This year I will serve at the University of Nebraska at Kearney! (Go Lopes!) I am so excited to call the Midwest my new home.

I remember being asked once, “What is one day of your life that you hope to never forget?” I knew in a moment that it would have to be that warm April evening in high school when, after a powerful experience of both Scripture and Confession, I understood in a wholly new way what a merciful father and friend our Lord wanted to be for me.

That night, after a season of painful scrupulosity, a new joy began to flood back into my faith. Yet, during the months that followed, I often needed the witness of others who modeled their own lives of prayer and affirmed God’s presence in mine. They persistently reminded me of His love, already poured out for me, and they taught me how to better receive it.

Now I hope to do the same for others. Because the more that I taste the freedom of living life with Jesus through daily prayer and the sacraments, the more that I want others to know how happy they can be, too. I think of the description of Moses’ prayer in Scripture: “The LORD used to speak to Moses face to face, as a man speaks to his friend” (Exodus 33:11). This is the reality that I want the world to know—that we are made for this friendship, and it alone will satisfy our restless hearts.

I will always be indebted to my parents, teachers, and mentors who have taught me the fullness of truth, a language for prayer, and a model of holy friendship. Towards the end of college, it seemed that our Lord was inviting to me to spend my days doing the same for others; the question was simply where.

But I didn’t have to wonder too long, for the Holy Spirit seemed to whisper to my heart, over and over, What if you did FOCUS?  With FOCUS, I will have the opportunity to invest in a few students at a time, over the course of many months. During this time I hope to grow in friendship together, accompanying them in Bible studies and regular mentorship and inviting them to the sacraments—and then equipping them to go out and share the Gospel with others.

Christ calls us to “go and make disciples of all nations” (Matthew 28:9). I would love to fulfill this commission together with you!

I am excited to make the college campus my mission field because this is where the leaders, parents, teachers of the future are receiving the bulk of their formation, and this is where a sobering 80% of Catholics fall away from the faith.

When I said yes to the call to FOCUS, I made the decision to rely on the spiritual and financial support of mission partners. This will allow you and me both to spread the Gospel, and it will enable me to pour myself into the students around me full-time.

If you are interested in joining my team, please reach out ([email protected]) so that we can schedule an appointment. It would be an honor to share this mission with you!