St. Lucia Mission Camp
November 10, 2011
New 2012 Summer Mission Camp
My FOCUS Mission Trip taught me how to be vulnerable to people whom I barely know and what it means to love selflessly and wholeheartedly. The Lord showed me that He is present in every given moment, if one only makes the effort to open their eyes to the beauty of those surrounding them in the here and now and stop dwelling on the past/future. Every moment is an opportunity to love and grow closer to Christ. The mission trip helped me to see that I am capable of utilizing every moment to bring greater glory to God!
-Sabrina Harris, Appalachian State University
Dates: May 17th-May 26th*
Mission Director: Kay Stewart
Mission Co-Leaders: Tyler Rosser, Samantha Kelley
Amount to Fundraise: $1500-$2000*
In this Varsity Catholic Mission Camp you will bring the love of Christ to children and young adults of St. Lucia while sharing a mutual love of sport. This soccer camp will teach the youth of St. Lucia to use their God-given talents to glorify Him. As you catechize the youth you will also get the chance to work among the poor and enjoy the beautiful sand beaches and ocean sunsets!
*Dates and Amount to Fundraise subject to change
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!
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!
Dominican Republic
September 3, 2010
Dominican Republic Winter Baseball/Volleyball Mission Camp
Date: December 27th-January 5th
Trip Leaders: Thomas Wurtz,
Estimated amount to Fundraise: $1400* plus airfare to/from Miami from your specific departure city
The Varsity Catholic Mission Camp Experience
When the sport of Baseball was introduced to Dominicans in the mid 1860’s the game was embraced with a passion for which the Dominican culture is known. This passion for baseball still burns in the hearts of all Dominicans and as a result, there are actually more Dominican players in the minor and major American leagues than there are of all other players of Caribbean nationality combined.
Merging the Dominican’s passion for baseball with a passion for Christ and His Church, FOCUS Missions together with Varsity Catholic is hosting a Catholic Baseball Mission Camp in a rural Dominican town called Bánica (which is situated on Dominican Republic’s Haitian border). In this impoverished community, we will run a baseball camp for the local children with the aim of channeling their passion for the sport to a passion for the Catholic Faith. Our time in the Dominican Republic will climax with a New Year’s Day baseball tournament with local teams.
With the great success of our Baseball Mission Camp last year, we are excited to add a component for the women this year with the sport of volleyball. In most developing countries, involvement in athletics among the girls is infrequent and less supported. Our hope in adding a Volleyball Mission Camp this year is to provide a tremendous opportunity for the young women of Banica to reap the benefits of sport and to see the witness of faith in the athletes we bring.
This trip will allow collegiate (professional) athletes a chance to serve the poor in a radical way through mutual love of a sport. As we work to demonstrate the benefit of bringing Faith to these two games, all trip participants will get a great opportunity to coach local youth, experience daily prayer, enter into the celebration of the Mass, and take in some beauty of the tropical Dominican Republic.
Varsity Catholic/FOCUS Missions Baseball Camp in the DR 2011
For more photos of this year’s trip click here!
El Salvador
December 10, 2009
In El Salvador, I encountered Jesus for the first time in a deeply personal way. Pushed far outside of my comfort zone, with nowhere else to go, I cried to Him for help. And the love I felt in His answer changed my heart forever. I was (and still am!) filled with a desire to know Him, a desire I did not have before. Whatever the cost, I want to know this Son of Man who loves me so much!
-Former El Salvador Mission Trip Volunteer
Dates: Spring Break: March 10th-18th
Summer: July 16th-30th*
Trip Director: Spring Break: Dominic Paulucci
Summer: TBD
Mission Co-Leaders: Spring Break: Shannon Zurcher, tricia Lester, Michael Senderling
Summer: Katie Harris, Kelley Hogan, Ryan Welch
Amount to Fundraise: Spring Break: $1300*
Summer: $2000*
A community on the outskirts of San Miguel, El Salvador needs your help! They have been having Mass in a garage shelter with hundreds of Catholic worshipers overflowing into the streets! There is a plot of land set aside to build a provisional church which will be our project for a week. Better yet, we will be working hand-in-hand with college-aged locals from a nearby orphanage. Many of these students lost their parents in El Salvador’s Civil War that ended in 1992.
In addition to completing the church for the community on the outskirts of San Miguel, this trip will venture into the countryside of El Salvador, to realize catechesis in a rural Salvadoran village. Living with the people, sleeping in hammocks, and playing endless games of soccer, our mission will be one of incarnational evangelization along with a very fun program of catechesis for adults and children. The group will get to experience the beauty of the Salvadoran people which is rivaled only by the beauty of the country itself. Another amazing aspect of this trip is the deep perspective gained from El Salvador’s past history of war and Church persecution. Seeing the home of Archbishop Oscar Romero – and his bloodied vestments that he was wearing while assassinated during Mass- will drive home the reality of war and persecution. In light of this, our mission is one that brings continued healing to the Salvadoran people and hope for the future. This is an experience not to be missed!
“Persecution is something necessary for the Church. Do you know why? Because the truth is always persecuted. Jesus Christ said ‘If they persecuted me, they will also persecute you,’ and for this reason, when one day they asked Popo Leo XIII, that marvelous intellect from the beginning of our century, ‘What are the traits that distinguish the true Catholic Church?’, the pope said the four most recognized traits: one, holy, Catholic, and apostolic, ‘but we must add one’ said the Pope– ‘persecuted..’ The Church who fulfills her duties cannot live without being persecuted.” - Oscar Romero, Homily May 29th, 1977
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).
*Dates and amount to fundraise subject to change
Peru
November 4, 2008
Peru changed my life in so many ways. This trip opened up my heart to anything that stepped in my path and to the path that God wanted me to go. In my experience, I shared all the love I had and more with the children and people of Peru. God is present in every single person there and you can see it in their faces that they need God. I got to be the one to help show them God’s love. Peru was such a rewarding mission trip; I made lifelong friendships, journeyed closer to God, and stepped into learning about my faith (every day I am surprised by how much God loves me and how much I love him back).
- Dana Chicoine, Des Moines Area Community College
Dates: July 9 – July 27
Mission Director: Frank MagneticoFrank Magnetico
Mission Co-Leaders: Sara Barton, Michael LaPointe, Anna Capizzi
Amount to Fundraise: $3100*
*Dates and Amount to Fundraise Subject to Change
Imagine waking up at an altitude of 14,000 feet, breathing in the crisp mountain air of the Andes, and saying prayer that this day you may “cry the gospel with your life.” This is a dream that can be your reality as we renew our faith adventure in the country of Peru. Opportunities for service are plentiful on this mission which will be facilitated by the Christian Life Movement. The main thrust of this trip is catechesis in the villages that populate the scenic Colca Canyon along with service opportunities in the poorest neighborhoods in Lima. This has been one of the best mission experiences FOCUS has realized in the past and now comes your chance to join the legacy.
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).
Kingston, Jamaica – Men Only
November 4, 2008
Men Only
Going on a FOCUS Mission Trip opened my spirit to a new dimension of faith. I saw the work of God’s love in action through the accepting nature of all the people and how they immediately shared their faith with us. They gave me a sense of purpose and understanding of the message of God’s love. Despite our differences in culture and society, we were able to bond together and work side-by-side through love.
-Former FOCUS Mission Trip Volunteer
Dates: Spring Break: March 10th-18th
Summer- May 24th-June6th
Mission Director: Spring Break: Andrew Jones
Summer: Michael Huelsing
Mission Co-Leader: Spring Break: Austin Ashcraft, Brian Johnson
Summer: Joe Konopa
Amount to Fundraise: Spring Break: $900*
Summer: $1500*
Join the fastest growing religious order in the Caribbean –The Missionaries of the Poor, as they work with the most marginalized of human beings. The Brothers welcome visitors to come and join them in their work, spirituality and their life of prayer. Their mission is to spread the Good News of Jesus Christ primarily by performing the corporal works of mercy of Jesus and secondarily through liturgy, preaching, music, teaching and sacraments.
The Brothers “desire to be a manifestation of the presence of Christ in the world as He continues to live and care for the poorest.” The Missionaries of the Poor’s corporal works of mercy are directed at those in the lowest rung of the social ladder. Their service is manifested in housing the homeless, feeding the hungry, taking care of street children, working with prisoners and caring for those with such diseases as AIDS and leprosy.
Come, be Christ for others and spread His Good News through this FOCUS mission!
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
