SW News: Filled with the zeal to proclaim Christ and His gospel of love and compassion, as many as 800 missionaries will be sent to 205 locations, including 25 parishes in the US and seven international campuses, by the US-based Fellowship of Catholic University Students also known as FOCUS. These missionaries will reanimate the faith of students as well as parishioners and lead by example so that more people are inspired to proclaim Christ.

As part of this lofty endeavour, FOCUS will tie up with parishes and campus ministries. One of the main intentions of the collaboration of FOCUS with campuses is to pave the way for a springtime of religious vocations. The organization hopes to have more than 2,000 vocations to the religious life within five years. Already, more than 1,000 youngsters have enrolled in seminaries and religious houses as a result of the pastoral work of FOCUS.

Some of the new FOCUS campus locations include the University of Georgia, the University of Miami and the University of Krems in Austria. The Digital Outreach missionaries of FOCUS will also serve the University of Hawaii and San Francisco State University. St Raymond Catholic Church in Menlo Park, California, and Mary, Seat of Wisdom Catholic Church in Park Ridge, Illinois, are two of the new parish venues of FOCUS in the United States.

The missionaries will reach out to students and parishioners through Bible studies, outreach events, mission trips and personal encounters and inspire them to spread the Good News and be part of the Great Commission of the Lord to go forth and make disciples of all nations.

Fr Patrick Hyde OP, the director of Campus Ministry at St Paul Catholic Center at Indiana University said FOCUS witness has been effective as their ministry has nearly quadrupled since the partnership with the organization. “The joyful witness of our FOCUS missionaries has changed and enhanced our ministry to better reach and equip our students with the Good News,” he said.