The Fellowship of Catholic University Students (FOCUS) is a Catholic lay apostolate founded in 1998 by Curtis Martin. The organization's work is primarily carried out through missionaries assigned to college campuses, though FOCUS also operates in some parish settings.
Through Bible studies, mentorship, conferences, retreats, mission trips, and partnerships with priests, bishops, and parishes, FOCUS missionaries walk alongside students and parishioners in their faith journey, inspiring and equipping them for a lifetime of Christ-centered evangelization and discipleship.
History
FOCUS was founded by Curtis Martin and Edward Sri in 1998. The organization established its pilot program in January 1998 at Benedictine College in Atchison, Kansas,[1] with two staff members and 24 students. That same year, Curtis Martin discussed the mission of the organization with Pope John Paul II. At the invitation of ArchbishopCharles J. Chaput, former archbishop of Denver, a FOCUS program was established in the fall of 1998 at the University of Northern Colorado, Greeley. The organization is now headquartered outside of Denver. [2]
The organization has grown significantly since its founding. As of 2025, FOCUS reported serving over 250 mission locations, including 211 domestic campuses, 10 international campuses, and 28 parishes, with over 1000 missionaries.[3]
Founder
Curtis Martin holds a master's degree in Theology and is the author of the best-selling book Made for More, and co-host of the EWTN show Crossing the Goal. In 2004, Curtis and his wife Michaelann were awarded the Benemerenti Medal by Pope John Paul II for their outstanding service to the Church.[4] In 2011, Curtis Martin was appointed as Consulter to the Pontifical Council for Promoting the New Evangelization by Pope Benedict XVI.[5][6]
Mission and Approach
The mission statement of FOCUS is to "know Christ Jesus and fulfill His Great Commission". [7] How FOCUS does that is by sending missionaries to college campuses to encounter students and invite them into a lifelong relationship with Jesus. Many students experience profound healing as they give their life over to Jesus, and many join the work of evangelization that the entire world might be saved.
FOCUS recruits recent college graduates and provides training in pastoral ministry before assigning these missionaries to serve on college campuses, typically in teams of four. Missionaries generally make an initial two-year, full-time commitment with the organization. FOCUS operates with the approval of the local bishop and the support of the local pastor, as well as existing campus ministries.[8]
The greater part of FOCUS' work occurs in Bible studies, conducted as small groups meeting weekly to discuss a Scripture passage, typically led by a missionary for the organization. The organization calls this small-group model "the method modeled by the master,"[9] that is, it purports to base its modes of evangelization on Jesus' actions in the gospels. FOCUS Bible studies are either all-male or all-female. Meetings generally follow formats and lesson plans distributed by the organization and made available online. A Bible study leader will typically meet one-on-one with a couple of select members once a week outside of study sessions in what are called "discipleship" sessions.[10]
Missionaries are typically recent graduates who have some experience with the organization's Bible studies as undergraduates, who dedicate a year or two of service stationed on a campus with a FOCUS program. Missionaries, who make a living by fundraising salaries, undergo a five-week training program at the organization's Denver Support Center the summer prior to their assignments.[11]
Conferences and Events
Beginning in 1999, FOCUS began hosting its own conferences, featuring high-profile speakers, sponsors and exhibitors, and organized programming for students, young adults, and catechists. The organization developed two primary conferences, the larger SEEK conference and the smaller SLS (Student Leadership Summit). The larger of the two, SEEK, is largely educational and social in nature. The smaller Student Leadership Summit (SLS) was more directly aimed at training undergraduates and other young and ministerial professionals in the organization's methods.
The organization has hosted both conferences since 1999,[12] with the final SLS held in 2019 and SEEK becoming annual. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the in-person 2021 and 2022 nationwide conferences were cancelled, prompting some universities to join together at common locations to watch livestreamed talks. In 2023, SEEK was again held in-person at The Dome at America's Center, where it returned for 2024 instead of changing locations like past years.
The organization also hosts service trips and retreats scheduled to coincide with typical undergraduate term breaks.[citation needed]
Notable people
Michelle Duppong, a former FOCUS missionary who died of cancer in 2014, is under consideration for sainthood in the Catholic Church.[13]
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