Monica Ceja-Lopez

Hi! My name is Monica, and I am a FOCUS missionary!

“The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.” John 1:5

Where I serve

The Lord is sending me to the University of Nevada, Reno! I am so excited to meet the students and grow in fellowship with them!

My Story

I grew up cradle Catholic and was always surrounded by the faith in some way. I had many moments in retreats and other events where I realized that Jesus was real. Sadly, I never really made an effort to give all of myself to Him. As I went through middle school and high school, I was introduced to astrology and other New Age practices. This became a huge part of my life so much so that I was going to leave the Church once I moved away for college. However, God had other plans!

During the summer of 2020, He pursued me and began to reveal Himself through conversations and testimonies. When I learned what New Age really was, I decided to look into Christianity and see which path I would take. I was convinced of the Catholic Church and through it all it felt like all the puzzle pieces began to come together. I surrendered my life to Him in August 2020, just before my first year of college, and it has been the best thing I’ve ever done.

I joined the Catholic community at UC Irvine and FOCUS bible studies at the start of my first year. This community and the bible studies helped strengthen my faith and fanned the desire to evangelize and help others know Christ. I continued to be involved in this community all throughout college and began leading bible studies as well as discipling women. I continued to be more and more convinced of the spiritual poverty of many college students and knew there was a need here.

As a missionary, I hope to show students the reality of who Jesus is and how much they are loved by Him. He calls us to live in communion with Him and I am so excited to invite students into this home and walk with them!

Your Impact

When I said yes to be a FOCUS missionary, I said yes to rely totally on God’s providence for financial and spiritual support, through the help of people like you. If you are interested in joining my support team, I would love to set up an appointment! It would truly be an honor to share this mission with you!

SUPPORT Monica

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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