For Kelsey Hoey, a Fellowship of Catholic University Students (FOCUS) missionary at UW-Madison, leading Bible studies is one of her favorite parts of her job, both because of the people she gets to walk with and befriend, and because she gets an up-close view of the Holy Spirit’s work.
 

“A lot of people kind of go out on a limb to attend a Bible study, so you get people from all walks of life that you get to know,” Hoey said. 

“For some people, it’s the first time they’re hearing they can have a relationship with God. The Holy Spirit really brings the people who need to be there.”

Originally from Des Moines, Iowa, and with a degree from Iowa State University, Hoey didn’t foresee becoming a FOCUS missionary. 

It was during her time in college, when she encountered Christ and her Catholic faith in a much more profound way, that she began to want to share what she received with others.

“Someone took the time to invest in me and just be my friend,” Hoey said. 

“It was so simple, but something about that was so different, and that helped lead me to Jesus. I knew that I could be the one to pass that on to other people, too — the Holy Spirit led me to want to be a FOCUS missionary, because that’s what someone did for me.”

Now Hoey serves as one of the six FOCUS missionaries working at Saint Paul’s Catholic Student Center at UW-Madison. 

The missionaries coordinate and lead Bible studies at Saint Paul’s and work with the rest of the ministry team to help students at UW-Madison come to know, love, and serve Jesus Christ during some of the most pivotal years in their lives.

As she walks with young women and leads them in Bible studies, Hoey is excited to see how they grow in their faith and grow closer to Christ. 

“My goal is really just for each of the girls to know Jesus more than they did at the beginning of the year, and especially for them to have a prayer life with Him,” she said.

Hoey noted the importance of the Holy Spirit in the Bible studies, not solely in inspiring people to show up, but in guiding their experiences during the studies. 

“You can prepare what you want to say, but He ultimately says what has to be said,” Hoey said. 

“So often people are touched by things you say that you don’t even remember saying or didn’t think were going to be impactful.”

A personal encounter with Christ can profoundly change someone for the rest of their lives, so the hope is that many, many students at UW-Madison can have this encounter and continue to spread the joy that Christ offers to the whole campus. 

“You can’t give what you don’t have,” Hoey said, “so we teach people how to invest in their own relationship with Christ so that they can then pour into others. This creates a ripple effect — one person’s life is changed through their Bible study, and then they invite someone else in, and that continues.”

This has certainly been the case at Saint Paul’s, as Bible study involvement has grown from about 350 students three years ago to more than 900 students last year. 

Spiritual encounters like this are especially important on a college campus, where students are often on their own for the first time and deciding for themselves who they are and what values they will hold.

“I hope Bible studies can help these students view whatever struggles college is bringing them through the lens of Christ’s love for them, especially with their identity on campus, because there are so many negative things being thrown at them,” said Hoey. 

“That way they can be rooted in Christ and know why they’re here on this earth, and they can live that out for the rest of their lives.”

Whether students were born and raised in the Catholic faith or didn’t encounter Christ until they arrived on campus, the Holy Spirit is constantly inviting every student at UW-Madison into deeper union with Him often through joining a Bible study, going to Confession, attending Mass, or even just trying to pray for the first time. 

By His inspiration, the future of the Catholic Church is being built up and formed at UW-Madison and colleges across the country.

Your support of the Annual Catholic Appeal helps the Diocese of Madison continue its partnership with FOCUS, allowing them to send missionaries like Kelsey Hoey to the University of Wisconsin campuses in our diocese so that they can bring students to Christ through Bible studies and one-on-one mentoring. 

Thank you for helping our college students to know, love, and serve Jesus and His Church!