Instead of cramming for classes or watching TV on Sunday nights, some 400 students gather weekly for mass  at St. Joseph Catholic Church in Greenwich Village. The choir, many of them music theater majors, sing contemporary hymns as students fill the pews. After mass, some students head  to the priests’ quarters to eat a free, home-cooked dinner. The joke at the Catholic Center is, “Go for the food, stay for the community,” according to one member. 

Greenwich Village is “one of the loudest neighborhoods in the world,” said Archbishop Timothy M. Dolan as he addressed the congregation during a recent Sunday mass. Amid the commotion of New York City, the Catholic Center, run by the Archdiocese of New York, provides NYU students a peaceful place to reflect on their lives and their faith. 

Many students speak about the indifference or hostility toward religion that they encounter.. “Here in New York City it’s looked down upon to be a person of faith,” said NYU senior Paolo Larano. In a class discussion of foundational texts, Larano said he”got a lot of heat” from classmates because he interpreted the Bible as a believer. “People wanted to poke fun at religion,” he said. “One part of me wanted to defend it, but the other part didn’t want to single myself out as the crazy kid.”

Shaping religious beliefs and values is a major part of personal development for 18 to 30 year olds, according to Jeffrey Arnett, the author of “Emerging Adulthood.” However, this development doesn’t only happen at church. Many people form personal relationships with God and don’t attend religious services. “To most emerging adults, participating in a religious institution, even a liberal one, requires them to abide by a certain set of beliefs and rules and therefore constitutes an intolerable compromise of their individuality,” he writes.

The students who participate in the campus ministry at St. Joseph’s, however, value the structure and constancy of religious services. “Mass is so traditional,” said NYU student Christina King. “You always know what’s going to happen. It’s home base.”

The weekly mass is not the only draw.  A smaller number of students belong to one of three undergraduate clubs that meet weekly. For these students, the Catholic Center provides them a foundation for their social and spiritual lives.

Newman Club members at a weekly meeting

The Aquinas Circle gives students a place to share a meal, socialize and talk about their lives in the context of their faith. The Newman Club focuses on the teachings of the church, especially topics such as social justice and saints. 

Many members of the Catholic Center became involved in clubs after attending a  four-day-retreat held in upstate New York. Christina King, who attended the Aquinas Circle’s Kairos retreat, said that the weekly meetings have the openness and camraderie that many students said they found at the retreat. “Aquinas is like a mini Kairos,” she said. “I take a step back and check in with myself.”

Non-Catholics as well attend the meetings. NYU sophomore Rebecca Lentjes, a member of the Newman club, explored different faiths when she arrived to college, including Buddhism and Islam. Although she initially went to the Catholic Center for the free spaghetti dinner, after attending a retreat she became a regular participant. Lentjes helps with community service projects such as taking food to the homeless and putting on a Christmas party for poor children who live in the Lower East Side of Manhattan.

Although she isn’t’ sure if she’ll convert to Catholicism, she appreciates the company. “It’s nice to have a group of people with really good values that don’t want to get high or drunk every night,” she said. “I’ve already made these friends. I don’t want to quit because I’ve decided not to follow their religion.”