Win. Build. Send., Part 1

ST. AL'S PUTS ON DOZENS OF EVENTS for students in the course of a school year, but some of them do not look very “churchy.”

There are of course liturgical offerings like Mass, Confession, and daily Holy Hours of Eucharistic Adoration. In a related sense, there are also many Bible studies, retreats, and catechetical courses. But there are also hikes, barn dances, coffee and donut socials, and sports competitions.

The schedule for a given week of events at St. Al’s may seem haphazard at first glance, but there is actually an underlying framework with a subtle strategy for helping students to get plugged in and go deeper with their faith.

That framework comes from the Fellowship of Catholic University Students, or FOCUS, which has had a team of recent college graduates, trained in outreach and mentoring, on the ground at St. Al’s for five years helping with the efforts at the parish.

The FOCUS framework is “Win-Build-Send.” In this case, “Win” means winning students over for Christ, providing them an opportunity for encountering Him. “Build” refers to building the students up in the Faith with prayer and catechesis. “Send” is equipping students to go win, build, and send others.

The activities around St. Al’s which often appear less “churchy” are often the “Win” events. These are meant to be low-threshold gatherings that provide a comfortable environment for somebody new to get acquainted with the church and the students here, even if they don’t come from a religious background. Hikes, dances, and sports teams are all examples of Win events, and so are the Fourth Period Socials after home hockey games, men’s and women’s nights or art/painting nights organized by the FOCUS missionaries, and the orientation week welcome activities.

There is an effort to host Win Events which appeal to all sorts of students, but the hikes and snowshoeing trips that take advantage of the beautiful surroundings of the Copper Country are among the favorites because they provide a great opportunity for students to get to know each other one-on-one, away from the distractions of technology—something which is increasingly difficult to do in today’s university environment.

Spreading the word about these events involves email announcements, social media, and table tents on campus, but a particular emphasis is placed on students making personal invitations to their friends, roommates, and classmates.