The Catholic Church has a long and rich history in West Georgia including at the University of West Georgia.  Records show a charter for a Newman Club established in 1958 with one of the original charter members being Alice Maddox, mother to current Advisory Board Member Bill Maddox.  In the early years of Campus Ministry at UWG, students celebrated mass weekly in the Kennedy Chapel.  The chapel was originally an Episcopal church that eventually became the first home of the local parish, Our Lady of Perpetual Help in 1953.  As the OLPH community began to grow a new church was planned, eventually built, and the original church was donated to the University in 1964.  It became an ecumenical chapel for the campus.  After the assasination of President John F. Kennedy, students at the University decided to name the chapel with a rich Catholic history in his honor. In May of 1964, Attorney General Robert Kennedy came to the campus for the dedication.  For many year thereafter, Catholic Campus Ministry waxed and waned.  Mass continued to be offered weekly, formation opportunities and bible studies were occasionally held along with a limited number of social opportunities.  This was due to the fact that the ministry did not have a "place to call home" - a Catholic Center.  That began to change in 2009 with the assignment of Father Rafael Carballo as pastor to Our Lady of Perpetual Help.

Fr. Rafael partnered with Advisory Board Member Jerry Mock and Fr. Richard Morrow—the first pastor of OLPH and a trusted mentor—to advocate for a permanent Catholic presence on campus. In 2015, through Fr. Rafael’s efforts, the Archdiocese of Atlanta purchased land directly across from Kennedy Chapel, and preliminary architectural plans were drafted for a future Catholic Center. Shortly after, Fr. Rafael was reassigned to St. Mary’s Parish in Rome, Georgia.

In 2019, recognizing the need for continued momentum, the Archdiocese and OLPH hired Norma Rothschadl as Director of Campus Ministry. Having previously served nearly a decade as OLPH’s Director of Religious Education and Youth Minister, Norma brought passion and vision to the role. She launched the “It’s Time to Build” campaign, rallying Catholics throughout West Georgia to support the creation of an intellectual and spiritual home for Catholic students. That year, nearly $300,000 was raised. The Campus Ministry team became the top-grossing ministry in the 2019 #iGIVECATHOLIC campaign and hosted its first Campus Catholics Gala in early 2020.

Then, the COVID-19 pandemic struck. Fundraising slowed, and plans for construction faced indefinite delays. But amid the uncertainty, an unexpected opportunity arose: a home next to the proposed site became available for rent. Norma successfully petitioned the Archdiocese to use the house as a temporary Catholic Center, ensuring that students would not have to go another year without a space to call their own. On June 15, 2020, permission was granted, and the Catholic Center at UWG officially opened for the Fall 2020 semester.

Today, as we build on this strong foundation, we remain grateful for the leadership of those who came before—especially Norma Rothschadl, whose time as Director left a lasting legacy. The story of the Catholic Center at UWG is still being written, and we look forward with hope and faith to all that God has in store.