Chaplaincy
Chaplains offer compassionate help in all situations and support the spiritual life of the University community – but you do not need to belong to a religious group to see a chaplain.
Chaplains are experienced, credentialed, religious workers who are authorised by their faith tradition to provide support and guidance.
Faith and Spiritual Support
Learn about the wide range of support offered by our Chaplains.
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Meet Our Chaplains
Find out what chaplains are available at your campus.
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Multi-Faith Reflection Spaces
Learn more about our Multi-Faith Prayer and Reflection Spaces and Muslim Prayer Rooms.
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Religious and Cultural Groups
Find out what Religious and Cultural Groups you can join at our University via UNSA's Clubs and Societies page.
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Faith and spiritual support
Support offered by chaplains includes:
- providing pastoral care, regardless of your religious affiliation
- helping in making life-direction/vocational decisions
- regular study groups
- fostering a life-long exploration in spirituality, both in experience and intellectually
- helping with any situations of religious disrespect
- contributing to community building, equity, justice and peace making on campuses
- offering services as unbiased person(s) in reconciliation of conflict
- encouraging interfaith relationships as a way of supporting the holistic development of leadership in students and staff, and to combat ignorance, build shared understanding and build peace
- providing a welcoming, supportive environment where tea and coffee is always available
- Justice of the Peace services
- connections to locally-based religious communities
Meet our Chaplains
- At least one chaplain will be available to offer guidance and assistance Monday to Friday 10am-3pm. Please note these standard hours may vary, so if you 'd like to speak to someone outside of these hours please contact the Chaplaincy Centre on +61 2 4921 5571 for availability.
- For individual chaplain hours, please refer to our Meet the Chaplains page.
- The Chaplaincy Centre at Callaghan Campus is located in the Griffith Duncan (V) Building across from Wabi Sabi cafe, in room G03.
- Appointments are not necessary unless you wish to see a chaplain of a particular faith.
| Chaplain | Faith | Phone | Contact | Campus |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mohamed A Hamed | Muslim | 0491 070 625 | Email Mohamed | Callaghan |
| Bev Paterson JP | Presbyterian | 0409 571 141 | Email Bev | Callaghan |
| Paul Roussos JP | Seventh Day Adventist | 0490 414 096 | Email Paul | Callaghan |
| Amarjit Signh Chawla JP | Sikh | 0490 042 007 | Email Amarjit | Callaghan |
| Kim Langford JP | Uniting Church | 0418 694 296 | Email Kim | Callaghan |
| Cris Chatzigeorgiou | Greek Orthodox | 0480 266 512 | Email Cris | Callaghan |
- A chaplain is available at our Gosford campus on Wednesdays 10am-3pm
- Our Gosford based chaplain can be contacted via the front reception desk
| Chaplain | Faith | Phone | Contact | Campus |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Graham Clark JP | The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints | 0418 492 135 | Email Graham | Gosford |
- To get in touch with our City campus chaplain, please head to our Student Hub located on the Ground Floor of NUspace.
| Chaplain | Faith | Phone | Contact | Campus |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Giselle Cooke | Baháʼí | 0432 363 763 | Email Giselle | NUSpace |
| Malki Rodal (on call) | Jewish | 0425 834 986 | Email Malki | NUSpace |
| Rabbi Yossi Rodal (on call) | Jewish | 0425 730 412 | Email Yossi | NUSpace |
| Cris Chatzigeorgiou | Greek Orthodox | 0480 266 512 | Email Cris | NUspace |
Multi-Faith Prayer and Reflection Spaces and Muslim Prayer Rooms
The University of Newcastle is dedicated to fostering an inclusive environment that nurtures religious, faith-based, and spiritual practices. Our prayer and reflection spaces aim to support these practices, ensuring everyone can participate in work or study.
Our Multi-Faith Prayer and Reflection Spaces welcome everyone, regardless of religion, faith, or spiritual path. These areas offer a peaceful setting for prayer, meditation, and reflection, supporting practices that promote dignity, belonging, and inclusion. They offer peaceful settings to support these values.
You can find more information about our Prayer Rooms and Reflection Spaces, and their use guidelines, here.
Room Locations:
Callaghan:
- Multi-Faith Prayer and Reflection Space - Auchmuty Library (Room L-262).
- Muslim Prayer room - Auchmuty Library (Room L-255).
Newcastle City:
- University House - UNH237 and UNH238
Central Coast:
- Ourimbah - SO Building (Room SO-149)
- Gosford - CCCSRI Campus (Level 7)
Muslim staff and students are welcome to use any Multi-Faith Prayer and Reflection Space, however where a dedicated Muslim Prayer room is available, we encourage its use to help reduce demand on shared spaces and ensure comfortable access for everyone.
All spaces are available for use on a drop-in basis during the host building's operating hours.
Calendar of cultural and religious dates
You can view the 2026 calendar of cultural and religious dates on the Australian Government website.
The University of Newcastle acknowledges the traditional custodians of the lands within our footprint areas: Awabakal, Darkinjung, Biripai, Worimi, Wonnarua, and Eora Nations. We also pay respect to the wisdom of our Elders past and present.