Wife of Denver Broncos Coach in Rome for Sport and Faith Conference

DENVER, Sept. 2, 2014 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Linda Del Rio, wife of Denver Broncos Defensive Coordinator Jack Del Rio, is in Rome speaking at the Pontifical Council for Culture Conference, September 2-3, held in conjunction with the Interreligious Game for Peace on September 1. Del Rio is an Executive Consultant for Varsity Catholic, a Division of the rapidly growing Catholic apostolate FOCUS, the Fellowship of Catholic University Students. At the conference, delegates of national and international Catholic sports associations are discussing the topic, "Sports at the Service of Humanity, from the Results-Oriented Culture to a Culture of Encounter."

Del Rio is speaking at the session, "Overcoming the Throwaway Culture to Promote the Culture of Encounter and Fraternity." She is attending the conference with two FOCUS missionaries, Allison McCormick, a Fellowship of Catholic University Students missionary on the University of Louisiana at Lafayette campus, and Ben Domingue, a FOCUS missionary for the University of Texas at Austin.

"Sometimes athletes fall under a false sense of self, living as though their lives were more important than others and their success or failure dependent solely on their individual efforts," said Del Rio. "They begin to believe they are bigger than the platform of salvation and evangelization though the grace and gift of where God. I'm honored to work with Varsity Catholic, which guides the formation of athletes through their formative college years—a time when finding a strong role model can be especially challenging."

FOCUS, founded in 1998 by Curtis Martin, invites college students into a growing relationship with Jesus Christ and His Church, inspiring and equipping them for a lifetime of Christ-centered evangelization and discipleship.

In 2007, FOCUS launched Varsity Catholic as a Division to address the unique needs and challenges student-athletes face. Varsity Catholic develops the complete athlete by providing comprehensive spiritual development opportunities, such as Bible studies and one-on-one mentoring, that invest in their spiritual growth.

"Linda's role as an Executive Consultant with FOCUS over the last year has been invaluable," said Martin, the Founder and Chief Executive Officer of FOCUS. "She's helped connect Varsity Catholic with many key influencers and university coaches, while sharing her unique perspectives with us. Her participation with the Pontifical Council of the Laity's, Office of Church and Sport shows the respect she has gained, and also provides her with an exceptional opportunity to bring Christ and our Catholic faith into the world of sport."

The Pontifical Council for Culture, in cooperation with the National Office of the Italian Bishops' Conference for Pastoral Care in the Areas of Leisure Time, Tourism, and Sports and the John Paul II Sports Foundation, invited delegates of national and international catholic sports associations to convene at the Pontifical Council for Culture. The entire program can be found at Pontifical Council for Culture. 

About Varsity Catholic and FOCUS
Varsity Catholic is a Division of FOCUS (Fellowship of Catholic University Students, a national outreach founded in 1998. In 2007, FOCUS launched Varsity Catholic as a Division that realizes the unique needs and challenges student-athletes face. Varsity Catholic provides them with opportunities, such as Bible studies and one-on-one mentoring, to invest in their spiritual growth. Varsity Catholic currently works with students on 16 U.S. campuses. It also hosts Varsity Catholic Mission Camps which allow college athletes to proclaim a faith they believe while coaching a sport they love in other countries, such as Mexico, Puerto Rico and St.Lucia. www.varsitycatholic.org

Since its founding FOCUS has grown on average 20% per year and in the 2014-2015 school year will reach 100 campuses with over 550 missionaries and supporting staff. FOCUS 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. More than 13,000 FOCUS alumni are involved with hundreds of parishes throughout the U.S. Within this number, 495 have made decisions to enter Catholic religious vocations. By 2022, FOCUS expects to launch 75,000 alumni into America's 17,500 Catholic parishes—averaging more than four alumni per parish. www.focus.org.

About Linda Del Rio
Linda Del Rio is the President of ExVotos Communications, LLC, and an accredited photographer. She serves as Vice President of The Jack Del Rio Foundation (JDRF), which was founded in 2004 to serve the lives of underprivileged children, and has benefited Children's Hospitals, Salvation Army, American Red Cross, United Way, Ronald McDonald Homes, American Cancer Society, Catholic Charities, Big Brothers/Big Sisters, Knights of Columbus, and many other deserving initiatives within the 30 National Football League markets. She is FOCUS Varsity Catholic's Executive Consultant for collegiate athletes and missionaries and serves on a committee for sport and evangelization in Vatican City within the Council of Culture and works as a liaison between sport and faith within the Office of Sport and Council of Culture in Rome.

Photo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20140902/142186
Logo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20130819/DC66010LOGO

SOURCE FOCUS, the Fellowship of Catholic University Students