My name is Brandon Pangan and this is my sixth year with FOCUS. My wife Nicole and I are entering not only into our third year of marriage but also our third year as the FOCUS missionaries of Mary, Seat of Wisdom Parish in Park Ridge, IL!

Nicole and I are passionate about the renewal of the heart of the Church: the parish. Students and even missionaries who leave campus will arrive at dying parishes, disillusioned and alone. The Church, encompassing people of all ages, needs missionaries to model and encourage and invite souls to true discipleship with Jesus in this modern, secular world. We get to live out the mission of the laity in a radical way using all the resources and experiences that FOCUS provides. Lifelong Mission is very grassroots and very exciting. We would love your support in keeping us on mission for the long haul!

Brandon: I was a cradle Catholic who grew up never hearing my family talk about God. I see now it’s because they didn’t feel confident nor did they know what to even talk about- and I can’t blame them for that! It wasn’t til I met a FOCUS missionary and later pursued discipleship that I began to truly meet Jesus in both prayer and scripture as well as in the Eucharist. I became a parish missionary to help families encounter God together, that they would confidently and joyfully share the Gospel of Jesus with their children and with their neighbor.

Nicole: Like many others, I grew up in a loving and Catholic home. However, it wasn’t until after grad school that I really began to see Jesus as a person. I was at a young adult event hosted by my parish when a friendly young woman invited me to sit at her table. Her name was Sarah. She continued to personally invite me to dinner, hikes, and coffee and I really began to grow in admiration of her and her character. In the midst of a budding friendship, Sarah quickly and unabashedly revealed her love for God. She taught me all about Eucharistic Adoration and Theology of the Body and she just loved talking about Jesus! To this day, she continues to be a good friend of mine.

I joined Brandon on mission before we were even married because I wanted to do for others what my friend Sarah had done for me- love me and show me Jesus’ love for me too. I really do love the women that I work with in the parish today and I want them to know God’s love also!

Every year that we continue to be a part FOCUS, we make the decision for our family to rely on God’s provision and the financial support of our mission partners to help us through this mission. We’ve been blessed with the most amazing people who have journeyed with us. If you are interested in partnering with with our family, please let us know of the best way to reach you and we will schedule an appointment. We’d be honored to share this mission with you.

In Christ,

The Pangan Family