FOCUS

FOCUS is a Catholic collegiate outreach whose mission is to share the hope and joy of the gospel with college and university students.

Meet our missionaries below:

Anna Smith
I fell in love with Jesus, the Church, and mission right here on grounds! It took all four years, but through the love of my small group and missionaries who knew that God was calling me deeper, I began to learn what it means to be a disciple. Leading a small group and participating in the marching band were evangelization opportunities that God gave me here at UVA, and ultimately he used them to show me that FOCUS was the way in which he was calling me to live out my baptismal call to preach the Gospel. I am so thankful and still blown away that he has called me back to serve my fellow Wahoos! 
Heck Yes: Google Maps, white cheddar popcorn, dance parties, 1st floor Clemons
Heck No: Funyuns, extraneous buttons on clothing, 4th floor Clemons


Joe Zuccaro
The Lord has called me from the secular work force to serve as a FOCUS missionary. During undergrad, my main priority was securing the best job possible in the financial industry. And I did. I landed a full-time job on Wall Street with a large firm. While working in finance, I had a profound encounter with the Lord and felt my life be redirected elsewhere. I began to yearn for a deeper relationship with Jesus and I desired to serve Him with my whole heart. Then I met a FOCUS missionary and knew that the Lord was calling me to live out my faith in this radical and exciting way so that I can share my experience with others. A few fun facts about me include that I love working out, going fishing, and taking road trips! 

Paul Maurais
The Catholic faith has always been a central part of my life but it wasn't until college that I made that faith my own.  I completed my undergraduate at UMass Amherst where I studied computer science. The FOCUS missionaries I encountered there taught me how to live the christian life and exposed me to the Word of God.  Through discipleship, I was formed into the man I am today. I was so inspired by there example that I sought to do the same, to bring other students to Christ. The formation I have received as a missionary has equipped me not only for evangelization but for life. My free time is spent programing, hunting or doing anything outdoors.


Christie Parvin
As a missionary, my greatest desire is to bring the joy of Christ onto the college campus and to invite students to encounter the infinite love of our Father. Before having a relationship with Christ, my heart was restlessly searching for a sense of true love and joy, but there was nothing that could completely satisfy this void within my heart.  It wasn't until I encountered Christ in his Church and saying yes to a relationship with him that this void was filled and my life completely changed. The Lord then led me to a great community in the Catholic Student Center on campus where I encountered authentic friendships with the students and FOCUS missionaries. These relationships not only challenged me to be the best version of myself, but showed me the importance of growing in my relationship with Christ and what it meant to truly pick up my cross and follow Him. I said yes to being a FOCUS missionary to bring the joy of Christ to college students and to walk with them in this same way to the Cross and toward sainthood.