Connor Helsen

“Before I formed you in the womb I knew you and before you were born I consecrated you; I appointed you a prophet to the nations.” Jeremiah 1:4-5

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Where I serve

I am a second year Campus Missionary and I will be serving at Ball State University in Muncie, Indiana. I look forward to serving the students on campus and going where the Lord has called me. At Ball State I will be serving on a team of four FOCUS missionaries who will all be striving to live a life of mission focused on the conversion of the students. This is my team at Ball State!

My Story

I grew up in a Catholic family and attended Grand Rapids Community College and Michigan State University. At Michigan State I majored in Horticultural Science. I was raised to love the outdoors which eventually lead to my major being in agriculture. In this pursuit of a degree in college the Lord called me to a deeper relationship with Him and pushed me into a further understanding of what it means to be Catholic.

In my first two years of college at GRCC I found the Newman center at Grand Valley State University. Here I was invited into a bible study where for the first time I saw students and FOCUS missionaries living radically for the Lord. Here I found happiness and joy and the beginning of intimate formation in the Lord. When I transferred to Michigan State University I continued to form my relationship with the Lord and began to strive to lead others towards Him who called me.

Upon concluding my time at Michigan State it felt clear the Lord was calling me to a deeper kind of mission for Him. I was able to find FOCUS and decided to serve college campuses. The place where my heart was turned to Lord.

Your Impact

As a FOCUS missionary I rely on the financial and spiritual support of my mission partners. Without my mission partners I would not be able to reach those people on campus who could have a conversion to Christ much like my own. On campus I seek to encounter students in friendship and be a guide to leading them to a deeper relationship with the Lord.

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FOCUS brings the joy of the Gospel to colleges and parishes across the United States (and beyond)!

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Know, Love and Serve God

We encounter God in an intimate relationship through daily prayer, the sacraments and the Scriptures.

Build Virtuous Friendships

By building genuine friendships, we meet students on a deeper level.

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Teach Others to Share Christ

We teach students how to share the gospel, who in turn teach other students how to pass it on.

Host	Retreat Type	Start Date	End Date
Tulane University	Way of the Disciple	09/05/24	09/07/24
University of Nebraska Lincoln	The Sanctifier	09/13/24	09/15/24
Parish Outreach	The Father’s House	09/16/24	09/18/24
Kansas State University	The Father’s House	09/20/24	09/22/24
University of Delaware	Rec	09/20/24	09/22/24
University of South Carolina – Columbia	Rec	09/27/24	09/29/24
St. Francis University	The Father’s House	10/04/24	10/06/24
Nicholls State University	The Father’s House	10/04/24	10/06/24
Northwestern State University	The Father’s House	10/11/24	10/13/24
University of Memphis	The Father’s House	10/11/24	10/13/24
Southern Illinois University – Edwardsville	The Father’s House	10/18/24	10/20/24
Ohio State University	The Father’s House	10/18/24	10/20/24
University of Dallas	The Sanctifier	10/24/24	10/26/24
Central Connecticut State University	The Father’s House	10/25/24	10/27/24
Universidad de Monterrey	The Father’s House	10/25/24	10/27/24
California State University – Fullerton	The Father’s House	10/25/24	10/27/24
Sts. Anne and Joaquim, Fargo, ND	Way of the Disciple	11/01/24	11/03/24
University of Krems	Men’s	11/01/24	11/03/24
University of Mary	The Father’s House	11/08/24	11/10/24
DePauw University	Rec	11/08/24	11/10/24
Philanthropy Engagement	Way of the Disciple	11/15/24	11/17/24
University of Passau	Rec	11/21/24	11/23/24
Texas A&M University	The Sanctifier	02/07/25	02/09/25
FOCUS Greek Southeast	The Father’s House	02/14/25	02/16/25
FOCUS Greek Midwest	The Father’s House	02/14/25	02/16/25
Worcester Polytechnic Institute	The Sanctifier	02/14/25	02/16/25
FOCUS Greek Southwest	The Father’s House	02/21/25	02/23/25
Wayne State University	The Father’s House	02/21/25	02/23/25
University of Illinois-Chicago	The Sanctifier	02/21/25	02/23/25
Queens College of the City University of New York	The Father’s House	03/07/25	03/09/25
Nicholls State University	Way of the Disciple	03/07/25	03/09/25
Grand Valley State University	The Father’s House	03/28/25	03/30/25
University of Northern Iowa	Way of the Disciple	04/03/25	04/05/25
University of Nebraska Lincoln	The Father’s House	04/04/25	04/06/25
Arizona State University	Men’s	02/07/25	02/09/25
University of Nebraska at Kearney	Rec	09/27/24	09/29/24