After spending my first year as a missionary serving at Columbia University in Manhattan, my soon-to-be wife, Jules, and I are moving to North Oakland, PA as I begin my second year serving at the University of Pittsburgh! My new teammates and I will spend our days meeting new students, leading Bible Studies and Discipleship Formation groups, and growing closer to God through Daily Mass and prayer. Our homebase on campus is the Pittsburgh Oratory on Bayard Street, which we share with the students and missionaries at Carnegie Mellon University next door.

After developing a deep friendship with a FOCUS missionary named Nick during my freshman fall at Brown University, I experienced an intense, interior encounter with Jesus in the Eucharist at a FOCUS conference for college students in Phoenix called SLS 2020. Since then, I have been following His invitation to lead others into a deeper relationship with God, and that pursuit has led me to become a FOCUS missionary myself! Being a devout Catholic in fairly anti-religious environments like the Ivy League been a bizarre ride at times, but, as St. Paul wrote to the Romans, “We know that all things work for good for those who love God, who are called according to his purpose.” (Romans 8:28)

We missionaries could not do what we do without the support of generous Mission Partners like you. By supporting my mission at the University of Pittsburgh, you become a crucial partner in the fight to win the hearts of young people for God in one of the battlegrounds where it is needed most. It’s an honor to collaborate with you in this important work. Thank you for your courage and generosity!