Nearly 80 percent of people who leave the Catholic faith do so before the age of 23, according to Pew Research. When senior Victoria Fassett heard this statistic at a conference two years ago, she remembered it, and said it continually fuels her desire to work with the Fellowship of Catholic University Students (FOCUS) post-graduation.
“If you can get to people before [23], then the chances of retaining them and helping them to grow in the faith is so much greater than if you lose them,” Fassett said. “Eighteen to 22-year-olds struggle with a lot of anxiety, depression, and a lot of identity issues so being able to reach all of these college students in one place is really ideal.”
According to its homepage, “FOCUS is a Catholic collegiate outreach whose mission is to share the hope and joy of the gospel to college and university students.” So far, the organization has placed more than 550 campus missionaries on 125 campuses around the country.
Fassett, who worked with FOCUS last summer, said the main purpose of campus missionaries is to “walk through life” with students by inviting them into discipleship and building real one-on-one relationships. An average day on campus would include attending daily mass, meeting with students individually and in small groups, planning outreach events, and simply hanging out with students in casual settings, Fassett said.
“That’s the goal: spending tons of time through relationship, through example, through conversation, through studying Scripture together,” Fassett said. Through accountability, you’re helping other people grow closer to Christ, and then they’re able to help other people, too.”
Campus missionaries dial in on the people right in front of them on college campuses — that’s what drew senior Angela Bonvissuto to the organization, she said.
“Everyone needs a good friend, and everyone needs to be encouraged in Christ,” Bonvissuto said. “Often we think about missionary work as something far away and complicated, but really it can start right here, wherever you are, with whomever you normally spend your time.”
Fassett first learned about FOCUS two years ago when some upperclassmen encouraged her to attend SEEK2015, a FOCUS conference. It was the magnitude and passion of the 10,000-member audience that resonated with Fassett the most, she said.
“Being with that many people in one place who are all excited about being there and who are excited about growing deeper in their faith and getting to know Christ better and learning how to evangelize was so cool,” Fassett said.
Bonvissuto agreed, saying the staff’s enthusiasm shone brightly in the first FOCUS recruitment videos she watched.
“What stood out to me most in the videos was the passion that all the missionaries had for bringing others closer to Christ and devoting their entire lives to Him,” Bonvissuto said.
Fassett said she also remembers feeling inspired by FOCUS’s promotional videos, but said she remembers another feeling, too.
“I was watching them and said, ‘That’s so cool, I wish I was called to do that.’ But I definitely didn’t think that was what I was supposed to do — weirdly. I had lots of peace about that,” she said.
That summer, Fassett opted to spend her summer in Washington, D.C., working in the liberty-advancing nonprofit movement. She said she’s glad she did, because that internship led her to a change in heart.
“It was a realization that we were missing something,” Fassett said. “If we don’t have a foundation, then what is it for? What are we getting out of this?”
The next summer, Fassett took the internship with FOCUS and headed to Ave Maria, Florida, for a five-week training session. Working on the special events team, she helped plan a variety of events ranging from an etiquette dinner and talent show to lectures and regional meetings.
For the second half of her summer, Fassett worked remotely with Andrea Clarke, a former Hillsdale College admissions employee, writing grants and fundraising for the FOCUS development team. Though Fassett worked in development in Washington, D.C., she said this was an entirely different experience — one that she could see herself continuing in the future.
“I believe 100 percent in FOCUS, I see the need, and I see where this money is going, and I love it,” Fassett said.
Both Bonvissuto and Fassett applied to be two-year on-campus missionaries after graduation.
Though Bonvissuto said she would likely transition into the medical field after two years as a campus missionary, Fassett said she would love to work for the FOCUS development team long-term.
“I would donate all of my money to FOCUS. I really enjoyed spending my time writing grants that help to convince people to give to an organization that I love,” Fassett said. “What more could I do with my life? It was perfect.”
