Fr Michael J Newman

A vigil service will be held for Father Michael Jerome Newman SDS on Friday, March 9th at 7:45 p.m. at Our Divine Savior Catholic Church followed by a Mass of Christian Burial on Saturday, March 10th at 10:00 a.m. at St.John the Baptist Catholic Church. Burial will take place after the Mass at Glen Oaks Memorial Park followed by a reception at Our Divine Savior Catholic Church. Fr. Michael Jerome Newman SDS was born in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, on December 17, 1938, to Ambrose and Edna (Barkley) Newman. His only sibling was his brother, Thomas. The family belonged to Mother of Good Counsel Parish - a ministry of the Salvatorian priests and brothers in the church and the Salvatorian sisters in the school. In a sense, you could say that Fr. Mike was born into the Salvatorian Family! After his grade school years, he entered Salvatorian Seminary in St. Nazianz. He spent his Novitiate year in Colfax, Iowa, and professed his vows as a Salvatorian there on September 8, 1960. His theology studies were done at Divine Savior Seminary in Lanham, Maryland, and Catholic University in Washington, DC. For his apostolic year (actually two of them!), he taught music at Trinity Prep Seminary in Sioux City, Iowa. He was ordained a priest in the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception in Washington, DC, on September 9, 1967. Besides his degree in Theology, Fr. Mike also earned a Master's Degree in Music. Fr. Mike's first priestly assignment took him to California - a state that would become "home" for the rest of his life. He taught music at St. Pius X Seminary in Galt for four years, and for part of that time he also taught music and religion at St. Mary's High School in nearby Stockton. But then his ministry took a turn - from teaching to pastoral ministry. He served as Associate Pastor of St. Ann's Parish in Lodi for three years, followed by six years as Associate Director of Youth Ministry for the Diocese of Sacramento. In his work with youth and young adults, Fr. Mike found his very special calling. He became the Director of Campus Ministry for the Newman Center Community of California State University in Sacramento in 1981, and this became his "parish" for the next twelve years. At the same time, beginning in 1982, he was also the Director of Campus Ministry for the entire Diocese of Sacramento. In 1993, he became the Newman Center Director at California State University in Chico, where he served for thirteen years until his retirement in 2006. Throughout all these years, Fr. Mike ministered not only in his regular assignments, but also as a member of the Priests Council for the Diocese of Sacramento, as State Chaplain for both the Knights of Columbus and the Catholic Daughters of the Americas, as Area Coordinator for the Salvatorian priests and brothers in California, and as Regional Moderator for all the members of the Salvatorian Family in Northern California. Fr. Mike served as Vice President and later President of the National Association of Diocesan Directors of Campus Ministry, and he was a member of the Committee on Education for the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops. He may have officially "retired" from assigned ministries in 2006, but he never retired from ministering - he celebrated Masses in parishes throughout northern California; he served a term on the Provincial Council for the Salvatorians from 2006-2009. He spent summers studying and working in England and he ministered as a chaplain on cruise ships. While he may have stopped teaching music years ago, it was his life that became the song - the song of a happy priest who celebrated life and faith with the people in his ministry. Described as "the priest with a megawatt smile," Fr. Mike endeared himself to thousands of people throughout his priestly life. He brought his many Newman Center students to a newfound enthusiasm for their Catholic faith during their college life. He presided at countless weddings, later celebrated the baptisms of their children, and then even later presided over those children's marriages and their children's baptisms! He was a multi-generational priest to many families. Fr. Mike was proud to be a priest and a Salvatorian. He was proud of his many accomplishments in his years of ministry. And - even he would admit this - proud of the adulation and accolades that he received, because in these recognitions, he knew that he was touching people's lives and making a real difference. Most priests have a long list of places where they served. Fr. Mike's list is a relatively short one. But the list of people who loved him and respected him, who welcomed him into their families with open arms, who counted him as one of the closest friends they ever knew - that list is an unbelievably lengthy one. For many, Fr. Mike was the prime example of what it means to be a good priest. Though he had returned to his baptismal name in the late 1960s, he was known for a number of years by his religious name "Henry." Even years later, it was not unusual to hear Salvatorians calling him lovingly by the nickname "Hank." Fr. Mike was preceded in death by his parents, Ambrose and Edna, and his brother Thomas. He is survived by nieces and nephews, and by his brothers and sisters in the Salvatorian Family. In lieu of flowers or gifts, Fr. Mike asked that contributions be made to: "Adopt an Apostle" in care of the Brusie Funeral Home. The proceeds will help to educate and form future Salvatorian priests and brothers who carry on the legacy of Fr. Mike and his SDS mission.