At the southern edge of the University of Utah campus, on South University Street just below President's Circle, St. Catherine of Siena Catholic Newman Center serves as both a parish church and the university's Catholic hub. Run by Dominican friars of the Province of the Holy Name, the parish orders its common life around prayer, preaching, and the sacraments that have shaped the Order of Preachers since the thirteenth century.
A Dominican Parish at the University of Utah
St. Catherine of Siena is a Catholic parish entrusted to the Dominican Province of the Holy Name and established as the Newman Center for the University of Utah. The parish's primary mission is campus ministry: students, faculty, and staff come together through a shared rhythm of prayer, preaching, and sacramental life. Friends of St. Catherine's and Salt Lake City neighbors drawn to the Dominican tradition are warmly invited to share in that common life.
The parish describes itself in the Dominican tradition - a commitment to liturgical prayer, the preaching of the Gospel, and the pursuit of truth in study. That mix shows up day to day in daily Mass, the Liturgy of the Hours, regular Adoration, frequent Confession, and a student ministry in which Scripture study sits alongside the formation of student leaders for the life of the Church.
Mass Every Day of the Week
Mass is offered every day of the week, anchored in the chapel on the parish's campus. Weekday Mass runs Monday through Friday at 6:00 PM, with the Saturday Vigil at 5:00 PM. Sunday brings three celebrations: a Quiet Mass at 8:30 AM, the Solemn Mass at 10:45 AM that takes full advantage of the chapel's music and preaching, and a Student Mass at 6:30 PM that fills the space with undergraduates and recent graduates alike. The schedule is built for both the working week and the rhythm of university life, with options for nearly every kind of worshipper on the weekend.
The Solemn Sunday Mass reflects the parish's Dominican heritage, with full liturgical music and preaching rooted in the tradition of St. Thomas Aquinas. The Saturday Vigil gives Sunday a head start, drawing students, faculty, and neighbors who want to keep Sunday morning open. Several times a semester the parish extends the 6:30 PM Student Mass into a Mass & Supper, turning the liturgy into a full evening of shared table and conversation.
Confession, Adoration, and the Liturgy of the Hours
Confession is available seven days a week. On weekdays it runs Monday through Friday at 5:30 PM; on Saturday from 4:15 PM, extending through the start of the 5:00 PM Vigil; and on Sunday at 5:30 PM, ahead of the Student Mass. Adoration precedes every Mass: Monday through Friday from 5:00 to 6:00 PM, Saturday from 4:00 to 5:00 PM, and Sunday from 5:30 to 6:15 PM.
The Liturgy of the Hours, the daily prayer of the Church, is prayed publicly in the chapel at 7:00 AM on weekdays and at 5:00 PM (Evening Prayer, or Vespers) Monday through Friday. Vespers on Saturday is prayed at 4:00 PM. From time to time the parish also hosts a Sacred Music Meditation in the chapel, with time to pray to monophonic Gregorian chant and harmonious Latin hymns.
Student Ministry Built Around the Week
For University of Utah students, the parish is less a place to visit than a rhythm to join. Each weekday evening, men and women gather in the basement floor for Bible studies sized to where they are. Men's Bible studies meet on Mondays at 7:00 PM (freshmen, sophomores, and juniors), Tuesdays at 9:00 PM (seniors), Wednesdays at 9:00 PM (freshmen), Thursdays at 9:00 PM (military-affiliated students), and a commuter-friendly Friday afternoon session at 3:00 PM. Women's Bible studies include a freshmen's group on Tuesdays at 7:00 PM, a Greek-life upperclassmen's group on Tuesdays at 9:00 PM, a Greek freshmen's group on Wednesdays at 7:00 PM, and a general women's Bible study on Mondays at 9:00 PM.
The student ministry's guiding arc is straightforward: students are invited into the life of prayer and worship, formed through Scripture and preaching, and rooted in real friendships, shared meals, and time together beyond formal programming. The Bible studies are the heart of formation; Music Ministry and the Student Mass are the heart of worship; and the community nights, Sunday Mass & Suppers, and off-campus events like Rock Climbing Night carry the life of friendship and shared table. St. Thomas Aquinas Nights pair prayer and study in the Dominican intellectual tradition, meeting in the Library Lounge on Thursday evenings under the guidance of Pastor Fr. Gabriel Mosher, with topics drawn from St. Thomas Aquinas and the wider Catholic intellectual heritage.
Music Ministry, Community Nights, and Fellowship
Music ministry is anchored by two student rehearsal blocks: Sundays at 5:00 PM in the Library Lounge, and Tuesdays at 7:00 PM in the chapel itself. The choirs and musicians support both the Sunday evening Student Mass and the parish's Solemn liturgy on Sunday morning. Cate's Cafe, just off the chapel, is the gathering spot for Men's Night on Thursday evenings at 7:00 PM, with a parallel Women's Night at the same time in the same space.
Pastoral evenings often spill off the parish's campus. Periodic events include a Mass & Supper Sunday evening that extends the Student Mass with a shared table, a Rock Climbing Night at The Summit climbing gym for fellowship at any skill level, and a Greek Life After Chapter gathering for sorority and fraternity members on Monday nights. The Knights of Columbus host a cookout each year on the Solemnity of the Dedication of St. Catherine's, marking the parish's feast day with friends and food. After the Friday 6:00 PM Mass, the parish occasionally holds a Eucharistic Procession that begins in the chapel and circles around President's Circle on the University of Utah campus.
The Friars and Staff
The pastor is Fr. Gabriel Mosher, OP, KCHS. He entered the Dominican Order in 2007 and was ordained in 2015. He spent his first seven years as a priest at Holy Rosary parish in Portland, Oregon, before coming to Salt Lake City, where he was named pastor of St. Catherine's in 2022.
The Director of Student Mission is Fr. Cody Jorgensen, OP. Fr. Cody was ordained in 2019 and came to St. Catherine's that same year to lead the student ministry. He first encountered the Catholic Church at the Prince of Peace Newman Center at the University of Washington in 2008, holds a Bachelor of Science in Biochemistry and Informatics, and during his formation was trained as a student leader in campus ministry. He holds a Master of Philosophy and a Master of Divinity, was formed at St. Albert the Great Priory in Oakland, spent a pastoral year at the St. Thomas More Newman Center at the University of Arizona, and studied a year in Rome at the Pontifical University of St. Thomas Aquinas (the Angelicum). His particular focus in the parish is sacred music and the liturgy.
Supporting the operation of the parish are Molly Bruns as Director of Development, an accountant, an office assistant, and facilities and maintenance staff who keep the building open daily from 8:30 AM to 10:00 PM.
Housing for Mission-Shaped Students
St. Catherine's offers limited student housing connected to the life of the community rather than as a general service. Rooms are reserved for students engaged in the spiritual and communal rhythms of the parish, and availability varies year to year with space, staffing, and the needs of the community. Conversations about housing begin relationally rather than through a generic application. Prospective residents email Fr. Cody at frcody@stcatherineslc.org with a brief introduction and a note about their connection to the Newman Center, and the conversation moves on from there.
The Spaces at 170 South University Street
Everything happens under one roof. The chapel hosts daily Mass, the Liturgy of the Hours, Adoration, and the Sacred Music Meditations. The Library Lounge hosts St. Thomas Aquinas Nights and Sunday music ministry rehearsals. Cate's Cafe and the Newman's Cafe are the everyday gathering spots for Men's and Women's Nights. The basement floor holds the steady round of student Bible studies. The Gathering Space up top hosts the parish's larger community events, including Mass & Supper and the Upper Room planning meetings that prepare student Bible study leaders. The parish sits just below President's Circle on the University of Utah campus, and its doors are open daily from 8:30 AM to 10:00 PM.