LETTER TO THE EDITOR

FOCUS article provides keen insight into missionary ministry

Posted

To the editor:

There was an article published in the May 11 issue, authored by Lauren Clem, entitled “FOCUS offers college students a personal relationship with Christ,” that I believe deserves both credit and attention. The article was well-written in providing both background information on the organization as well as personal testimonies from young adults who were, in some cases, both affected by the presence of FOCUS missionaries as college students and who are now influencing others as FOCUS missionaries themselves.

On a personal note, I have been privileged to see the fruits of the FOCUS organization in the life of a young man who is close to my family and whom I have known, quite literally, from birth. Michael is the son of one of my closest friends and he was greatly influenced by some FOCUS missionaries while attending college. He then became a FOCUS missionary himself, ministering to others for two years in a small college out of state. From there he entered Mt. St. Mary’s Seminary in Emmitsburg, Maryland, where he has just completed his third year in the priestly formation program there. For Michael, much as it was for FOCUS missionary Maria McDonough (whose personal testimony is featured in the article), his life was “transformed.”

We were not familiar with FOCUS before Michael visited with us to tell us about it. We have seen, first hand, the difference these young people can and do have with their peers on college campuses. It is crucial missionary work being done “in the trenches” at what is often a critical juncture in a young adult’s spiritual journey. Please pray for the continued success of the good work of the FOCUS organization and consider financially supporting the FOCUS missionaries, like Maria.

Lora Brodeur, Westerly