VT Catholic Campus Ministry 2026 Issue 1

13 Years of Mission 13 Years of Mission Andrew DeCelle, Veteran FOCUS Missionary Andrew DeCelle, Veteran FOCUS Missionary My first fall in Blacksburg in 2013, I showed up as a one-year-out-of-college missionary with Youth Apostles who was trying to play as many intramural sports on campus as I could in order to build relationships with the men in the community. By October I invited seven freshman men I met (through playing soccer and flag football) into the first Bible study I led at Virginia Tech, and the men in that Bible study are a large part of why I am still a missionary today. My wife, Carmen, and I went on to become part of the first FOCUS Missionary team at Tech. In 2021 we discerned I would serve in a remote role with FOCUS to allow our growing family to root ourselves

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permanently in Blacksburg. By 2024 I felt the pull to work on campus at Tech once again with our in-person FOCUS team. It has been a huge blessing to not only re-establish relationships with the students and staff at Virginia Tech, but also to be able to bring our family of seven to daily and Sunday Masses on campus, Sunday Suppers, and Newman Volleyball League games, being a witness to students what the vocation of marriage as a Catholic family looks like. That fall of 2013 has come up many times since I returned to campus. I am blessed to see many of those members of my original Bible study pursuing and living out vocations to consecrated life, the priesthood, and marriage. In the summer of 2024, I attended the lifetime consecrated commitment of Austin Mee to Youth Apostles (mentioned later in this newsletter). Last summer, Father Jordan Evans was ordained a priest for the Diocese of Arlington. I was able to not only witness his ordination but also attend his first Mass alongside two more Alumni from the Bible study, Alex Hamilton and Peter Lee, who each attended alongside their wife and kids. Finally, Deacon Jim Harbour will be ordained as a Youth Apostles priest in the Diocese of Arlington this June. It has truly been a blessing to have the privilege of meeting these men as freshmen and seeing them find the Lord’s call in their lives on different timelines and in different ways, leading to where they are now. It has given me a new perspective on the reality of spiritual multiplication, how even one ‘yes’ can impact the lives of others around you, and how having peers who are alongside you for the journey can inspire, encourage, and challenge you in ways that lead you to do the same for the younger generations! While I get asked by many students about that first Bible study, I think the impact of having a full team of FOCUS missionaries has been the fruits borne from the leadership of the students we walk with in our Bible studies and discipleship! Before we had FOCUS, there were about 10 student-led Bible studies that had around 50 students regularly attending throughout the year. Having a team of five missionaries work with our student leaders has enabled us to support nearly 70 student-led Bible studies this year. We have now reached a much higher number of participants (over 500 who have come to a study), and we have been able to walk with and coach students to lead Bible studies in different areas on campus including Greek life, athletic teams, and Corps of Cadets. I am grateful to have been able to work with so many incredible Hokies over the past 13 years and feel so blessed that my family is able to be part of our mission and that I can continue keeping up with what our Hokie alumni are doing to serve Christ and his Church!