Although the Johns Hopkins University is known for world-class research and academics, the Catholic Community at Hopkins (CCH) offers students something just as vital: a home.
CCH serves students at the Johns Hopkins University and is hosted by Saints Philip and James Catholic Church and University Parish, adjacent to the university’s Homewood Campus in Baltimore’s Charles Village neighborhood. In 2010 the Dominican Friars of the Province of Saint Joseph were entrusted with the pastoral care of Saints Philip and James Parish and the ministry of the Johns Hopkins University Catholic Community. The friars brought with them the four pillars of Dominican life: prayer, study, community, and service, creating a space where faith meets intellect. Under the Dominican Friars’ guidance, CCH has become a place where educated, passionate, and faithful Catholic leaders are formed.
Building Community in a Demanding World
“College is such a pivotal time,” says Amira Rady, a Hopkins alumna who now serves as development coordinator for the ministry. “Students come here with a hunger for truth. What they find is a community where they live as witnesses to Christ. They not only learn to live well, they share that on campus with other students and encourage them to live boldly in their faith.”
For Amira, that realization changed everything. As a pre-med student, she once defined herself by achievement. “At Hopkins, it’s easy to measure your worth by what you accomplish,” she recalls. “The campus ministry taught me to see my belovedness in God, that I was made for more.” Her conversion to Catholicism during her time at Hopkins has now come full circle as she helps others find that same spiritual home.
VIEW WHAT GIVES AMIRA RADY HOPE
“The Dominicans are a really good fit for Hopkins with their focus on teaching and preaching,” Amira says. “Our students see that faith and intellect aren’t in competition, they belong together.”
Fr. Josemaría Guzmán-Domínguez, O.P., chaplain and director of the Catholic Community at Hopkins, describes the ministry simply: “We are the Catholic Church at Johns Hopkins. We are disciples of Jesus who nourish one another through friendship, faith, and the life of the Church—and who bring others, Catholics and non-Catholics alike, into our community.”
On Wednesday evenings, students are invited to Newman Nights, named for Saint John Henry Newman, the 19th-century theologian, academic and historian. These nights are a time of prayer, discussion, and fellowship. On Sundays, after the 5:00 PM Mass, they gather for a meal cooked by fellow students and often stay after dinner to study and spend time together in the Newman Center.
Encounters that Transform
For many students, these gatherings have become moments of conversion. Some, like Amira, enter the Church through the ministry’s Order of Christian Initiation of Adults (OCIA) program. Others rediscover the faith they had set aside. “We’ve seen so many students drawn back to the sacraments,” Fr. Josemaría says. “They find a place to rest, to ask questions, and to be transformed.”
That transformation often leads to a lifelong commitment. One Hopkins graduate was recently called into ministry with the Dominican Sisters of Hawthorne, a group of sisters who care for those dying of cancer. Another, a Ph.D. student, joined the Dominican Province of St. Joseph as a novice of the order. “Seeing students respond to God’s call, whether in religious life, marriage, or service, is one of the greatest joys of this ministry,” Fr. Josemaría says.
Amira recalls her own transformation, “I had true encounters with God at Hopkins during my time at CCH.” Those encounters helped draw Amira more deeply into service and led her to remain in Baltimore after graduation. “I didn’t know I would end up working in ministry, it’s really been a full circle kind of moment,” she says.
Called to Serve Beyond Campus
Community building at Hopkins extends beyond the classroom, or even the church doors. Students volunteer in parish ministry at Saints Philip and James and are encouraged to serve others by working with ministries around Baltimore and through university service groups.
“Even though most students aren’t from Baltimore, we tell them: while you’re here, you belong here, you have an impact on this community” Fr. Josemaría says. “We encourage them to feel like they belong and to give back generously to the community that offers so much to the students. They become part of the parish and learn to love the Church in this city.”
Amira agrees. “Many of our students go into service professions—medicine, teaching, research. What they learn here is that discipleship means more than serving with your hands; it’s serving with your heart.”
This story of service doesn’t just end with graduation. The friendships forged in this community often last for years. “These connections are lifelong,” Amira says. “We still hear from alumni who keep in touch with their chaplains or return to visit with their families. They’re living out what they learned here—in parishes, in workplaces, all over the world.”
The ministry’s impact extends even further. Alumni, parents, and parishioners all support CCH’s mission through prayer, volunteering, and financial gifts. “It’s really one community,” says Fr. Josemaría. “Students and parishioners together form the University Parish of Saints Philip and James.”
Amira also sees leaders being formed, “we’re preparing the future leaders of the Church to live well and to lead.” This robust community of life, prayer, and study nurtures these future leaders and gives them the tools to live out their faith.
Hope for the Future
When these two campus ministry leaders are asked what gives them hope, Amira doesn’t hesitate. “I see hope in the students who have the kind of real encounters with God that I had in my time here.” She says she’s witnessing a revival of hope in the CCH community. “I see members of our community pursuing truth and not falling into cynicism in a culture that tells them not to hope.”
Fr. Josemaría references a medieval hymn that he learned in college. “The cross is our only hope, and the cross of Jesus has the power to transform and redeem the world.” He reflects on his work with students at CCH, “one of the most powerful things that I’ve seen is that those students who have invited Jesus into their sufferings are transformed and full of new life.” As a college chaplain, he observes students in transition and in transformation. “I get to watch this happen over and over and over again—Jesus entering with the power of His death and resurrection to transform the lives of our students, of our community, of our city.”
At Johns Hopkins University, where intellect and ambition abound, the Catholic Community offers something more enduring: faith that forms future leaders, lifelong friendships, and a mission that carries a message of hope far beyond campus. Your gifts help sustain this community and support these future leaders of our Church.
