FOCUS at the University of Mary

"Is this all that life has to offer?” Lindsey Stein wondered. “If so, what is the point of existing?"

As a freshman at the University of Mary, the North Dakota teen had been pursuing happiness to no avail. Despite having been baptized Catholic, she followed the culture over her faith.

“I found myself empty and searching for something more,” she explained. “It was at this crucial life dilemma of question and doubt that a FOCUS [The Fellowship of Catholic University Students] missionary stepped into my life. She was radiantly joyful, and I couldn't figure out why.”
Through friendship with the missionary, Stein began attending a bible study and encountered Jesus Christ for the first time. “I then understood where her joy came from!”

Stein became a FOCUS missionary three years ago and is serving at Eastern Washington University in Cheney, Washington. “I have been continually diving deeper into the beauty of a life lived with and for Christ,” she explained. “Each soul deserves happiness and it can only be found within an authentic relationship with their Creator.”

Amid the distractions that lure college students away from a faith life, FOCUS sets out to find them. If they are poorly catechized or unmotivated, there’s a high risk they will become a “none”— the fastest growing religious affiliation.

Curtis Martin and a dedicated group of clergy and lay leaders established FOCUS in 1998 to combat the pull away from faith. Their goal is to make Christ and the Church relevant through personal encounters with students. It began with just two missionaries at Benedictine College and has grown to nearly 700 serving full-time on 153 college campuses. Tens of thousands of students have been involved with FOCUS and 732 of those have gone on to pursue religious vocations. 

Catholic universities also need missionaries

Catholic theologian and best-selling author Dr. Edward Sri helped found FOCUS and serves as the vice-president of formation. He pointed out that while the basics of missionary training have remained the same, as the rising culture is less engaged in faith, FOCUS serves an increasingly important role.

“In this cultural environment, the need for missionaries on a campus to accompany young people in life is needed everywhere, not just state-run universities,” he said. “Even in a very Catholic environment, we see the value of having missionaries accompany young people to help them apply their Catholic faith to life such as with dating, the moral life, and struggles in prayer.” He explained that a study conducted by FOCUS found the greatest amount of fruit—more than even bible studies—was having other young people a couple steps ahead in life become their friends.
 
“That kind of ministry is needed just as much on Catholic campuses as public ones,” according to Sri. “Look at the challenges in our age and in our Church. It’s a great sense of hope that when we proclaim the Gospel, we get a response.”
 
Training at University of Mary

Missionaries must raise their own salaries, but that has not deterred growth. There are even married couples and families in FOCUS. This year, in addition to holding their annual summer training at Ave Maria University in Naples, Florida, a second location was needed to fit everyone in.

“North Dakota in June is a wonderful place to be, and we had space, so we offered to host them here,” said University of Mary president Msgr. James Shea who serves on the FOCUS board of directors. He explained that the missionaries brought a vitality and vibrancy to the campus. “It was beautiful to see them playing soccer or worshiping together and socializing with their families,” Msgr. Shea said. People feel it is a calling, so many continue after marriage and having children. There were 15 high chairs set up in the campus cafeteria and 57 children ages three and under.
 
Missionaries have served at UMary since 2010. At public universities, they operate out of Newman centers located near campus. “It’s an advantage at a Catholic college to be able to work in partnership with other entities here, all trying to do good work,” Msgr. Shea explained. “Not all students come here for the Catholic identity, but the goal is to engage them all in a deeper relationship with their faith.”
 
From UMary and beyond
 
Michael Mortenson and his wife Ashley, both originally from Dickinson, are two more UMary graduates working as FOCUS missionaries. Mortenson is also the team director for FOCUS at Minnesota State University-Mankato campus.
 
He played football in college and was impressed by the witness of FOCUS missionaries living out the Gospel and creating a dynamic culture. It also impressed him that young adults were willing to give up two or more years of their life to share their faith and encourage others to walk with them.
 
Although Ashley was the first to feel called, after they attended the 2015 national FOCUS conference, Michael felt called to become a missionary too. “On the way back, as it was sinking in, I thought, Wow, I can’t believe we are going to give this a shot.,” he said. They are now in their fourth year.
 
There are many ways FOCUS engages students from just being open and interested by asking questions to setting up information tables and hosting events. “We really want to encounter the individual so that they feel loved and cared for,” Mortenson said. “Even if they are an atheist we still want to plant the seed and to engage them and welcome them.”  
 
At a homecoming barbecue they hosted one year, a group of guys came just for the food.  “One of them was drawn in and impressed that he could have so much fun without drinking,” Mortenson said. “He was not Catholic at the time, but joined the Church a year ago and is now a FOCUS missionary. “
 
The goal, Mortenson said, is to show people that faith lived out, brings great joy. “We want to help raise up a generation of evangelists and to help people to get to know Jesus and to be able to share that.”