Maryanne Macdonald

“The world offers you comfort. But you were not made for comfort. You were made for greatness.”

– Pope Benedict XVI

Where I serve

This year I will be returning to Illinois State University in Normal, Illinois for my second year of mission. Go Redbirds! I am honored to serve alongside my team to share the Gospel and walk with young women at ISU, teaching them what it means to be a disciple of Christ.

My Story

Born and raised Catholic, I was no stranger to the faith. I was blessed to attend Catholic middle and high school which laid the foundation of my faith, helping me to understand the importance of having a relationship with God. The effects of the 2020 pandemic during my freshman year of college provided the space for me to ponder more deeply on my relationship with Christ, centered around the fundamental question: Who is God, and who am I? I encountered FOCUS missionaries during my sophomore year of college at Franciscan University of Steubenville and got involved in a Bible Study. Their example and the beautiful community at Franciscan helped me as I grew in my faith and matured in college.

The Lord continued working in my life during the remainder of my college years at Franciscan, patiently inviting me to say “yes” daily to the small tasks He asked of me. Over time, each small “yes” grew to His bigger question of inviting me into a life of sharing that save zeal and love of him with others. My intention after graduating college was to attend master’s school, however, I could not ignore the Lord’s call on my heart to a life centered on missionary outreach. I said “yes” to becoming a FOCUS missionary to answer the Lord’s call and administer to college students and spread the Lord’s love and mercy.

Your Impact

With my “yes” to becoming a FOCUS missionary, I made the decision to rely on the spiritual and financial support of others to make the mission to college students possible. I would not be able to continue saying my “yes” without the generosity, love, and support of my team of mission partners. If you are interested in making a difference in the lives of college students by partnering with me I would be honored to share more about this mission, my role, and ways to best support this work.

Please feel free to email me with any questions:

[email protected]

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Host	Retreat Type	Start Date	End Date
Tulane University	Way of the Disciple	09/05/24	09/07/24
University of Nebraska Lincoln	The Sanctifier	09/13/24	09/15/24
Parish Outreach	The Father’s House	09/16/24	09/18/24
Kansas State University	The Father’s House	09/20/24	09/22/24
University of Delaware	Rec	09/20/24	09/22/24
University of South Carolina – Columbia	Rec	09/27/24	09/29/24
St. Francis University	The Father’s House	10/04/24	10/06/24
Nicholls State University	The Father’s House	10/04/24	10/06/24
Northwestern State University	The Father’s House	10/11/24	10/13/24
University of Memphis	The Father’s House	10/11/24	10/13/24
Southern Illinois University – Edwardsville	The Father’s House	10/18/24	10/20/24
Ohio State University	The Father’s House	10/18/24	10/20/24
University of Dallas	The Sanctifier	10/24/24	10/26/24
Central Connecticut State University	The Father’s House	10/25/24	10/27/24
Universidad de Monterrey	The Father’s House	10/25/24	10/27/24
California State University – Fullerton	The Father’s House	10/25/24	10/27/24
Sts. Anne and Joaquim, Fargo, ND	Way of the Disciple	11/01/24	11/03/24
University of Krems	Men’s	11/01/24	11/03/24
University of Mary	The Father’s House	11/08/24	11/10/24
DePauw University	Rec	11/08/24	11/10/24
Philanthropy Engagement	Way of the Disciple	11/15/24	11/17/24
University of Passau	Rec	11/21/24	11/23/24
Texas A&M University	The Sanctifier	02/07/25	02/09/25
FOCUS Greek Southeast	The Father’s House	02/14/25	02/16/25
FOCUS Greek Midwest	The Father’s House	02/14/25	02/16/25
Worcester Polytechnic Institute	The Sanctifier	02/14/25	02/16/25
FOCUS Greek Southwest	The Father’s House	02/21/25	02/23/25
Wayne State University	The Father’s House	02/21/25	02/23/25
University of Illinois-Chicago	The Sanctifier	02/21/25	02/23/25
Queens College of the City University of New York	The Father’s House	03/07/25	03/09/25
Nicholls State University	Way of the Disciple	03/07/25	03/09/25
Grand Valley State University	The Father’s House	03/28/25	03/30/25
University of Northern Iowa	Way of the Disciple	04/03/25	04/05/25
University of Nebraska Lincoln	The Father’s House	04/04/25	04/06/25
Arizona State University	Men’s	02/07/25	02/09/25
University of Nebraska at Kearney	Rec	09/27/24	09/29/24