FOCUS averages 25 percent growth per year since its founding; adds 16 new campuses for 2012-13 School Year

DENVER, Aug. 23, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- FOCUS, the Fellowship of Catholic University Students, a fast-growing college campus outreach now with a presence at colleges in 31 states (including District of Columbia), has added 15 more universities and a "Digital Campus" to its roster for the 2012-13 school year, bringing the total number of campuses now served by FOCUS to 74.

FOCUS has grown from two part-time missionaries serving a single campus to the 361 full-time missionaries who will work on the 74 campuses this fall, with an average growth rate of 25 percent each year since its founding in 1998. The group has also seen 384 of its members (299 men, 84 women) enter into religious life with 41 men and nine women making such a commitment in 2012 alone.   

"Either the best days of our nation are ahead of us or behind us," said Curtis Martin, president of FOCUS. "We believe that the key to building a better future lies with the young leaders on campus. Our goal is to inspire thousands upon thousands of men and women who, ten years from now, 20 years from now, 30 years from now, will be in positions of influence—such that they will transform our culture."

Each year, teams of FOCUS missionaries are sent to college campuses at the invitation of the local bishop and with the support of the local Catholic campus ministry.

In addition to the 73 teams who will work on physical campuses this year, FOCUS has added a "Digital Campus" where a team of four, based at the organization's national office, will offer missionary support to campuses that don't yet have a physical FOCUS presence.

The new campuses to be served by FOCUS beginning this Fall, are:

-Baylor University, Waco, TX

-Carnegie Mellon University, Pittsburgh, PA

-Farleigh Dickinson University and Drew University, Madison, NJ will be served by the same
missionary team

-Franciscan University of Steubenville, Steubenville, NJ

-Harvard University, Boston, MA

-University of Oklahoma, Norman, OK

-Northwestern University, Chicago, IL

-University of North Texas, Denton, TX

-Tulane University, New Orleans, LA

-University of Mary Washington, Fredericksburg, VA

-University of Tennessee, Knoxville, TN

-University of Tulsa, Tulsa, OK

-University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA

-University of Wisconsin-La Crosse, La Crosse, WI

-U.S. Coast Guard Academy, New London, CT

-Digital Campus, FOCUS National Office, Genesee, CO

In response to the Church's call for a "new evangelization," FOCUS seeks to communicate the gospel to young adults in a dynamic and culturally relevant way.  The missionaries are typically recent college graduates who devote two or more years of their post-collegiate lives to reach out to their peers on campus. Through genuine friendship and personal investment, FOCUS missionaries invite students into a personal relationship with Jesus Christ and the fullness of life found in the Catholic Church. 

To see a full list of FOCUS campuses or to learn more, visit http://www.focus.org/on-campus/focus-campuses.html. Follow FOCUS on Twitter at http://twitter.com/focusnational or on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/focuscatholic.

About FOCUS:
FOCUS is a national outreach that invites college students into a growing relationship with Jesus Christ and His Church, inspiring and equipping them for a lifetime of Christ-centered evangelization, discipleship and friendships in which they lead others to do the same. www.focus.org.

SOURCE FOCUS