Giovanni Garcia

“My purpose is to become closely united to God through love, and my destiny is to praise and glorify God’s mercy.” – St. Faustina Kowalska

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Where I serve

The Lord has called me to serve at Lindenwood University, just outside of St. Louis, Missouri. I am beyond excited to help students dive deeper in their faith and have life changing encounters with Jesus.

My Story

In his keynote address at the National Eucharistic Congress, Fr. Mike Schmitz said this, “Sometimes our problem is ignorance…and sometimes our problem is indifference. Sometimes it’s ‘I don’t know’; too often it’s ‘I don’t care.’” And that was my problem for many years. I was born and raised Catholic by very devout parents, but for the majority of my life I was just kind of going through the motions. I did not have a personal relationship with Jesus. If I could describe undergrad in one word, it would be lost. Lost in sin, lost in what I wanted to do for a career, lost in myself. I did not know who I was, what I was doing, where I was going. I was capital L-O-S-T: LOST.

However, one day in my senior year of college, FOCUS missionary Daniel Sahyouni invited me to get a cup of coffee after Sunday mass. Little did I know what I was getting myself into. Thanks to Daniel’s friendship and investment in me, I started making the sacraments and prayer a priority, I got plugged into bible study, got connected with the Newman Center community, and most importantly, I was reminded of my identity as a beloved son of the Heavenly Father.

Fast forward to 2024 and after attending SEEK (the largest young-adult Catholic conference in the U.S.), I felt a call from the Lord to serve. He had built me up and now it was time to pour into others. By the grace of God, I led multiple bible studies and young adult groups. That’s when I came to the realization that there are still so many young people living in this world with no hope; with no idea of who they are.

That is why I said yes to FOCUS. That is why I said yes to becoming a missionary. I want to remind college students of their identity in Christ Jesus and bring them back home to His Church.

Your Impact

When I answered the Lord’s call to be a full-time missionary, I made the decision to rely on the spiritual and financial support of mission partners. Without your generosity, I am not be able to help students become fully alive in Christ. If you are interested in joining me on mission, please let me know of the best way to contact you and I would love to schedule an appointment.

You can reach me at [email protected] or (708) 541-5331.

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If you have any questions or need help setting up your gift, please contact us at [email protected].

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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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FOCUS Find A Missionary Know Love Serve God Monstrance

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