.- A
national campus ministry group is inspiring a growing number of young
men to enter the seminary. The Fellowship of Catholic University
Students (FOCUS) is a national outreach program whose goal it is to
form Catholic communities on college campuses where students can follow
Jesus and live out their faith.
The model
includes Bible study, leadership training and one-on-one discipleship.
In seeking to bring the fullness of Christianity to students, it has
helped inspire at least 67 men to enter seminaries and 25 women to
enter religious life.
Deacon Peter
Mussett credits FOCUS with helping him perceive and discern his call to
become a priest. He will be ordained a priest this month.
According to the
Center for Applied Research in the Apostolate 27 percent of parishes do
not have a resident priest; the total number of priests, between 1950
and 2000, increased by only 6 percent while the Catholic population
increased by 107; and, there are more priests over 90 (433) than there
are under 30 (298).
Young men like
Benjamin Barron however, are striving to change that. "FOCUS gave me an
outlet to learn more about my Catholic Faith and to be around others
who cared about their faith", the second year student at St. Thomas
Aquinas Seminary in Minneapolis said.
"My FOCUS Bible
study was a good fraternity of men, and we held each other accountable
to lead a good life. I made some good friends and discovered I didn’t
have to be a ‘dork’ to be a good Catholic."
FOCUS was
founded in Atchison, KS, by Curtis Martin, a Catholic speaker and
author. It now has 100 staff working on 27 campuses in 15 states. FOCUS
is headquartered in Greeley, CO
Catholic college group helping to battle priestly shortage
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