After graduating from UC Berkeley this past May, my fiancé Francis Xavier and I are now off to our next adventure! It is with great joy to share that we are doing full-time mission at California State University, Long Beach! We are so excited to meet, love, and walk with students on their personal journey towards communion with Christ and His Church.

Though I was baptized and raised Catholic, I held great anger and resentment towards Christ and His Church from a young age of 10 years old. It was rooted in a broken family life that made me believe that there was absolutely no way that God could be “that” good, merciful, or loving. My life dramatically changed when I first came face-to-face with the Holy Eucharist in adoration. I found myself having a very honest conversation with Jesus, telling Him how furious I was at Him. I was shocked when I stopped talking and all I could hear back was the voice of Love. My child, I love you. That night, by the grace of Jesus, I realized that the Lord was not only legitimate, but totally in love with His children that He breathes life into each day. It felt like every distortion I had about Jesus was destructed. I look back at my 14-year-old self, who sincerely believed that darkness, sin, and suffering was her home, her comfortable place…and now say with conviction and peace that death does not have the final word. His Love always prevails. Immediately following this amazing encounter with Jesus, I entered high school with a great conviction that if Jesus is real, He must be at the center of my life. My youth minister helped me grow a sacramental life in high school with intentional discipleship. It grew my missionary zeal for souls, especially as I prepared to go to college. Just like my patron saint St. Catherine of Siena, I wanted to set the world ablaze. I want people to meet the Best Person I have ever met. At Berkeley, Jesus gifted me the FOCUS missionaries, who taught me how to pray a Holy Hour, be an intentional friend, lead a Bible study, and most of all, fall more in love with the Holy Eucharist. Their intentional friendship and discipleship for me helped me to discover so much life and joy in living in my identity as a beloved daughter of God. Being His was enough.

People, especially college students, are hungry for life. They are hungry for love (just like you and me), desperate to experience something, or Someone, greater than themselves. In their yearning for belonging, freedom, and purpose, they are thirsting for even a single drop of the blood of Jesus. My personal thirst on mission is to bring these souls, including mine and yours, to our Lover, who will unveil His goodness to His children and take care of them. I am thankful for the story Jesus has written for me, and the FOCUS missionaries at Berkeley that have loved me to the depths. And now it is my turn! The blazing fire in my soul to radically change the world, to introduce people to Jesus, and to show them the face of Love starts in California. I am in need of an army to keep this fire alive.

Will you, solely guided by the Holy Spirit, consider being generous in prayerfully and financially supporting me?

When Francis Xavier and I answered the call to share our (future) marriage on mission, we made the decision to rely on the spiritual and financial support of our incredible mission partners. We have undoubtedly been blessed with mission partners who have journeyed with us as we serve on campus. This is not my mission; it is ours! If you are interested in partnering with me, it would be an honor to receive and thank you wholeheartedly. Please let me know of the best way to reach you and I will schedule an appointment; you can reach me at [email protected]. May the Lord bless, protect, and take care of you in His loving arms. May you always be in His everlasting peace.