FOCUS MISSIONS NEWS

Great News! The International Conference Application Deadline has been extended to March 17th! Apply today to ensure your spot at the Conference!

International Conference Application Due: March 17th
All other Applications Closed

FOCUS Missions 2012 Video

Guadalupe/La Morita, Mexico

              This trip was a wonderful reminder of how important it is to make Christ the center of my life. I was able to see God’s beauty in the places I encountered and in the people I met. This trip allowed me to get away from a hectic lifestyle and regain focus on what’s important: God.
 -Former FOCUS Mission Trip Volunteer

Date: Spring Break: March 19th-26th
              Summer:  July 12th-29th*

Mission Director: Spring Break: Jeff Runyan
                                 Summer: Jason Wunsch

Mission Co-Leaders: Spring Break: Jake Mach, Trish Metzger, Claire de Loynes
                                       Summer: John Fischer, Gina Koshute, Melissa Stadelman

Amount to Fundraise: Spring Break: $1300*
                    Summer:$2100*

The beauty of this mission has been unbelievable.  For four consecutive years we have had a mutual outpouring of generosity that has manifested itself in the raising of a church— built by hand every step of the way.  Experience a mission filled with prayer, service, Mass, and fellowship all with the goal to build God’s Church physically and spiritually. This year we will continue to work hand-in-hand with the people of this small Mexican village to construct their new Catholic Church. It is a guarantee that your heart will be moved by the authenticity of Mexican hospitality, the mutual outpouring of generosity and the impact of a people who deeply value friendship over efficiency. Bottom line: you will leave this mission with a new perspective on life.

After our mission in rural Mexico, we will travel to the heart of Mexico City, population 25,000,000, to begin pilgrimage to Our Lady of Guadalupe.  We will tour Aztec ruins, right in the heart of Mexico City and be reminded of the ancient Aztec culture that sacrificed hundreds of thousands of innocent lives in the name of false gods.  It was only with the arrival of Christianity and ultimately the appearance of Our Lady of Guadalupe that these sacrifices stopped. In Mexico City Catholic churches are built right over these ancient temples, often having been constructed out of the very same stones that constituted the Aztec structures. In a profound metaphor that reflects our history of salvation, the colonial structures of times past are being over taken by new modern development and human sacrifices in Mexico City have once again been legalized in the form of abortion. During our pilgrimage we will once again implore the intercession of Our Mother for the defense of life, the sanctification of our society, and the grace to be able to cry the gospel with our very lives.

Price includes: Roundtrip airfare from Denver (or other US departure city determined by the Mission Director), travel insurance, pre-trip orientation retreat, post-trip debriefing retreat, all food, lodging, building materials and in-country transportation.  (Does not include immunizations and travel meds, your travel to/from departure city, passport/visa expenses, other personal incidentals).

*Amount to Fundraise and Dates Subject to Change

New Orleans

            My participation on a FOCUS Mission Trip changed my life! I learned the importance of opening your heart, not only to others, but to Jesus. I also learned that during the mission, you are not there to only serve the poor and underprivileged of the area, but you’re there to serve the other missionaries on your trip, helping to bring them closer to Jesus.
 -Former FOCUS Mission Trip Volunteer

Dates: Spring Break: March 17-25th

Trip Director: Rob Muzyka

Mission Co-Leaders: Jessica Petersen, Kelly Rosborough

Amount to Fundraise: $450* + Transportation to New Orleans

Come participate in the ongoing Hurricane Katrina relief efforts as we work to rebuild the homes of those who lost everything!  Working through the organization called Operation Helping Hands run by the Archdiocese of New Orleans we will help families get back on their feet as they continue to repair their lives from the catastrophic damage inflicted by the wrath of Mother Nature.  Depending on the stage of re-construction, the group will be gutting, painting, reconstructing, or anything else needed in order to get the home back to a livable condition. This is your chance to serve our neighbors who lost so much and to bring vibrant Catholicism to the culture of the “Big Easy.”

Price includes: All food, lodging, and local transportation.

* Price subject to change

Lourdes, France

         The mission trip to France was for me, the trip of a lifetime. As we were spending time at the tombs and places where so many saints lived, they became much more real for me. Now I find it so much easier to pray with them and embrace them as a part of our Catholic faith.
-Former FOCUS Mission Trip Volunteer

Dates: July 5th – July 19th*

Mission Directors: TBD

Amount to Fundraise: $3100*

We must “emulate in ourselves what we respect in others,” and as Catholics, who better to learn about than the saints so that we might be able to emulate their example in our own lives.  This pilgrimage based journey to France, a land rich with sainthood, will take you to the actual place where many saints lived out their lives.  See how the Church formed through the intercession of St. Thérèse of Lisieux (the patron saint of FOCUS), experience Rouen where St. Joan of Arc was burned at the stake, celebrate the Holy Mass in Lyon the home of St. John Vianney where he was frequently attacked by the devil and read souls at a glance, venerate the body of St. Bernadette and finally pilgrimage to Lourdes, the place where our Holy Mother appeared to St. Bernadette!

As we are inspired by the saints, we also to strive live out sainthood by breathing new life into the Church in France.  Our mission will also be to work with French youth and religious communities to renew, invigorate, and be in solidarity with our European brothers and sisters in Christ.

Price includes: Roundtrip airfare from Chicago (or other US departure city determined by the Mission Director), travel insurance, pre-trip orientation retreat, post-trip debriefing retreat, all food, lodging, and in-country transportation. (Does not include immunizations and travel meds, your travel to/from departure city, passport/visa expenses, other personal incidentals).

*Amount to fundraise and dates subject to change

Kolkata, India

          I went to India to change the lives of others and found out quickly that the opposite was happening. The poorest of the poor taught me more on lessons of humility and patience than any mentor or teacher could have. My experience changed my life forever and will be something I will never forget.
-Zach Kane, University of Nebraska-Lincoln

Date: May 30th-July 1st *

Mission Director: Kyle Senn

Mission Co-Leaders: Jeff Runyan, Kate Ebeler, Ruth Kalscheur

Amount to Fundraise: $3000-$3500*

*Dates and amount to fundraise subject to change

Imagine walking in the footsteps of Mother Teresa of Kolkata, working with orphans, feeding the hungry and serving the dying.  This is your chance to emulate in yourself the life of a saint-to-be.  Join this incredibly profound mission working with the Missionaries of Charity in the slums of Kolkata!  Each day you will have a chance to invest your life into the “least of God’s people” whether by working in a home for the dying, an orphanage populated by preschool-aged victims of sex trafficking, or any number of apostolates run by the Missionaries of Charity.

After working in midst of the Missionaries of Charity who inspire all present with their incredible heroic generosity, the group will travel to beautiful coastal Chennai where they will have the once-in-a-lifetime chance of seeing the tomb of St. Thomas the Apostle.

Finally, end your trip in Jaipur, where you will be immersed in authentic Indian culture, interacting with elephants, cobras, and monkeys and seeing one of the Seven Ancient Wonders of the World—the Taj Mahal!

Price includes: Roundtrip airfare from Chicago (or other US departure city determined by the Mission Director), travel insurance, pre-trip orientation retreat, post-trip debriefing retreat, all food, lodging, and in-country transportation.  (Does not include immunizations and travel meds, your travel to/from departure city, passport/visa expenses, other personal incidentals).

*Dates and amount to fundraise subject to change

The Bronx, New York

       There are different ways I can find satisfaction in life, but I believe spiritual satisfaction through service to the Lord and His people is the highest form of pleasure man can attain. There is nothing more important and noble than investing in the Kingdom of Heaven, and this mission trip reiterated that to me. Everything about this trip continues to motivate me in my ongoing commitment to be a better person today than yesterday.
-Chris Ela, USAF Academy

Dates: Spring Break: March 10th-18th

Trip Director: Danielle McKenna

Mission Co-Leaders: Kristine Strever, John Huynh

Amount to Fundraise: $300+ Transportation to NYC

Serve in the shadow of modern day saints as we work directly with the Missionaries of Charity and the Franciscan Friars of the Renewal in New York City!  The Missionaries of Charity are currently serving around the globe and you will recognize them as the religious order of Mother Theresa of Calcutta.  The robe clad Franciscan Friars of the Renewal are the famed proclaimers of the “New Evangelization” in some of America’s poorest inner-city environments.  Our service will be right in their distinct apostolates including working in homeless shelters, working with AIDS patients, shelters for homeless single mothers, and even street evangelization in Time square!  Discerning your vocation? – What a great opportunity for hands on experience of religious life!  Don’t miss out on this amazing opportunity!

Price includes: All food, lodging, and local transportation.

Camino de Santiago

My life was rocked by the great saints along the Camino. I admired their devotion to Christ and the Church. Even more than that, I saw the need to love Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament. Through the devotion to the Sacred Heart, I was awakened to praise Him in my reception of the Eucharist, and any time I enter His house. I couldn’t get over how desperate He loves us, and how humble He makes Himself to us.
-Former FOCUS Missions Pilgrimage Participant

Dates: July 10th-26th*

Mission Director: Marnee Peterson

Mission Co-Leaders:Gina Koshute

Amount to Fundraise: $2900*

*Dates and Amount to Fundraise Subject to Change

The Way of St James has existed for over a thousand years and was one of the most important Christian pilgrimages during medieval times.   It is considered one of three pilgrimages on which a plenary indulgence can be earned.  The others are the Via Francigena to Rome and the pilgrimage to Jerusalem.  St. James’s remains were carried by boat from Jerusalem, by his disciples, to northern Spain where they were buried on the site of what is now the city of Santiago de Compostela.

Today, tens of thousands of Christian pilgrims and other travelers set out each year from their front doorstep, or popular starting points across Europe, to make their way to Santiago de Compostela. Most travel by foot, some by bicycle, and a few travel as some of their medieval counterparts did, on horseback or by donkey.

You have the opportunity to join our group on this amazing adventure! For 13 days, we will travel on the path that thousands of other pilgrims have traveled for centuries before them.  We will spend time in prayer and conversation as a group and with many other pilgrims along the way, and stay in a different hostel each night.  On July 24, we will participate in mass in the Cathedral of St. James on the Feast Day of St. James and see one of the greatest firework shows in all of Europe!

Price includes: Roundtrip airfare from Denver (or other US departure city determined by the Mission Director), travel insurance, pre-trip orientation retreat, post-trip debriefing retreat, all food, lodging, and in-country transportation.(Does not include immunizations and travel meds, your travel to/from departure city, passport/visa expenses, other personal incidentals).

*Dates and Amount to Fundraise Subject to Change