God has called me to serve the students of Virginia Tech this year!  Home of the Hokies, I will be walking with students in their faith journey to know Christ Jesus and empower them to lead others in the journey of faith.

Please pray for our team, our chaplain Father Tom, and the ongoing conversion of souls at Virginia Tech.

Here’s my Team! Pictured (L to R): Anna, Myself & Team Director Madelyn 

(Not Pictured: Andrew & Chaplain Fr. Tom)

Were you ever told the cliche of “College is the best 4 years of your life!”   It seems cheesy but I think it should be renamed to “College is the most formative 4 years of your life”!  This 4-5 year time span is a unique opportunity where a person’s values are put to the test, setting a trajectory of how they will live out the rest of their lives.  Be it new independence from moving out of one’s childhood home, the temptations to party all night, the responsibility of a first post-grad job, the hope of a first committed relationship, etc,.  These experiences can make or break someone, and here is my version of the story.

I thought that I had to figure everything out in life by myself in finding the answers to “Who am I? What is my purpose? How do I live my life well? Where am I going?”  While I understood the rituals of the Catholic faith, I would not have said I had a relationship with Jesus.  Yet upon graduating high school the world shut down & I, at a crossroads of leaning into or out of my faith, decided to walk away… The next 2 years of university led to lots of wrestling: with my academics, the implications of sin in my life, relationships amongst family & friends, with understanding purpose…I was frustrated.  I felt defeated.  Something needed to change.

Little did I know that God was on the chase after me, ever so loving, ever so persistent! I transferred to a community college, trying to reorient myself & once again: figure this thing called life out by myself…Then He called out to me from a cafeteria through a friend (a NET missionary alum) who openly shared his struggles, and how he found solace amongst the chaos: his faith & a fellowship of men which he openly invited me into.  From this moment, I started to recognize God’s gentle guidance in my life: a yearning to pray, the desire to transfer to Seton Hall, going to confession for the first time in 4 years!  I felt His love through the mercy of reconciliation and desired to affix my gaze on Christ, looking to serve Him in any way.  And through the friendships of a couple FOCUS & SPO missionaries, I faithfully said “Here I Am, Send Me” when God called for me to serve in a new way, His Church as a missionary: making disciples of all the nations.

From my experiences in New Jersey, the young people on today’s colleges are hungry to be seen, known & loved.  In having been renewed of my mind & heart, I yearn to be of service in accompanying students through authentic friendship and divine intimacy with Jesus. 

Saying “Yes” to FOCUS provides a humble opportunity to assemble a team of individuals, families and parish communities to partner in supporting this mission.  It stings to admit but I cannot do this alone.  I therefore am surrendering my life to the Lord (including my salary)!  Your gift will not just be my compensation but a way to imitate Christ on campus via breaking bread, Bible study & faith formation materials, conference/mission trip scholarships, etc.

If you are interested in partnering with me, please email me at [email protected] or call me at (973) 441-0420 to let me know of the best way to reach you and I will schedule an appointment. I’d be honored to share this mission with you & let’s go set the world on fire!