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Student Leadership Team

FOCUS (Fellowship of Catholic University Students)

mselenski@focusonline.org

FOCUS is a national campus outreach that meets college students where they are and invites them to examine the meaning and purpose of their lives. Through large group outreach, Bible studies, and one on one mentoring, FOCUS staff are equipped to introduce college students to the Person of Jesus Christ and the Catholic Faith, empowering them to share His love with the world.

Saint Catherine Drake Newman Center has four full time FOCUS missionaries:
Teammates for the 2011-2012 include:

Mike Selenski, returning to Des Moines as this year’s Team Director. He comes to us from the University of St. Thomas, Minnesota.

 Julie Karue, serving FOCUS last year at Benedictine College (KS).
She is a graduate of Washington University in St. Louis. She comes to
the Midwest from Connecticut.

 Dana Willis, a first-year missionary. She graduated this spring from the University of Colorado-Boulder.

 Ryan Welch, also a first-year missionary. He recently graduated from Missouri State University with a degree in
journalism.

2009 – 2010: During winter break, 32 Drake students attended FOCUS’s National Conference in Orlando, Florida, themed Made for More. Through a generous donor, we were able to offer students free round-trip air-fare to attend.

Knights of Columbus

 

During the 2009 - 2010 school year Drake students Nick Downey and Quint Hall decided Drake University Catholic men needed a fellowship gathering and drummed up energy and support from other Catholic students. March, 2010 a college chapter of the Knights of Columbus was established. This was entirely a student initiative from conceiving the idea, organizing the group, submitting the paperwork and running the organization and activities.

The Knights have 31 members (all Drake University students) and are now actively involved in parish and community life. Since charter, they have worked at Kid Fest, sold puppy chow as a fundraiser for Catholic Relief Services for the Haiti earthquake, had a team work on Meals for the Heartland and are doing a number of things for our parish. They have taken it upon themselves to set up furniture weekly for St Kate's student Sunday suppers, and were grill masters at a student hosted thankyou dinner for resident parishioner hosts.