DENVER, Colo., May 12, 2017 — Departing and transitioning missionaries involved with FOCUS, the Fellowship of Catholic University Students, sometimes encounter challenges as they leave campus life, where they have flourished in a close Catholic community. To support them in that transition, FOCUS Alumni Relations department created Go Forth, a four-day commissioning event, to help them prepare for the next phase of their lives and continue living lifelong Catholic mission. Nearly 100 missionaries attended the third annual Go Forth event, held May 8 – 11 in Genesee, Colo.
“Go Forth is an opportunity to celebrate, honor and thank the new alumni for their service,” said FOCUS Alumni Senior Director Deborah Fowlkes. “We also provide world-class training on how to be effective missionary disciples in their families, parishes, workplaces and communities.”
Through prayer, adoration and the sacraments, these new FOCUS alumni at the Go Forth event reflected on how the Holy Spirit guided their hearts and actions in the past. They will continue to discern His calling for their future mission work among co-workers, new parishes, friends and families.
Go Forth speakers included Archbishop Samuel J. Aquila, Fr. Scott Traynor and FOCUS Founder and CEO Curtis Martin. The Go Forth event also included a special Commissioning Mass celebrated by Archbishop Aquila and national FOCUS chaplains.
About FOCUS
The Fellowship of Catholic University Students (FOCUS) was founded in 1998 and invites college students into a growing relationship with Jesus Christ and His Church, inspiring and equipping them for a lifetime of Christ-centered evangelization, discipleship and friendships in which they lead others to do the same. During the 2016 – 2017 academic year, nearly 600 missionaries are serving full-time on 125 college campuses, located across 38 U.S. states and in two pilot locations in Austria. More than 20,000 students have been involved with FOCUS, who after graduation have the opportunity to move into parish life to continue their missionary work. Within this number, more than 600 have made decisions to pursue Catholic religious vocations. By 2022, FOCUS expects — God willing — to have 75,000 students transitioned into many of America’s 17,000+ Catholic parishes. FOCUS missionaries are typically recent college graduates who devote two or more years of their post-collegiate lives to reach out to peers on campus. To learn more, visit us at focus.org.
Please help us continue
