Can college students stay at their local parish or do they have to go to the Newman Center?

College Students (and really, anyone) should attend a worshipping community where they can feel welcomed, inspired and challenged. The proximity of this community does not matter (that is, unless it is 100 or more miles away!). So the simple answer to your question is no, you do not have to stay at your local parish when you go off to college, but you can stay at your local parish if it is a community that feeds your spiritual needs and is fairly easy to get to!

Julianne E. Wallace is the director of campus ministry at Alvernia University in Reading, Pennsylvania. She is currently working on a D.Min. in Educational Leadership from Virginia Theological Seminary. She earned an M.T.S. in Word and Worship from the Washington Theological Union in Washington, D.C. and a B.A. in Music Performance from the University of Mary Washington in Virginia. Julianne is passionate about sharing the joy of liturgy with others and helping everyone to worship well.