About FOCUS




Answering the Church’s call for a new evangelization, FOCUS, the Fellowship of Catholic University Students, is a national outreach that meets college students where they are and invites them into a growing relationship with Jesus Christ and the Catholic faith.
More and more people hear and learn about FOCUS every day.  In the course of 15 years, the ripple effect of our campus missionaries’ work has spanned across the country to touch lives on the college campus.  We are grateful for the good fruit we have begun to reap in seeing thousands of college students being reached for Christ but we also know there is so much more to do.
Every day, FOCUS missionaries are asked, ‘What is FOCUS?”  “What does FOCUS do?”  “How does FOCUS work?”  “Whom are you trying to reach?”  In order to answer these important questions, we’ve written the following statements to help express the scope of our work succinctly.
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The Main Thing
Inviting 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 friendship in which they lead others to do the same.
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Mission Statement
To know Christ Jesus, and to fulfill His great commission by first living and then
communicating the fullness of life within the family of God, the Church.
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Rooted in Sacred Scripture and Sacred Tradition, FOCUS was born out of a passion and zeal to share how a relationship with Jesus Christ and the Catholic faith can transform the world.  Beginning with our nation’s future leaders, FOCUS sends teams of young, trained missionaries to the college campus in order to reach students with the gospel.  In partnership with the university parish and/or Newman Center, FOCUS missionaries host large group outreach events, weekly Bible studies and offer one-on-one mentoring with student leaders.
We welcome young adults from all walks of life and religious backgrounds to our events.  Through the personal investment and dedication of our missionaries, FOCUS helps to build a joyful, Christ-centered community and support network on each campus where we have a presence.  Students are encouraged to join the missionaries at daily Mass and in prayer, the most vital commitment our missionaries make each day.


Why do we need to reach college students?

College years are some of the most pivotal of a young person's life. Without the support of family and friends, the majority of freshman students fall into the party culture, swallowed by promises of happiness from destructive influences. What most of these students don't realize is that true joy is closer than they think. At FOCUS, we introduce young men and women on the college campus to a relationship with God. With encouragement from our campus missionaries, thousands of students are overcoming the harsh reality of campus culture:
  • 85% of Catholic college students do not attend Sunday Mass
  • Bing drinking, sexual promiscuity, moral relativism and academic hostility towards the Catholic faith
  • General lack of knowledge or understanding of faith
  • Scarcity of faithful young people to lead the Church into the future

How do we reach college students?

Our Model
  • Win them over through genuine friendships.
  • Build up their personal relationship with God and equip them with tools needed to thrive in college and beyond.
  • Send them out and share the Faith with their peers.
Our Methods
  • Large Group Outreach: We host events, conferences and retreats that provide opportunites for college students to respond to God's love, foster relationships and grow spiritually.
  • Bible Studies: By facilitating small group discussion, we aid students in understanding and applying Sacred Scripture to their everyday lives.
  • One-on-One Mentorship:  Through personal investment in the lives of our students, we model Christ's love and guidance; teaching them how to live their faith in the midst of life's everday demands and distractions.


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