The TCU Catholic community has continued to grow, with more students participating in groups and activities each week.

The organization strives to help students find a family within the Catholic community. Catherine Ochoa, TCU Catholic’s campus minister, says community is important for college students as they grow in their relationship with God.

“College can be such a formative time in a person’s life,” Ochoa said. “Having a place where students can come and be known, loved and challenged in their faith makes such a difference.”

TCU Catholic’s community is a 72-person student leadership council that has grown by nearly 50 members over the past three years. Reagan Spickard, a senior biology major and TCU Catholic Vice President, said the council seeks to embrace students who want to share their love for God no matter where they are in their relationship with him.

“As a ministry, we learned how to meet students where they are at on campus yet still invite them into deeper fellowship through intention and relationship,” Spickard said.

TCU Catholic holds several events each week besides their Sunday Mass. They lead an Order of Christian Initiation of Adults (OCIA), and men’s and women’s small group Bible studies. On Wednesdays, they host “Newman Nights”, which include dinner and a talk following Mass.

Ochoa’s favorite part is seeing that students are not just showing up to Mass but also getting involved in these groups.

“We’re seeing a real desire among students to be involved and to live their faith,” Ochoa said. “They’re taking ownership of their faith and inviting their friends into it.”

Since its official opening on Aug. 28, the Newman Center has become a gathering place for students seeking to deepen their relationships with one another and their faith. The center serves as the club’s new home and the place where students can gather and foster community.

TCU Catholic hosts ministry team in the new Newman Center. (Photo courtesy of Catherine Ochoa)

“We finally have the space to accommodate the growth we’re seeing,” Ochoa said. “It really feels like the physical home that this community has been growing toward for a long time.”

Although the number of Catholic students has declined in recent years, the number of students participating in TCU Catholic is only growing. Ochoa said Masses are “standing room only most weekends” and that about 500-600 students attend each week. Even their OCIA group has quadrupled in participants since 2023, with nearly 40 students participating this year.

“What has been really beautiful is that the growth isn’t just in numbers,” Ochoa said. “There’s a real hunger for the faith. Students want to know their faith, they want to pray, they want community and they want to share it with their friends.”

Spickard said the increase in participation comes from students’ desire to use college as an opportunity to build their faith. Despite the distractions of the world today, he believes that students are taking charge of their faith instead of giving in to the temptations they face as young adults.

“To practice our faith here and now in college, in the midst of temptation to do otherwise, is a testament to our commitment to God for the rest of our lives,” Spickard said.

TCU’s Family Weekend Mass moved to the BLUU Ballroom to accommodate the large crowd. (Photo courtesy of Catherine Ochoa)

Both Ochoa and Spickard said their goal for TCU Catholic is to help students develop friendships, discover God in their lives and build a faith they can carry with them beyond college. The goal now and in the future for everyone in the club is to continue sharing their faith wherever they go.