After serving in Montana for the past 6 years, we and our children are excited to call Omaha home, and evangelize the people of this great city through our beautiful parish! We are part of a great missional team at SMM, led by an experienced pastor, Fr. Jim Keiter. We moved from Montana to Omaha at his invitation to serve the people of this parish and school.

We are committed to bringing the Gospel to all people, and as we have grown our family and prayed about where God was leading us, we have determined that there is no better place for us to serve than in a parish. All the work we did for many years, inviting people into the Church on college campuses, ultimately leads them to a parish someday. If we can be the face and voice of Jesus’ missional call to His Church in a parish, we can truly evangelize people of all stages of life: families, children, parents, grandparents, young adults. So many people are hungry for the relationships and invitations we bring as missionaries!

Andy: A life-long Catholic, I encountered Christ in a deeper way at a conference my freshman year of college. I realized that I had spent my first semester pursuing things that left me feeling unfulfilled, and I was surrounding myself with people that weren’t pushing me to be a better version of myself. The people I saw who were living life on mission for Christ, pointing me and other students toward Him and His Church, seemed to have a certain joy that I did not, but I wanted badly. After a few years of striving to live mission while in school, I jumped at the opportunity to devote myself full-time to this important ministry.

Katie: I had my reversion experience in high school, and came to college ready to jump into my faith wholeheartedly. I found Andy and a group of friends at the Newman Center, where I learned the importance of daily prayer and leading Bible studies. So many students and young adults are searching for deeper connection and formation, and after college, I found myself wanting to serve those in most need around me, wherever I was. I moved to Montana to be with Andy and found a community of young disciples preparing to be sent on mission, and decided that I also wanted to be a part of this important ministry! I now stay home with our kids full-time, which allows me to connect with other moms in the community and invite their families onto mission with us.

As missionaries, our greatest desire is to lead all people to Christ. Our lives have been transformed by Jesus and we want nothing more than to bring this joy to others and introduce them to the life-changing message of the Gospel. In His ministry on earth, Jesus humbled Himself to meet us on our level, taking on our humanity, and spent most of His time investing deeply in a few. We look to Jesus own example to find the best method of reaching the world. We have been constantly amazed and humbled by the different souls we’ve had the opportunity to encounter and walk with on campus and in the parish.

When we answered the call to join FOCUS, we made the decision to rely on the spiritual and financial support of mission partners to help us through this mission. We’ve been blessed with the most amazing people who have continually supported our mission throughout the years. If you are interested in partnering with us, please let us know of the best way to reach you, and I will schedule an appointment. We would be honored to share this mission with you, and invite you to join our team of prayerful and financial supporters!