ABOUT US

We are AUCatholic

We are the Catholic Campus Ministry
at American University

We are a community of faith that calls, forms, and sends students to be salt and light in the Church and the Nation’s Capital.

By offering opportunities for spiritual formation, small group community, and social gatherings, we strive to welcome newcomers, strengthen disciples, and equip students for their mission in life.

our team

Fr. Iván Pertiné

Chaplain

Fr. Iván Pertiné is General Director of the Saint John Society (SJS – www.socsj.org), a Society of Apostolic Life of priests and missionaries that work in the USA, Italy, Argentina, and Uruguay.

He led the Catholic Newman Centers at Oregon State University and Portland State University for three years before coming to Washington, DC, as the Catholic Chaplain at American University. He holds a License Degree in Philosophy from the Universidad del Norte Santo Tomas de Aquino in Buenos Aires, an S.T.B. in Theology from the Pontifical Catholic University of Buenos Aires, Argentina, and an S.T.L from the Angelicum, Rome.

Fr. Iván has been a Catholic priest for 24 years (16 in Argentina). During these years, he served as a pastor in a rural parish, worked with college and high school students, led different evangelization programs, worked in a state prison, and led evangelization missions in poor areas of various cities in Argentina.

Allie Dunbaugh

Campus Minister

Hi! My name is Allie and I am delighted to serve as the campus minister for AUCatholic! I’m originally from Colorado and completed my bachelor’s degree there in international affairs and communication studies.

After graduating in 2020, I moved to DC to pursue my master’s degree in Latin American studies from George Washington. While I was a student there, I met the St. John Society and volunteer missionaries (VMs) at St. Ann’s and got connected with the AUCatholic community. After graduating from GW, I served as a VM here at AU, where I found my true passion for college campus ministry.

I’ve been working in campus ministry ever since and have loved seeing AUCatholic grow! I love to travel, meet new people, play tennis, get coffee with students, and talk about Jesus. Feel free to drop by my office any time!

SJS Missionary

Manuel Luna

SSJ Formation

Javier Presno

SSJ Formation

Kim Paquette

Volunteer Missionary

Colin Thibault

Volunteer Missionary

Zach Reese

Volunteer Missionary

Julia Hoover

Volunteer Missionary

Tess Owen

Volunteer Missionary

Allison Junker

Volunteer Missionary

Valeria Gonzalez

Volunteer Missionary

LEADERSHEAP TEAM 2025

Ella Bordwell

President

Joey Oliva

VP of Hospitality

Manuela Gonzalez

VP of Communications

Eric Baber

VP of Finance

Elizabeth Sherwin

Co-VP of Liturgy

William Massa

VP Outreach

Maca Barreto

VP of Service

Nick Youngquist

Co-VP of Liturgy

Matthew Vigneau

VP of Music

Gina de Jesus

VP of Socials

AUCatholic is staffed by the Saint John Society, a Society of Apostolic Life dedicated to the New Evangelization.

We have a missionary heart: we call, form and send. We want to provide opportunities for the proclamation of the kerygma that allow people to experience Jesus Christ alive by the power of the Holy Spirit.