Hello. I’m Father Andrew Vogel, the Pastor of the St. Thomas More Newman Center. I’m a one-eared Korean with a German last name. I grew up in the foreign country of Iowa and attended Iowa State University, where I got a degree in Computer Engineering. Since I grew up in Ames and went to Iowa State, I’m a diehard Iowa State Cyclone’s fan. I’m coming around on the Twins and the Vikings but I can’t quite get into the Timberwolves and Wild. Maybe one of you can convert me.

More importantly, college was a time of radical change in my relationship with Christ and the Catholic Church. I barely remember being Confirmed in 10th grade. In college I fell in with a Baptist campus ministry and started allowing my relationship with Christ to affect my everyday decisions. I also started reading the Bible every day. After a couple of years, I almost became Baptist. Instead, I started reading Scott Hahn, Jeff Cavins, and other modern Catholic apologists. After reading a lot in a few months, I became convinced that the Catholic Church had the fullness of Truth. To make a long story short, I became more involved in the Newman Center at Iowa State and began my seven year discernment of entering the seminary. 

The St. Thomas More Newman Center exists to provide a place where Christ can radically change the lives of the students at Minnesota State University Mankato. I am blessed to be the Pastor here.