FOCUS Presents Saint John Paul II Award to Archbishop Chaput, O.F.M., Cap.

Catholic University’s national fellowship outreach group has an active chapter at URI

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DENVER, Colo. — FOCUS, the Fellowship of Catholic University Students recently presented Philadelphia Archbishop Charles J. Chaput, O.F.M., Cap., with its Saint John Paul II Award, which honors Catholics who, by their demonstrated commitment and witness, inspire others to the universal call to holiness and the renewal of humanity.

FOCUS gave the award to Archbishop Chaput last month in front of nearly 10,000 attendees in Nashville, Tenn., at SEEK2015, an inspirational event hosted by FOCUS. FOCUS supporter and Philadelphian Barbara Henkels co-presented the award to Archbishop Chaput, who was previously the Archbishop of Denver, and has played an instrumental role in FOCUS’ founding and expansion to 100 college campuses nationwide. FOCUS supporters Carol and John Saeman also co-presented the award. Archbishop Chaput invited the Saemans to help launch FOCUS and Carol served with distinction on the Board of Directors for FOCUS.

“Archbishop Chaput’s love for Christ and young people helped to launch FOCUS and develop it to where it is today,” said Curtis Martin, FOCUS Founder and CEO. “The St. John Paul II award is a token of our sincere appreciation for all that he has done for FOCUS. He will always be an important part of our family.”

“When I first met Curtis nearly 20 years ago and heard about his dream, I was attracted right away,” said Archbishop Chaput. “I knew then and even more so now, that the work of young adults on campus was extraordinarily important to the New Evangelization. No one does a more dynamic job reaching college students for Christ than FOCUS.”

Archbishop Chaput will be the main celebrant at Mass during the FOCUS Reach | Philly event on February 19, which will bring together community members for a morning of prayer, fellowship and discussion on the New Evangelization. The event starts at 6:30 a.m. with Rosary, then Mass at 7 a.m., followed by breakfast and program from 8-9:30 a.m., emceed by Sarah Christmeyer, co-author and editor of “The Great Adventure” Catholic Study Bible Program.

FOCUS (Fellowship of Catholic University Students) is a national outreach founded in 1998 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. During the 2014-2015 academic year, 434 missionaries have committed to serve full-time on 100 college campuses in 34 states, including Rhode Island, where an active FOCUS chapter has been implemented at URI. More than 14,000 FOCUS alumni are involved with parishes throughout the U.S. Within this number, 495 have made decisions to pursue Catholic religious vocations.

By 2022, FOCUS expects to launch 75,000 alumni into America’s 17,400 Catholic parishes. 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. 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. www.focus.org.