The temperature in Boston stood at a frigid 2 degrees above zero a couple of weeks ago with a bracing wind chill dropping it to 10 degrees below zero. I knew that I had to get away, so I booked a flight for Chicago where the temperature on the thermometer stood exactly at zero and the wind chill off Lake Michigan brought it to a bracing 20 degrees below zero. Actually, I had booked the flight two months earlier as I planned to attend the national conference of FOCUS (Fellowship of Catholic University Students). FOCUS was founded twenty years ago with the goal of inviting recent college graduates to volunteer two years as Catholic campus ministers at colleges and universities across the nation. They were young people who had themselves experienced a faith conversion or a profound growth in faith during their college years and who desire to invite other college students to a similar opportunity. Teams of four FOCUS missionaries, each committed to two years of volunteer service, were present on 29 campuses ten years ago. Today similar teams are present on 130 campuses across the country including Harvard, Boston University, and M.I.T. in our own archdiocese, as well as the United States Naval Academy at Annapolis.
Why did I make the decision to attend to the FOCUS Conference this year? One reason is that I made a financial pledge two years ago to help support the mission commitment of a FOCUS volunteer, Todd Schmidt (no relation) at the University of Kentucky. The conference offered me the opportunity to appreciate the impact of Todd’s commitment and the mission of FOCUS. The other reason was somewhat selfish as I freely admitted to people who inquired about why I was attending the conference as a parish priest with no formal involvement in college campus ministry. I told them that I came because I need an infusion of hope in the future of the Church! I certainly received that infusion of hope as I was surrounded by 8,000 college students who are committed to sharing their Catholic faith as volunteer campus ministers. The enthusiasm for the faith and their commitment to inviting other young people to be open to their own faith experience afforded me a huge surge of hope. There is nothing magical about their approach as they meet students on college campuses and invite them to discover or re-discover the traditional ways of openness to God’s grace through worship, shared prayer and scripture study and service. FOCUS is deeply rooted in the traditions of the Catholic Faith as was evident by their sincere attention and devotion at Eucharist and their long lines waiting to celebrate the Sacrament of Reconciliation.
I admit that after hearing all the familiar reports of young people putting their Catholic Faith behind them, it was so encouraging to be gathered with 8,000 young adults who are finding fulfillment in living their Catholic Faith. They are also willing to put their own plans aside for a couple of years to invite other young adults to experience that same fulfillment in faith.
The highlight of the FOCUS Conference was the surprise appearance of actor, Jim Caveziel, who played the role of Jesus in Mel Gibson’s ‘Passion of the Christ.’ Currently engaged in the production of a new movie on the life of Saint Paul, playing the role of Saint Luke, Jim came before the 8,000 young Catholics gathered in Chicago to encourage and challenge them to “go out into this pagan world and have the courage to shamelessly profess your faith in public. The world needs proud warriors like St. Paul and St. Luke who risked their names and their reputations to take their faith, their love for Jesus into the world. God is calling each one of us – each one of you – to do great things.”
I have provided a link to Jim Caviezel’s complete video message on our parish web site atwww.pwc.church for those who would like to view it and be motivated by it themselves.
I returned from a freezing Chicago to a freezing Boston warmed by a new fire of hope aglow in my heart.