Harvard University's Catholic community of students, faculty and staff has gathered for prayer and worship in Harvard Square for 150 years. With approval from Harvard President Charles Eliot and with the support of Bishop John Keane, the rector of Catholic University of America, the Harvard Catholic Center officially came into existence in 1893. The Boston Archdiocesan newspaper, The Pilot, stated that the Harvard Catholic Center's purpose was to "increase the friendship between the Catholic and Protestants which now exists in the University and to make the Catholic faith better known to those outside of it. Moreover, through this Catholic organization, eminent laymen and clergymen will come to Cambridge and lecture on important moral and religious questions."
Today, the Catholic Center continues to provide important ministerial and programming elements for Harvard students including retreats, educational and formational programs and service opportunities.