Frequently Asked Questions

1. What is FOCUS?
This text is taken from the FOCUS website:
"FOCUS is a Catholic collegiate outreach whose mission is to share the hope and joy of the gospel with college and university students. Trained in Church teaching, prayer, sacred Scripture, evangelization and discipleship, FOCUS missionaries encounter students in friendship where they are, inviting them into a personal relationship with Jesus Christ and accompanying them as they pursue lives of virtue and excellence. Through Bible studies, outreach events, mission trips and one-on-one discipleship, missionaries inspire and build up students in the faith, sending them out to spread the good news and to live out the Great Commission: Go, therefore, and make disciples of all nations (Mt. 28:19)."

2. What will the missionaries do?
This text is taken from the FOCUS website:
"Reaching Out
Partnering with chaplains and campus ministers, FOCUS missionaries go out to colleges and universities to meet students where they are: in the dorms, on the field, at the student union and in every corner of campus. Through outreach events and one-on-one conversations, students make meaningful connections with members of Christ’s body — growing in friendships, sharing life and coming together in authentic community.
Diving Deep
Through Bible studies, prayer, sacraments, service opportunities, mission trips and national conferences, missionaries invest deeply in students’ lives and build them up in the knowledge and practice of the Catholic faith, sharing with them the joy of the gospel.
Raising Up
By building students in faith, missionaries also raise up students to become leaders in evangelization, teaching them how to serve as missionary disciples and to lead others to Christ."

3. What will the missionaries' relationship to the existing campus ministry be?
The missionaries will report directly to Father Lukasz, the director of campus ministry. They will supplement the existing campus ministry programs by going onto the campus to directly engage students who are not already coming to the Newman Center. They will also lead Bible studies and other small group activities that will complement our existing small group programs. Their main purpose will be to meet college students where they are at - on campus - and inviting them to engage their faith more deeply. 

4. What will the missionaries' relationship to the parish be?
The FOCUS missionaries will work predominantly with college students and will often be directly evangelizing on campus. However, they will be around St. Catherine's running college Bible studies and other events for campus ministry, so make sure to say hi!

5. Who is paying for the missionaries?
Our parish does not and will not contribute financially to the missionaries. Rather, the cost will be covered by a combined effort of generous University of Utah alumni donors who wanted to bring FOCUS to their alma mater as well as the missionaries' personal fundraising around the diocese.

6. Do the missionaries have the support of the diocese?
Bishop Oscar personally invited FOCUS to serve the University of Utah community. He is excited that students from all over the diocese of Salt Lake will benefit from this organization's work. The missionaries have the full support of the diocese. 
 

Our New Missionaries

Giuliano Mion - Team Director

Macy Becker - Veteran Missionary

Michael (Mike) Di Lucca

Allison (Alli) Ward