We encounter God in an intimate relationship through daily prayer, the sacraments and the Scriptures.
I served as a missionary on campus for 11 years. Two years at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. One year at Franciscan University of Steubenville in Ohio before getting married and moving to South Dakota where my wife Sierra was attending nursing school. Three years as the Team Director at Northern State University in Aberdeen, South Dakota. And five years as the Team Director at the University of South Dakota in Vermillion, South Dakota.
Currently, I serve as a Senior Manager of Philanthropy Engagement. The past two years I have had the opportunity to serve on the Philanthropy Engagement Team. Our team expresses gratitude and engages FOCUS’s benefactors and mission partners in our mission in a deeper way. Providing the resources necessary to give the best training to our missionaries and provide the resources they need to do mission work on the front lines of the college campus.
My life was good. I was in a fraternity. I had friends. I was funny. I was doing well in my academics and had a full ride scholarship to the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. But sometimes, after a long night of making my friends laugh at a party, I would stand out back of my fraternity house late at night, smoke a cigarette, and feel alone. A deep loneliness. That was when I felt God draw closest to me, when I was farthest from Him.
I was lucky. I grew up in a good home, with a good family. My parents taught me about God, Jesus, the Holy Spirit and the Catholic Family. Even with all these advantages it took more than just good friends in college to bring me back to my Catholic faith. It took holy friends in FOCUS. It was through these friends that I learned what fullness of life looked like. God showed me why I was so alone. I wasn’t close to Him. Without the yes and dedication of full-time missionaries through FOCUS I would not be who I am in God now.
When I answered the call to join FOCUS, I made the decision to rely on the spiritual and financial support of mission partners to help me through this mission. If you are interested in partnering with me, please 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.
If you have any questions or need help setting up your gift, please contact us at [email protected].
We encounter God in an intimate relationship through daily prayer, the sacraments and the Scriptures.
By building genuine friendships, we meet students on a deeper level.
We teach students how to share the gospel, who in turn teach other students how to pass it on.