Father Bob Frederick and KSU Students Praise Impact of FOCUS Missionaries 

Help Father Bob Frederick keep the FOCUS missionaries at Kennesaw State University! Read about their profound impact in revitalizing the campus faith community below and donate here.

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When Father Bob Frederick arrived at the Kennesaw State University Catholic Center, the students were still reeling from the pandemic. Almost half of his 25 years as a priest have been in high school and college chaplaincy. He experienced firsthand the blow COVID-19 dealt to students’ spiritual lives.  

Thankfully, Father Bob was familiar with FOCUS Missionaries and decided to reach out. FOCUS (the Fellowship of Catholic University Students) was founded by Curtis Martin at Benedictine College in 1998. With its Win, Build, Send approach, FOCUS missionaries meet students where they are, build rapport, and get them connected with the campus Catholic center. They then continue to work with the students in group and one-on-one settings to help them become fruitful, intentional disciples not just while on campus, but for the rest of their lives. FOCUS can now be found on over 200 campuses across the country.

“The FOCUS missionaries are closer in age to the students, almost like having four full-time campus ministers in a way…They’ve been trained very, very well in communicating the Gospel, specifically targeting where college students [and] young adults are coming from.” -Father Bob Frederick 

Thanks to Father Bob’s efforts, Kennesaw State University will have four FOCUS missionaries for a third year. In the short time the FOCUS team has been with them, the involvement of KSU students has grown enormously, with several key metrics demonstrating their success:

• Daily Mass attendance now has 25–30 students regularly.
• 230 students were involved in Bible studies in Spring of 2025, with 11 groups led by students trained by the FOCUS team.
• Attendance at the annual SEEK conference grew from ten students to 80 (with at least 100 expected this year).
• FOCUS helped students organize and raise money for the first mission trips in the KSU Catholic Center’s 25-year history, serving the homeless in Philadelphia and supporting agricultural communities in Yucatán
• They have brought in students who previously would never have visited the Catholic Center, including busy varsity athletes and those in Greek life.

Whether it’s meeting to discuss scripture over coffee, helping to navigate a tough breakup, or working together to build leadership skills, FOCUS missionaries are ensuring KSU students lead an active sacramental life. With this level of specialized support, more and more students will be the hands and feet of Jesus in the world. 

“As [the former president of the KSU Catholic Student Union], I got to see in a more administrative, deep way the way that FOCUS impacted our community. We started really small before FOCUS, and now our community has grown exponentially, and I genuinely think it’s just the fruits of the Holy Spirit that FOCUS has pushed students deeper into their faith.” -Elsy, recent Kennesaw State University graduate 

“I would say I had a good grasp on theology before I came here, but just everything [my FOCUS missionary] learned from the [FOCUS National] training and all of her own research, just really took my faith to a whole new level.” -Bella, senior Psychology major at Kennesaw State University  

Thanks to one donor’s incredible generosity, the FOCUS team at KSU has received sponsorship for one semester. Missionaries and the national FOCUS organization fundraise to cover two-thirds of each team member’s cost of living. The remaining cost of $18,250 for each missionary is then shouldered by the campus ministry team. While Father Bob is connecting with the growing KSU alumni community, he still needs help keeping the missionaries on campus. Any additional gift will guarantee that the momentum built by the FOCUS missionaries doesn’t cease.  

“I won’t say it’s impossible to do Campus Ministry without FOCUS, but the difference they’ve made is so strong that I would not want to do the Campus Ministry without FOCUS Missionaries. If there’s any way possible, I can keep from losing them, I’m going to do it. I just want to keep that bar up there, higher and higher.” -Father Bob Frederick 

Click here to help build the future of the church by supporting FOCUS missionaries at Kennesaw State University.  

Click here to learn more about how your gift to the Archbishop’s Annual Appeal impacts Campus Ministries across the archdiocese.