News

Hope for Young Adults & the Future of our Church

At last weekend’s masses, Luke La Salvia introduced parishioners to the Fellowship of Catholic University Students (FOCUS) Program and discussed his role as a campus missionary at University of Wisconsin-Madison.

FOCUS is a Catholic collegiate outreach program whose mission is to share the hope and joy of the gospel with college and university students, inspiring and equipping them for a lifetime of Christ-centered evangelization, discipleship and friendships in which they lead others to do the same.

In his presentation, Luke shared disturbing numbers, “In our country, young people are leaving the faith by the millions. When they hit college age, they will never come back [mostly].” He also shared an important message of hope, “The young adult community is doing something about it. On campuses throughout the United States, college students are coming back to the Catholic Church.”  Through the FOCUS program, more than 750 missionaries (like Luke) are arriving on more than 170 college campuses to meet with students, spread the word of Jesus Christ, and to evangelize.  And it is working!

If you missed Luke’s message of HOPE, please take a few minutes to watch this short video.

Luke is responsible for fundraising 100% of his salary, relying exclusively on the support of generous donors.  If you’re concerned about the exodus of young adults from the Catholic faith, and would like to help sponsor or make a donation to support his critical evangelization mission at UW-Madison, please visit: https://www.focus.org/missionaries/luke-la-salvia

Luke leaves for UW-Madison on July 25 and promised to keep in touch.  We will provide periodical updates on his efforts and progress throughout the year.

May our Holy Mother, Our Lady of the Wayside, intercede with her Son for Luke’s success, and for the return of young adults to the Catholic Faith.