FOCUS Missionaries come to Tucson

For the first time, the St. Thomas More Newman Center welcomed five FOCUS missionaries to the University of Arizona campus. FOCUS stands for Fellowship of Catholic University Students; its mission is to follow Jesus’ commission to “Go and make disciples of all nations.” The organization accomplishes this by forming “Catholic missionaries rooted in Church teaching, prayer, Scripture, and evangelization. We go out into the world, invite people into a joyful life with Christ, and walk with them as they grow in faith” (FOCUS). There are currently 981 young adults serving as FOCUS missionaries at 234 campuses across the nation and in five foreign countries. Each year, these missionaries reach hundreds of thousands of people, sowing seeds of faith in communities around the globe. 

Alicia Fanning is one of the young adult missionaries who just arrived at the University of Arizona this semester. She generously shared her thoughts and experiences with us: 

Q: How did you first learn about FOCUS? 

A: I first learned about FOCUS my second year of college at the University of Idaho in 2019. A missionary announced a mission trip to Jamaica at a Sunday Mass, and I was very interested. So, I reached out and met with her for coffee. What I thought would be a quick conversation about how to apply for the trip, turned into an hour-long conversation about my heart and who I was. Needless to say, no one had ever talked to me so intentionally. So, when she invited me into her Bible study a couple weeks later, I said yes, and slowly became more involved with the Church through FOCUS.  

Q: Why did you become a missionary? 

A: I was on a FOCUS retreat “The Way of the Disciple” my second year of college, and it was the first retreat I had been on outside of high school. It was during one of the adoration sessions that I simply heard Jesus say to me, “You will be my missionary.” And without hesitation, I said, “Yes, of course I will be.” Over the next few months, I discovered a deep passion for addressing spiritual poverty. I became convicted that I was being called to reach this generation of people and to share the gospel with everyone the Lord invited me to encounter. I came to believe that there is nothing more important than guiding souls toward eternal joy in heaven. I became a FOCUS missionary in 2021. 

Q: What is your role at the U of A? 

A: Our first mission is to know Christ Jesus ourselves, so we attend daily Mass and pray for at least one hour in Adoration every morning. Everything flows from our personal relationship with Christ, so we are able to be led by the power of the Holy Spirit to guide others to encounter Jesus. We work in union with the University of Arizona’s Newman Center to reach out to students on campus and invite them to enter into authentic friendship, divine intimacy, and eventually to fulfill Christ’s commission to make disciples of all nations.  

Q: How do you and the other missionaries serve the community? 

A: As a missionary, my greatest desire is for every student at the U of A to have a personal encounter with Jesus and to ultimately be transformed into his likeness. So, in order to do that, my team prays each day for them, and we enter into their lives by sharing meals, playing games, hosting Bible studies, talking to people on campus, hosting retreats, etc. We strive to be radically available to the people the Lord entrusts to us and so we are available to the students in the U of A community.  

Q: How long will you be in Tucson? 

A: I have committed to remaining in Tucson until May 2024, and the Lord may decide I am needed elsewhere. I honestly never know if I will be in a place for longer than a year. We as missionaries respond to the Lord’s movements and go where he wills us to go. And this will probably look different for each of my teammates. Personally, I have loved being able to enter into the community in Tucson and share the Gospel here! So, I will be here for as long as the Lord desires me to be! 
 

Q: How do you keep your faith alive despite all the challenges of young adulthood? 

A: This is a great question because the answer is simple: a deep sacramental and prayer life. From observing the Saints, we learn that daily Mass, at least a monthly Confession, and an hour of prayer every day is the spiritual food that will sustain our souls through the challenges of this life. When we become like children, receiving everything from the Father, there is nothing to worry about, for He takes care of absolutely everything for us little ones.  

Q: What encouragement do you have for young adults on their faith journey? 

A: Each person is created to be a saint. Yes, even in our ordinary lives, we are called to become holy. This should give us great hope that our Father, who loves us, is attentive to every detail of our lives and is constantly calling us into deeper union with Him. The love that our hearts are longing for, thirsting for, has already been given to us – all we must do is receive from the one who loved us first. And to do this, we must answer his call on our hearts – we must strive to pray with Scripture and/or in Adoration for 30 minutes a day (as taught by St. Theresa of Avila).  

Learn more about FOCUS Missionaries at U.A.