Haiti
October 26, 2010
New Summer/Spring Break Trip for 2012
Going on a FOCUS Mission Trip taught me that it is not enough to know Christ, but you have to love him on a deep and intimate level. Without this love of Christ, all other forms of love are tainted, or incomplete. You cannot truly love another person, without first loving Christ.
-Sam Volkmer University of Nebraska Lincoln
Dates: Spring Break: March 10th-18th*
Summer: May 5th – May 16th*
Trip Director: Spring Break: Leah Sedlacek
Summer: Danielle McKenna
Mission Co-Leaders: Spring Break: Laura Scharmer, Michael Preszler, Justin Petrisek
Summer: Rob Johnson,
Amount to Fundraise: Spring Break: $1600*
Summer: $2000*
*Prices and Dates subject to change.
January 12, 2010 marked a cataclysmic and devastating earthquake which would change the history of Haiti forever. With 230,000 people dead, 300,000 injured and 1,000,000 made homeless by the earthquake, the people of Haiti are in desperate need of your help.
Even before the earthquake, Haiti held the title of the poorest country in the Western Hemisphere. On this mission, you will have the opportunity to work with the Missionaries of Charity at in Delmas, a neighborhood of Port-au-Prince. Volunteer opportunities include staffing a nutrition center serving 200 small children, working in an orphanage, teaching at a school for 400+ or feeding the hungry at a food distribution center.
Other projects could include working in a tiny mountain village with the homeless and poor. Water and basic services are scarce and we would find ourselves serving in their small school, building homes, or even working in their medical facilities.
There is little doubt that Haiti needs your help! Please consider joining this Mission and making a difference in Haiti today!
World Youth Day
October 26, 2010
“Never forget that the Church, in fact humanity itself, all the people around you now and those who await you in the future, expect much from you young people, because you have within you the supreme gift of the Father, the Spirit of Jesus”.
Over the past 25 years, more than 15 million pilgrims have trecked to join our Holy Father to hear his message of hope for our generation at World Youth Day. Now, at the dawn of a new era in the Church, you can be a part of this life-changing event with FOCUS Missions.
This August, hundreds of thousands, if not millions of youth will converge on Madrid, Spain for World Youth Day to welcome Pope Benedict XVI. With people from every corner of the earth attending this event, the spirit of ecumenism and solidarity promises to unite Christians from around the world! Lives will be transformed, international friendships will be made, and you, the future leaders of our communities, states, and countries, will be inspired with the breath of the Holy Spirit!
FOCUS and World Youth Day
Part 1: Pre-World Youth Day – FOCUS International Conference
AUGUST 8TH- 14TH, 2011
Converging at an ancient 6th century monastery in the countryside of Spain, our delegation of FOCUS staff and students will meet with 
delegations of other university students from throughout Europe to hold the first ever FOCUS international conference. In this gorgeous monastery whose mere environment has an almost osmotic power to inspire
sanctification, our group will realize a conference based on the love and solidarity to frankly address the most controversial topics of the Faith. Our group discussions and renowned speakers will be fortified by an emphasis on prayer and sacraments. Daily Mass, confession, perpetual adoration, and praise and worship will be held in the monastery’s 15th century church. The village surrounding the monastery, forested hillsides, and nature trails beckon a Eucharistic procession and holy leisure which will be guaranteed to create life-long, Faith-based, international friendships. For more information about Samos Monastery click here.
One of the highlights of this conference will be a full group pilgrimage to the tomb of St. James the Apostle in Santiago de Compostela. We will have Mass at the Cathedral, which of course is the final pilgrimage destination for all pilgrims walking the Way of St. James (Camino de Santiago). This Cathedral is also famous for its incensor which swings hundreds of feet in the air from one ceiling of the cathedral to the other.
Part II: World Youth Day 2011, Madrid
AUGUST 15TH- 22TH, 2011
After our FOCUS international conference, we will unite in Madrid with hundreds of thousands of Catholic youth for all of the papal masses and 
events surrounding World Youth Day.
We will be hosted by a Spanish parish which actively engages Spanish university students and sees 120+ students on a weekly basis for evening reflections and catechesis. As we bring the momentum of our international conference to this parish, we will continue to grow in solidarity and Faith with the local youth. We will participate in evening talks at the parish and enjoy attending World Youth Day centered events around the city. There will also be time for exploring the city and enjoying cultural experiences.
“I encourage you to take part in this event, which is so important for the Church in Europe and for the universal Church. I would like all young people – those who share our faith in Jesus Christ, but also those who are wavering or uncertain, or who do not believe in him – to share this experience, which can prove decisive for their lives.” Pope Benedict XVI
Brazil
October 26, 2010
“[There is] clear necessity that the Catholic Church in Brazil commit herself to a new evangelization that spares no efforts in the search for lapsed Catholics, as well as for persons who know little or nothing of the evangelical message, leading them to a personal encounter with Jesus Christ, living and active in his Church.”
-Pope Benedict XVI
Dates: July 16th – August 3rd
Trip Director: Jimmy Becker
Mission Co-Leaders: Tara Elpers, James Koslowski, Kourtney Kuba
Amount to Fundraise: $4000-$4500*
*Trip dates and price subject to change
Join FOCUS for this incredible mission experience in the heart of the Amazon Rainforest!
We will be working in conjunction with the Pastoral do Menor on this mission to the youth of Brazil. since 1982, the Pastoral do Menor has been responsible for the guidance and protection of thousands of boys and girls as well as being instrumental in preventing them from taking to the streets where they are vulnerable to many forms of abuse and violence. We will be building a satellite center for their ministry in the rural surroundings of Santarem.
Daily encounters with the youth promise to be inspiring and will range from religious activities to games and fun. Other cultural and recreational highlights may include an Amazon forest tour, trip to the beach, capoeira, sports, dancing, and visiting a coffee factory.
Don’t miss out on your chance to be the catalyst for change in the heart of the Amazon!
Honduras
October 26, 2010
My participation on a FOCUS Mission Trip taught me about God’s love. The Love that I received from the other missionaries allowed me to understand that God is calling me to more in this life. We are meant to be the best versions of ourselves.
-Justin Tomko, University of Pittsburgh
Dates: Spring Break: March 10th-18th*
Summer: July 26th – August 7th*
Trip Director: Spring Break: Mary Arzola
Summer: Tanya Cenak
Mission Co-Leaders: Spring Break: Taber Carlson, Katie Quinn
Summer: Michael Preszler, Nate Nash, Manda Poffel
Amount to Fundraise: Spring Break: $1750*
Summer: $2000*
*Trip dates and price subject to change
Honduras is the second poorest country in the Western hemisphere with nearly 21% of the population living on less than $1 US dollar per day. The people of this country are starving for food and starving for Christ!
On this mission you will bring hope to the people of Comoyagua, Honduras, by working alongside the Missioners of Christ, Franciscan Friars of the Renewal, and the Diocese of Comoyagua to catechize and serve remote mountain areas near Comoyagua. You will lead daily programs for youth, young adults, and parents, feeding them spiritually and physically! There are opportunities for door-to-door “bare-handed” evangelization as we invite villagers to Mass and Confession–oftentimes, the first time the Sacraments have been made available to them in years! You may also get the chance to work alongside the Missionaries of Charity in their orphanages and nursing home, as well as a school for the deaf and local orphanages.
Bring hope to a people desiring Christ! Help Honduras now by applying for this FOCUS Mission!
Russia
October 22, 2010
This mission gave me a greater understanding of what it means to be human, and a deeper understanding of love. We worked with the neglected elderly and orphans in Vladivostok, who have no one to defend their dignity and no one to show them love, and with the children of the poorest and dirtiest neighborhoods, who longed for attention and meaning. In their pain, suffering, and neglect, we encountered the passion of Christ, and He taught us that His love transcends language, it fulfills all longings, and it overcomes all weaknesses. In the chaos and brokenness of Russia, we found the light of Christ reaching out and overwhelming the darkness.
-Former FOCUS Mission volunteer
Dates: July 15th-August 2nd*
Trip Director: Mike Guenther
Mission Co-Leaders: Michael Selenski, Jessica Connelly, Melissa Weeder
Amount to Fundraise: $3900*
Under communist rule, the practice of Christianity was illegal in Russia. Now, in the post-Cold War era, the people of Russia are still recovering from oppression. Come bring the hope of Christ to them on this summer Mission!
On this mission you will catechize the youth of Russia who are longing for a Christ-like example of love and mercy. We will be working with Fr. Myron Effing, an American priest who has been in Russia for an extended period of time. He has helped found an order of priests to minister in Russia and played a key effort in re-evangelizing the post-communist community in Vladivostok. Fr. Myron’s parish feeds meals to 40-50 children from single-family homes each week. Most of these children reside in Soviet-style single room apartments with their parents.
The mission is to put on a summer youth camp for the children in the wilderness of Lesovovodsk, showing them what it truly means to live a life for Christ. Come impact the future of Russia by ministering to the youth on this 2011 FOCUS Mission!
In addition to running a wilderness camp for the youth, we may be attending the Far East Catholic Youth Conference taking place in the Vladivostok region in the last week of July or first week of August. Our presence at this conference could represent a profound opportunity for Catholic evangelization and solidarity. Our FOCUS Mission team may even have the opportunity to lead sessions at this conference!
*Trip dates and price subject to change
