Gathering shares successes of college campus ministry in Worcester

By Caleb White | CFP Correspondent

College students, alumni and donors gathered at North American Martyrs Parish in Auburn Dec. 7 for the diocese’s college Campus Ministry event – a donor appreciation and informal evening to recognize efforts with FOCUS, a Catholic outreach organization for college students.

Presentations included recent successes in ministry, personal testimonies from FOCUS missionaries and a WPI student, and a closing talk from Bishop McManus.

The preceding 6 p.m. Mass was celebrated by Bishop McManus with concelebrants Father Donato Infante and Father Alfredo R. Porras. Father Derek A. Mobilio, served as master of ceremonies and gave the homily in which he described God’s grace as “meant to overflow,” connecting it with the diocese’s vision for campus ministry.

“We follow the way God has done it. If we invest in particular souls in this particular time and place, then the graces of God bestowed upon those specific efforts will overflow – to others on campuses, students, faculty, staff, to our communities, our families, our parishes,” Father Mobilio said.

Father Mobilio serves as chaplain for the FOCUS missionaries of Team Worcester, a group ministering to students from Worcester State University (WSU) and Quinsigamond Community College (QCC). Father Porras serves as chaplain for FOCUS Team WPI, and both priests offer the sacraments, adoration and spiritual support for their students. Father Infante assists with celebrating Mass and fundraising for the ministry.

After Mass, Father Porras introduced the crowd to the purpose of the diocese’s college ministry efforts with FOCUS. He explained that “any ministry” is “the work of building the Church” – a work that students especially need.

“Those in the United States who leave the faith, 80 percent of them do so by the time they leave college. By the time they turn 23, they’ve already left,” Father Porras said. “One of the important things about the college experience is the fact that you’re away from home. It’s the fact that you’re starting to make your own decisions.  … And when you encounter the faith and make it a part of your life in college, then it makes all the difference afterwards.”
FOCUS trains mostly younger missionaries recently graduated from college who are able to connect and empathize with students on a deep level. While it has had a presence at WPI since the COVID-19 pandemic, this year is the first time WSU and QCC have had FOCUS missionaries in an official capacity.

Catholic Ministry at WPI

The Catholic community at WPI, referred to as PiCatholic, has enabled many students to encounter the faith through the Newman Club, a student organization dedicated to building a faith community on campus with Father Porras. Keegan Kuhn from the class of 2025 gave his testimony, stating that his campus ministry experience “changed [his] life and the lives of many others.”

“There’s something very beautiful here, from the music, to the liturgy, to witnessing the consecration that drew me in,” the computer engineering major said. By studying figures like St. Thomas Aquinas, he learned that the faith “is something reasonable” and desired to be Catholic after conversations with Father Porras, FOCUS missionaries and other students.
“I eagerly researched the faith on the internet and also had some great conversations and insights from God. I eventually was able to decide to be received into the Church. I longed to receive Jesus in the Eucharist,” said Mr. Kuhn.

He and other students receive guidance and support from FOCUS missionaries Bria Fitzgerald, Lorenzo Garcia, Nathaniel Turner and team director Barbara Chrobak. The team helps students build habits of daily prayer, regular partaking of the sacraments, and equips them to share the faith with others while growing in community.

Figures from PiCatholic’s annual impact report noted that average Sunday Mass attendance was 60 and average daily Mass attendance was 17. A total of 74 students attended Bible studies and 35 students were mentored by FOCUS missionaries. One student was baptized during the Easter Vigil. Three students have become FOCUS missionaries in the last two years, while two alumni have entered seminary in the last four years.

PiCatholic is supported financially and spiritually by the St. Albert the Great Association (SAGA), a charitable organization started in 2022 by alumni, parents and other supporters of campus ministry at WPI. Helena Petroff, WPI class of 2022 and secretary of SAGA, explained that many of their members are Newman Club alumni invested in helping the Catholic community on campus to flourish and were encouraged by Bishop McManus.
“In the Bishop’s wisdom, he understood that a legal entity of this kind is essential to give us the freedom to build this ministry and increasingly respond to the spiritual needs of the students,” said Ms. Petroff.

Catholic Ministry with Team Worcester

In addition to the successes experienced by Father Porras and the FOCUS missionaries at WPI, the diocese has seen its work with FOCUS Team Worcester bear fruit at WSU and QCC. The team includes missionaries Kathleen Knesek, Julia Lopez, Andrew Thompson and team director Parker Staub. Although the program is only halfway through its first year, Team Worcester presented promising numbers during the Campus Ministry Event.

“The goal for this whole school year is to have 80 students in Bible studies, and we’ve reached 43 before the end of the semester,” Mr. Staub said. “We also have 11 students, and counting, walking with us in discipleship, which is personal formation between each student and a missionary.”

For Mr. Staub, success in college ministry includes numbers, but is ultimately grounded in the victory of God’s grace in each student’s life. One student went to confession after not going for years – and those moments are what counts, he told The Catholic Free Press.

“There’s a Catholic student group that’s going to start at Worcester State by a student who hasn’t received the sacrament of confirmation yet. He’s going to be confirmed this year, but he’s already starting this group and is just filled with excitement,” Mr. Staub said. “I can’t even imagine the graces that will flow through his love of that ministry once he’s confirmed.”

Father Infante has been pleased by the diocese’s growth in college campus ministry, though he said there can be further evolution. “I want more of us. And the limiting factor is always going to be financial support,” he told The Catholic Free Press. “So we need more awareness, we need more alumni to come forward and say, ‘I’m passionate about my campus.’ There’s campuses that I think would have a lot of fruit if we had something like this going on.”

Bishop McManus ended the presentations with prayer and encouragement. “I want to commend the FOCUS missionaries. Pope Francis continually talks about how all of us, by virtue of our baptism, are missionary disciples, and these young men and women are missionary disciples,” he said.

“We priests and bishops cannot do this on our own. We rely on the grace of your baptism to further the life of the Church.”