DENVER, July 22, 2020 —The world desperately needs great men of God. Men who guard and protect the most significant things in life. Men who answer the profound and unique calling given to them by God. In his newest book, Pursuing Freedom: Becoming the Man You Could Be, Thomas Wurtz, founder and director of Varsity Catholic, a division of FOCUS (Fellowship of Catholic University Students), challenges readers to become the men God made them to be by guiding them through a spiritual development boot camp.

In Pursuing Freedom, Wurtz highlights eight characteristics essential to finding true freedom and embracing each man’s unique calling: acknowledgement of the spiritual realm, self-control, magnanimity, humility, resilience, surrender, commitment to mission and love.

Wurtz is no stranger to answering God’s call, or discipling others to do the same. After a successful athletic career in high school and college, Wurtz experienced a spiritual awakening when he was introduced to a relationship with Jesus Christ during his time at Benedictine College. From that encounter, he felt called to help others discover this freedom that had changed his own life.

He went on to earn a master’s degree in Catechetics and Evangelization from Augustine Institute. In 2007 Wurtz helped launch Varsity Catholic with FOCUS Founder and CEO Curtis Martin. Varsity Catholic missionaries work with student athletes on over 60 U.S. campuses to help them develop spiritually with mentorship, while also offering Christian fellowship through bible studies and international coaching opportunities on Varsity Catholic Mission Camps.

Martin, author of Making Missionary Disciples, said of Pursuing Freedom, “From one man to another, in the company of the Saints, Wurtz will help equip you to walk through the joys and travails of modern manhood. I commend this book to my brothers in Christ!”

In Pursuing Freedom, Wurtz gives the reader the tools to live in true freedom and be the man God intended him to be. Wurtz’s previous book was Compete Inside: 100 Reflections to Help You Become the Complete Athlete.

Pursuing Freedom is available through major online book sellers, including OSV’s online book store, where a webcast on the book can be downloaded.

About FOCUS

The Fellowship of Catholic University Students (FOCUS) was founded in 1998 and invites 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 friendships in which they lead others to do the same. For the 2020-2021 academic year, FOCUS has nearly 800 missionaries in the field, serving 171 campuses and 9 parishes across the U.S. and Europe. Tens of thousands of students have been involved with FOCUS, who after graduation have the opportunity to move into parish life to continue their missionary work. An important blessing of a fruitful partnership between the local campus ministry and FOCUS has been the pursuit of religious vocations. Over the past 20 years, 959 people have entered the seminary or a religious house of formation after involvement with FOCUS on college campuses. FOCUS missionaries are typically recent college graduates who devote two or more years of their post-collegiate lives to reach out to peers on campus. focus.org