturday at 12:10pm
Thursdays at 8pm (During school year only)
Confession (Reconciliation)
Saturdays: 11am to Noon
Thursdays: 7 to 8pm
Also available by appointment
A MINISTRY OF THE DOMINICANS
Fr. Xavier Lavagetto, OP, our Pastor, came to Newman in July 2025 when the Dominicans replaced the Paulists, who departed after more than 100 years of service to the Catholic Community at Cal. No stranger to institutions of learning or pastoral care, Fr. Xavier served as pastor and director of the Catholic Community at Stanford University and before that, as pastor of St. Dominic’s parish in San Francisco. Before becoming a Dominican priest, Fr. Xavier was Christian Brother serving a high school teacher, counselor, and director of the Cal Poly Newman Center.
Email him at: Xavier Lavagetto (xavierop@calnewman.org ) or call (650) 291-4590.
To make an appointment, click here
Fr. Pius Youn, OP, our associate pastor, guides the student ministry here at Newman. Ordained in 2018, Fr. Pius returns to Berkeley where he undertook his seminary studies at the Dominican School. Prior to coming to Berkeley, Fr. Pius served in campus ministry at the University of Arizona and in parish communities in and around Anchorage, AK.
To make an appointment email him at: piusop@calnewman.org.
OUR Values
Our values guide our decision making and our allocation of financial, social, intellectual, and spiritual resources.
As the Catholic Church in America and our parish in Berkeley undergo societal changes, we will need to adapt to stay true to our mission. The Parish Council, in consultation with the parish, identified this set of core values to guide us as we work to live the Gospel in these challenging times .
1) Christ-based Community: welcoming, inclusive, joyful, alive, participatory, safe, and centered on Christ & the Catholic Church
2) Growing in Faith: experiencing God's love, prayer, sacraments, quality preaching; embracing holism and innovation
3) Catalyst for Healing and Unity: demonstrating compassion, servant leadership, empowerment, and social justice
4) Ministering to Students: engaging in community-wide missionary effort, forming future leaders, empowering mature Vatican II perspective.
Our HISTORY
Our Origins (1890s–1910s)
In the late 1800s, Catholic students at UC Berkeley longed for a community that would nourish them socially, intellectually, and spiritually. After several early attempts, they officially founded the Newman Club on December 8, 1899, honoring Cardinal John Henry Newman, a major Catholic thinker of the 19th century.
With no chapel of their own, members attended Mass across the Bay Area and met in homes and halls for lively discussions, lectures, and social gatherings. Support from Archbishop Riordan and St. Joseph’s Parish helped the young club flourish.
Fr. John J. Cantwell, later Archbishop of Los Angeles, became its first priest-chaplain.
The Paulist Era Begins (1907–1960s)
In 1907, Archbishop Riordan appointed Fr. Thomas Verner Moore, the first Paulist Father, to serve Berkeley’s Catholic students. That same year, the Archbishop purchased property on Ridge Road for a permanent home. With funds donated for his silver jubilee, a new Newman Hall—designed by renowned architect Bernard Maybeck—was built. It included a 400-seat chapel, social areas, offices, Paulist residences, and even a basement bowling alley.
For decades, this “old” Newman Hall became the spiritual and social center for Catholic students and faculty at UC Berkeley.
A New Home on Dwight Way (1967–Present)
By the 1960s, Newman had outgrown its original building. The Diocese of Oakland and generous supporters funded a new modern hall on Dwight Way, designed by architect Mario Ciampi. The building was dedicated on May 13, 1967, and Newman became Newman Hall–Holy Spirit Parish, expanding its mission to serve both students and the wider Berkeley community.
A Tradition of Faith, Justice, and Engagement
From its earliest days, Newman linked faith with action. A 1908 program already featured lectures on ethics, social reform, and public life. This commitment grew throughout the 20th century:
Support for the Catholic Interracial Council and active engagement in the civil rights movement
Pride in alumnus William Wagoner, one of the 1961 Freedom Riders
Sanctuary for Vietnam War resisters and participation in the Free Speech Movement
Partnerships with the United Farm Workers, Catholic Worker, and BOCA (Berkeley Organizing Congregations for Action)
Weekly meals and showers for the unhoused
Ongoing involvement with the Ecumenical Peace Institute, JustFaith, and the Bread for the World Racial Wealth Gap Simulation
This legacy continues today through Loaves & Fishes, outreach to the houseless, racial justice work, and ministries that accompany people on the margins.
Campus Ministry and Parish Life
Newman’s parish life is marked by creativity, lay leadership, and deep theological engagement. Its traditions include:
Meaningful and beautiful liturgies
The beloved 9p.m. (previously 10pm) Candlelight Mass
Good Friday Live Stations of the Cross
Seasonal decorations, including giant fabric Advent banners
Lay preaching supported by an academically strong community
In 2013, Newman welcomed FOCUS missionaries to strengthen campus outreach. Newman also contributes to diocesan efforts, including marriage preparation and racial justice initiatives.
Newman During COVID-19
During the 2019–2020 pandemic, Newman responded quickly and compassionately:
Launched livestream Masses immediately
Shifted to outdoor and physically distanced liturgies
Offered safe distribution of Communion with masks and sanitization
Continued Loaves & Fishes as a take-out meal program
Reported no COVID-related cases from Mass or parish gatherings
By 2024, the parish had returned to normal seating while still providing masks and hand sanitizer for those who prefer them.
A New Chapter: Dominican Leadership (2024)
In 2024, the Paulist Fathers, noting their reduced numbers and realizing that they could not sustain a campus missionary presence, decided to reexamine their mission. After a period of discernment, they returned several campus ministries—including UC Berkeley—to their respective dioceses and shifted their focus. Thus, in July of that year, after 117 years of Paulist leadership, Newman Hall entered a new chapter with the Dominican Friars of the Province of the Holy Name of Jesus.
Fr. Xavier Lavagetto, OP, former director of Catholic campus ministry at Stanford, became pastor on July 1, 2024. With the Dominicans’ strong preaching tradition, intellectual depth, and local theological resources, Newman steps confidently into its next era.
Our Building
Newman Hall’s distinctive structure stands at College Avenue and Dwight Way—a modern mix of strength, simplicity, and light. Its massive concrete walls and floating roof suggest shelter and peace, while interior glass corridors reveal the lively movement of a community rooted in prayer, study, and service.
Inside the chapel:
Four free-standing concrete walls overlap like folded planes
A ring of glass between wall and ceiling creates the feeling of openness to the sky
A massive, carefully engineered concrete roof rests on four stainless-steel pins designed for seismic movement
The congregation gathers closely around a gently raised sanctuary, emphasizing unity in worship
This architecture bridges ancient Christian symbolism with modern design, fitting seamlessly into the life of the campus and the city.
Photographs courtesy of Architect Tom Beil
Our Patron: St. John Henry Cardinal Newman
Feast Day: October 9
St. John Henry Newman (1801–1890), canonized in 2019, was a distinguished English scholar, pastor, and spiritual guide. His journey—from evangelical Christianity to Anglicanism to the Catholic Church—reflected his lifelong search for truth, often at personal cost.
His legacy highlights:
“Cor ad cor loquitur”—Heart speaks to heart: We meet God in the quiet truth of the heart, where our mission unfolds.
Learning as soul formation: University life is not only academic but a time to grow in wisdom, faith, and self-understanding.
Development of doctrine: Newman taught that while doctrine remains true, the Church’s understanding deepens over time.
St. John Henry Newman remains a patron for seekers, students, and all who strive to unite intellectual life with spiritual wisdom.