AL+UM
November 2023

Patience Is Necessary
Kevin Ward sees how the habits he learned as a missionary help him in seminary every day. Whether it’s committing to daily prayer or reaching out to people, he feels more prepared to be a priest because he cultivated those habits for six years. However, because parishioners are more established in life than college students, Kevin highly encourages others to grow in the virtue of patience as they leave campus.
Kevin Ward served with FOCUS from 2015 to 2021 at San Diego State University, the University of Oregon and Western Washington University. He now lives mission befriending his seminarian classmates. One of his peak moments as a missionary was meeting the doppelgänger of his friend Steve Ernst at a Chick-fil-A and capturing it all on Facebook Live.
News

Encounter Christ in the Poor of Mexico City
Join the FOCUS Alumni team for a mission trip in September 2024.
“I am forever changed and I don’t want to go home and stay the same,” said Sam Ayers of her Holy Land pilgrimage in Summer 2023. She came back renewed in her friendships and transformed in her desire for Christ.
This is what many of our alumni say about mission trips later in their discipleship journeys.
The September mission trip group will serve alongside Hope of the Poor, a ministry that serves Mexico City’s homeless, drug-addicted street kids, and those living in the city dump. Hope of the Poor’s primary mission is to bring Christ to those people by helping them know they are seen and loved. In addition to service, the group will make a pilgrimage to the Basilica of Our Lady of Guadalupe.
Dates are September 18 – 23, 2024. Approximate cost is $2,300 plus certain flights. For more information, contact Chrisy ([email protected]). Applications can be found on apply.focusmissions.org. Unlike previous years, there’s no fee.
Applications indicate interest, not a commitment.
Could the Lord be inviting you to mission in Mexico City?

Launching the Alumni-Owned Small Business Catalog
The FOCUS family includes more than 50 alumni who are small business owners! We want to champion the efforts of those entrepreneurial alumni through a new catalog. We’re launching it now because we know that for many people, this is a time of year when they’re buying gifts and thinking about tithing.
We’ve got former missionaries and students who are now using their God-given talents to provide truth, goodness and beauty to a world frantic with misordered consumption. If gift-giving is part of the way you celebrate Christmas, check out and consider purchasing from these alumni-owned businesses.

John Bishop To Give Men’s Talk on a Building a Strong Family Culture
TO THE MEN: Join Dr. John Bishop, director of Summer Projects formation and executive director at FORGE, for his talk on “Missionary Discipleship, Fatherhood and the Family: Raising Healthy Kids in a Sexually Toxic Culture.” He’ll be sharing how to have conversations with your sons on sexuality, offering practical tips rooted in the Church’s sexual ethic. Catch the class November 28 at 8 p.m. CT on lifelongU.
John brings years of experience, a formal education in Theology of the Body and his own passion for raising well-formed kids. This will be his last talk for FOCUS before he departs staff to run his new ministry, FORGE, designed to fight for the family by transforming the culture around masculinity.
(Ladies, keep an eye out for a women’s-only session in the new year!)

St. Joseph’s Church Is Looking for a Coordinator of Adult Evangelization and Discipleship!
St. Joseph’s is a large, urban parish in Bryan, Texas. Their mission is to meet, know, live and share Jesus. Pastored by a former FOCUS chaplain, they’re looking to add a Coordinator of Adult Evangelization and Discipleship to their parish staff.
As the Coordinator, you’ll be in charge of leading an RCIA program, implementing robust adult faith formation opportunities and serving the pastoral needs of parishioners through fellowship. A strong candidate has a knowledge of Catholic teaching, a heart to educate those new to faith and a desire for generational mission among adult disciples.
Learn more and apply now!
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].

FOCUS Alumni Is Coming to a Location Near You!
Join FOCUS Alumni missionaries in your city this autumn. Details about these events will be sent directly to alumni living in the area. Moved recently? Email the event contact if you’re near one of the cities below. Otherwise fill out this contact form to stay updated about future events in your area.
- December 2: Women’s Advent Retreat, Wichita, KS, [email protected]
- January 1 – 5: SEEK24, St. Louis, MO, [email protected]
- 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 the healing of family divisions caused by political or other ideologies. Within Thanksgiving on Thursday, it’s an apt time to remember our God is bigger than the drama over the dinner table. 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.
Get Involved
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.