AL+UM
January 2024
Alumni Tyler and Dene’ Rosser Honored at SEEK
A university soccer team is making disciples thanks to this coach and his family’s commitment.
The mission statement of the Ave Maria University women’s soccer team reads “to help each women understand and live her identity as a daughter of God through collegiate soccer.”
It was an intentional choice by Coach Tyler Rosser to remind his entire team there is more to this life than sports. His dedication to carrying out that mission led to him and his wife Dene’ receiving the 2024 St. Francis Xavier Honor, presented by the FOCUS Alumni team at SEEK24.
“Early on… I asked ‘Why, Lord? Why do you want me to do this?’” Tyler recounted. “It was very simple. It was just ’I want you to coach these women to help them get to heaven.’ That was when I started to look at coaching as a mission.”
The Rossers practice habits they solidified during their time in FOCUS—daily prayer, incarnational time and small-group formation—to train the assistant coaching staff for mission. Those coaches then go on to walk with players and build them up for a lifetime of Christian discipleship.
It’s bearing fruit in the changed lives of the team. They’re coming to SEEK, playing their sport with intense “belief” (according to one rival coach), and most importantly, walking with other students.
“He wants to introduce people to Jesus and help them get to heaven,” said Dene’. “That’s an honor to do with him in our family, supporting the team.”
Check out the video for more of the Rossers’ story.
The St. Francis Xavier Honor recognizes outstanding alumni who continue to live missionary discipleship with great zeal. Tyler met Dene’, herself a FOCUS student alumna, at a SEEK conference a decade ago, and served as a missionary from 2011-2015. They now live mission as a family, ministering to the team and the Ave Maria community. Know an alum like that? Check out the 2025 nomination form below!
News
Webinar Approaching! Sign Up to Learn How to Better Manage Parish Volunteers
Kick off the new year with a better approach to volunteer management! Led by a university professor of volunteer systems development, this formation will help you identify where your parish volunteer structure needs fine-tuning—and what to do about it. This is open to pastors, parish leaders and volunteers simply looking to learn.
“Mission, Meet Woman”: Join Our Women's Panel Discussion
Join Sr. Bethany Madonna, Sam Kelley and Mary Lenaburg as they share about living out the feminine genius on mission. Hosted by FOCUS Alumni in partnership with the GIVEN Institute, this conversation will offer insights from the panel and answers to the audience’s questions. Tuesday, January 30 at 8 p.m. CT on lifelongU.
Nominate the Next St. Francis Xavier Honoree
Do you know an alumnus who is living a life of missionary discipleship with great zeal? Nominate them for the 2025 St. Francis Xavier Honor! Nominations are due March 31, 2024. The honoree will be announced and celebrated at SEEK25 in Salt Lake City. Contact [email protected] with questions.
The SEEK Experience Doesn’t End Here
We’re so grateful to all from our extended FOCUS family who joined us at SEEK24 in St. Louis! We had over 22,000 participants, including 350+ missionary alumni and 1100+ clergy. If you’re looking for highlights, check out the FOCUS Alumni Facebook page or visit any of FOCUS Catholic’s social media channels.
New this year, all SEEK talks will be available for free via the SEEK Replay website. Whether you joined us in-person or not, enjoy the best of the conference from the comfort of your home. Better yet, invite your friends or small group to watch with you, and be encouraged together!
Camp Gray is Looking to Hire a Retreat Director!
Located in the Diocese of Madison, Wisconsin, Camp Gray is a youth summer camp and year-round retreat center with a mission To Know Christ and Make Him Known. The Retreat Director will be responsible for planning and executing all facilitated retreats during the school year. They will also assist in other operational duties such as marketing, community outreach, and communications by working collaboratively with other staff.
Visit our job board at connect.focus.org/jobs to apply and to see employers who are specifically looking for FOCUS Alumni to fill their open positions or reach out to Career Services Manager Elli Schmidt at [email protected].
Get Ready as the Alumni Team Prepares for Spring Travel!
We’re a little tired from SEEK, but not so tired we aren’t eagerly planning spring events in locations near you. We’ll let you know soon where we’re headed! Moved recently? Email [email protected] with your updated address. Otherwise fill out this contact form to stay updated about future events in your area.
- Ongoing (Tuesdays): Lifelong U Virtual Group, [email protected]
Pray for Us and Let Us Pray for You!
The FOCUS Alumni team wants to unite our FOCUS family in prayer for one another. Please submit any prayer requests you have here. We pray for these intentions every Monday as a team. Save the link for future re-use!
Our team’s intention this month is for deeper conversions for all those who attended SEEK24, and all those who were unable to attend in-person. We’re so blessed to hear that the Lord is changing hearts, and we trust He will continue to do so! Please pray with us!
About Us
Our mission is to fan the flame of lifelong mission in the hearts of our alumni in this apostolic age.
The FOCUS Alumni Relations team exists to provide you, our alumni, with inspirational content in emails and social media. We desire to build alumni communities in various cities, connect alumni with job listings, and develop resources to support the living of Catholic mission in the world.
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What does AL+UM mean?
AL+UM (Altum) comes from “Duc in Altum”, which means to“Set out into the deep.” This call, to set out into the deep, is the call of every person seeking after Christ. You are on a different mission now than when you were on campus, yet as you cast your nets, the Lord will certainly bless you with a great catch if you continue to trust in Him.
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