FOCUS bolsters faith for college students

College students at the University of Oklahoma in Norman, Oklahoma State University in Stillwater and the University of Tulsa have a unique opportunity to build their Catholic faith while living away from their families, through the Fellowship of Catholic University Students (FOCUS) collegiate outreach.
 
Many college students live away from their families for the first time. During this key period in the lives of young adults it is estimated that nearly 80 percent of those who leave the Catholic faith do so by age 23 (Pew, 2009). Having FOCUS on college campuses helps Catholic students maintain their faith and stay dedicated to the teachings of the Church.
 
The mission of FOCUS, as described on its website, is to share the hope and joy of the Gospel with college and university students, inspiring and equipping them for a lifetime of Christ-centered evangelization, discipleship and friendships in which they lead others to do the same.
 
The FOCUS goal is to win the hearts of college students, build them in faith and send them out into the world. Through this, students encounter God in an intimate relationship through prayer, the sacraments and Scripture. The students build genuine friendships with FOCUS missionaries, learning how to share the Gospel. The mission helps students find their path and has inspired countless religious vocations and holy, healthy marriages.
 
The FOCUS ministry at the University of Oklahoma was established in 2012, according to Megan Lastra-Cruz, an OU Focus missionary.
 
“We have events after Mass. We walk around campus and eat lunch with students who are a part of the Catholic Center. We meet people in the dorms, meet people at the cafeteria, the library, we try to be where they are,” she said. “We have a very strong community within the FOCUS community.”
 
She said FOCUS at OU has had more than 150 students attend at least one the Bible study this year, and there are 16 students who lead Bible studies. Some Bible studies are led by the missionaries and some are led by the students.

Lastra-Cruz said upcoming missionary trips are being finalized, and students are looking forward to the trips.
 
“I am going to Peru with a student who is attending nursing school. We are going to Peru in July, during a medical mission trip with FOCUS. Two students are going to the Holy Land with FOCUS, so there are three students who will be going on mission trips this year.”
 
Leann Richardson, a FOCUS missionary at OSU, said they help students know they are not alone.
 
“We help them feel more invested. Many times, it is their first time away from home. They are in a vulnerable state and want to learn more. We let them know we can relate to their experiences, because we all were in their shoes at one time as college students,” Richardson said.
 
She also said the OSU FOCUS has events with students such as a weekly free lunch, end-of-year celebrations and mission trips on school breaks. The mission trips allow students to help the poor by building stairs for them and other acts of charity, she said.
 
“Our FOCUS is a hands-on outreach, so the students can take ownership of their faith, and have a deeper encounter with the Lord,” Richardson said.
 
The nationwide FOCUS outreach has more than 700 missionaries on 153 campuses. More than 700 students have made decisions to pursue religious vocations. FOCUS has an estimated 2,340 mission trip participants and nearly 7,000 students in one-on-one discipleship.
 
Jolene Schonchin is a freelance writer for the Sooner Catholic.

FOCUS
Fellowship of Catholic University Students
www.focus.org
Jared Smyth
(303) 630-1875
[email protected]
 
focusoncampus.org/campus/university-of-oklahoma
focusoncampus.org/campus/oklahoma-state-university
focusoncampus.org/campus/university-of-tulsa

Photo: FOCUS Women’s Bible Study on campus. Photo Fellowship of Catholic University  Students (FOCUS).