Friday, March 6, 2026
The CSC Eagle Newspaper – Chadron, NE
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The CSC Eagle Newspaper – Chadron, NE
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Newman finds new house director

Jordyn Hulinsky
From left, Jacob Rissler, RD of Eagle Ridge and High Rise and member of the Newman Board; Dillon Spies, 22, senior of Grand Island; Director of Newman Riley Stack; Father Timothy Stoner, of St. Patrick's Catholic Church; and Logan Douglas, 19, freshman of Sidney, sit around talking Wednesday after a meal at the Newman House. - Jordyn Hulinsky
From left, Jacob Rissler, RD of Eagle Ridge and High Rise and member of the Newman Board; Dillon Spies, 22, senior of Grand Island; Director of Newman Riley Stack; Father Timothy Stoner, of St. Patrick’s Catholic Church; and Logan Douglas, 19, freshman of Sidney, sit around talking Wednesday after a meal at the Newman House. – Jordyn Hulinsky

The Newman House at CSC found a new director of the center.

Riley Stack, native of Chadron, will replace Colby Thomazin as the director of the Newman House, which is located at 907 Main St.

Stack graduated in May 2015 from Mount Marty College, Yankton, South Dakota. He majored in secondary math education and is working on a masters from CSC in science and organization management with a  sports management specialty.

“I think having a new college graduate will help Newman to be more involved on campus and have a fresh perspective,” Stephanie Steele, 22, senior of Osceola, said.

The Newman House is the Catholic Ministry to the Chadron State College Campus. Most Wednesday nights, a meal and spiritual program is offered. Mass is on the first Wednesday of every month. The meal begins at 5 p.m.

After serving as director for 11 years, Thomazin was not active as the director during the fall 2015 semester due to an illness, Father Timothy Stoner, of Chadron’s St. Patrick Catholic Parish, said. Thomazin died Saturday night in New Orleans at the age of 52 from his long-term disease.

Thomazin, who was originally from Grand Island, will be buried in Gibbon, on Feb. 13. A funeral service in New Orleans was celebrated Tuesday.

“Colby was a big part of why I came to Newman,” Dillon Spies, 22, senior of Grand Island, said. “I hope the new director can do half as well for the new students as Colby did for me.”

In September 2015, a reporter from The Eagle interviewed Thomazin about the Newman House.

“The Newman House has been at the current location since 1969, but the house itself was probably started in 1949 or 1950 at St. Patrick’s when it was part of the parish ministry.  It still is in some respects,” Thomazin said.

The Newman House is a part of and receives money from the Grand Island Diocese.

Thomazin’s said his goal of the Newman House in Chadron was to do community building.

Stack said he would just like to see what the students want and be there for the students.

“I would like to see Newman be more involved on campus and in the community while building fellowship,” Steele said.

“I would like to see Newman expand,” Spies said. “I want to be a good example for other colleges and be a safe place where people can express their beliefs without fear of persecution.”