Spread the Gospel like Wildfire

What’s the best way to gather thousands of college students for a faith experience during Christmas break? Get them to FOCUS on their faith!  

The Fellowship Of Catholic University Students (FOCUS) is an organization that grew out of Pope Saint John Paul II’s initiative to call for a New Evangelization particularly among young people.  FOCUS missionaries bring the joy and hope of Jesus Christ to one hundred college campuses throughout the United States.  These missionaries become evangelizers on their own campuses and help their peers to foster a personal relationship with Christ.

Br. Sal Sammarco and Fr. Jim Berning recently attended the leadership-driven FOCUS convention in Dallas, TX. From January 1-5, they were gifted with the opportunity to be in fellowship, prayer, and meeting with over 3,000 university students from all over the country. This opportunity to attend the convention was a very important one for the mission of the vocations office because since its inception in 1998, 500 FOCUS alumni have pursued religious vocations.

Curtis Martin, the founder of FOCUS, encouraged students in a keynote address to be missionaries in three ways.  First, missionaries are invited to encounter Christ by making themselves available to the light of Christ. This is a light which ultimately will lead them to eternal life.  Second, he emphasized that the way for students to experience the Mercy of God is for them to render corporal works of mercy out in the world. Martin highlighted for the crowd that we are called to be a people of service, and that it is when we serve others he love of Christ is magnified in the world.  Third, he explained that true discipleship needs to be grounded in positive relationships in order to build and sustain faith with others.  For Jesus, this happened when he invited the twelve apostles to join him.  For college missionaries, this relational faith reality occurs when just a few new students are invited to meet Christ.  This investment reveals how the power of discipleship can shape the faith of college students. 

Moreover, the FOCUS convention provided meaningful days for students to be in a faith environment while integrating missionary skills.  By intentionally witnessing their faith, FOCUS missionaries can go into the world and “spread the gospel like wildfire.” Being among the thousands of young people at the convention during a time after the first semester when others are typically resting or catching up with friends and loved ones, served as a testament that many of our young people have a strong desire to know God and grow in their relationship with Him. To see them worship together, learn together, and be joyful was a personal witness for Fr. Jim and Br. Sal that gave a positive boost to the start of the New Year!