St. Paul University Catholic Foundation Inc.

Our History.

In 1883, John and Frances Melvin began to open their home to Catholic students who attended the University of Wisconsin-Madison to gather, meet, and strengthen their spirituality. This gathering of students was soon called the Melvin Club. One of the earliest members of the Melvin Club was Timothy Harrington. When Harrington went to the University of Pennsylvania for graduate work, he established a similar club there and the Newman movement was started. For the next 30 years, the Melvin club continued to meet on the UW-Madison campus until Fr. Hengell, curate of Holy Redeemer, was able to raise sufficient funds for a chapel. On Jan 27th, 1910, St. Paul's, a Tudor Gothic chapel located at the end of State Street, was dedicated. It was the first Catholic chapel at a state university in America. Fr. Hengell purchased the house next to the chapel to serve as a clubhouse for students to meet. In 1907, the St. Paul foundation incorporated and assumed its own financial autonomy. The St. Paul University Catholic Foundation (SPUCF) has been serving students on the UW-Madison campus ever since. The foundation is overseen by a foundation board which is comprised of the director of St. Paul University Catholic Foundation, the Bishop, two UW-Madison students appointed by Badger Catholic(student organization), and seven elected lay foundation members. The elected lay board members serve staggered three year terms.

Our Mission.

St. Paul University Catholic Center primarily exists to promote the spiritual welfare and moral and intellectual development of the Catholic students attending the University of Wisconsin – Madison and to provide similar services to other college students who live and study in the Madison area. It also provides spiritual support to the faculty and staff of the University of Wisconsin – Madison and to those community members who regularly attend and support St. Paul's.

Foundation Membership.

Foundation membership is automatically extended to all students and to benefactors who contribute over $100 annually.

Foundation Board.

The foundation board meets monthly on Wednesday at 6:00 P.M. at the St. Paul's University Catholic Center 723 State Street, Madison, WI. All board meetings are open to foundation members.