About Us
Our mission at St. Stephen the Witness is to inspire lifelong disciples of Christ who pray, serve, and belong!
We have been dedicated to this mission for over 125 years (1897-present) and as a result, we are the oldest UNI student organization on campus.
Our History:
Our foundress, Ms. Anna E. McGovern, is credited with organizing UNI’s first group of Catholic students. In the beginning students took part in weekly study groups and fellowship activities and still do to this day. When we started, we were called the Newman Catholic Association having been affiliated with the nationally recognized Catholic Student’s Association. From the 1940’s to 1966 we were known as the Newman Club. In 1966, the student center took on its current name St. Stephen the Witness Catholic Student Center.
Why the name St. Stephen the Witness?
In the Bible, a man named Stephen was named with six other men "filled with faith and the holy Spirit" to assist in the distribution of alms to the local people (ref. Acts 6:3-5). Stephen is documented being a messenger of the Gospel, which resulted in him being killed (martyred) because of his belief in Christ Jesus.
The Greek word "martus," from which the English word "martyr" is derived, originally meant "witness" in a legal sense, referring to someone who testifies or gives evidence. In early Christianity, the term "martyr" evolved to describe individuals who bore witness to their faith, even to the point of death.
Thus, our community has adopted the name Witness to remind our students and the local community of our mission to be a witness of our faith in Christ to all we encounter.
Our Location
When Ms. McGovern convened the first gathering of students, our ministry was located in the basement of UNI President ???? home.
As our ministry expanded, the student center gained a physical presence on campus when it took over a two-story house on the southeast corner of College and 23rd street in 1948. This chapel seated 150 people. There was a library separated from chapel by a folding door which held an additional 20 people.
Citing growth in attendance and ministries, three houses were purchases on 23rd Street for the building of our present building. The groundbreaking and the laying of the cornerstone at the current location occurred in 1990. The dedication and first Mass took place on April 7, 1991, which began with a procession from the old location to our current location.