Our Speaker is Mr. Brian Preisler. He was raised in Fredonia, Wisconsin, and graduated from the University of Wisconsin - Madison in 2012 with a Bachelor of Arts degree in International Studies and History and a Certificate in Global Studies. He was a four year member of the UW Madison Marching Band and had great seats and on-field experiences for two Rose Bowls and two Champs Sports Bowls in Orlando. He is also marathon runner and ran in the 2013 Boston Marathon finishing in 3 hours 10 minutes (he was at the Boston Common when the bombs exploded) and this year’s Boston Marathon.
After graduation, Brian spent a year working for a St. Paul’s parish in Madison running the RCIA program, its High School Retreat Team, and assisting with liturgical preparations. In June of 2013, he was hired to work for FOCUS, the Fellowship Of Catholic University Students, and after five weeks of training at Ave Maria University in Florida, he was placed on the Madison campus to serve the university students.
FOCUS is a national organization that invites college students into a growing relationship with Christ and His Church and inspires and equips them to do the same. With over 85 prevent of college Catholics not attending Mass, and experiencing widespread drunkenness, immorality, and relativism, FOCUS provides large group outreach, small group Bible studies and one on one mentorship to reach out to those students looking for authentic happiness. FOCUS is headquartered in Denver, Colorado, and employs over 400 college graduates as missionaries on over 80 campuses through the US. Next year, it will be expanding to over 100 campuses including both private and state universities. All FOCUS missionaries fundraise 100% of their salaries and work together on teams of four to six per college. Additional information, including the 2013 annual report, can be found at its website.
Mass will be celebrated at 7:30 A.M. in the Chapel of St. Edmund Campion, located on the 4th floor of Eckstein Hall (Marquette University Law School). Mass will be followed by our meeting and discussion from 8:00-9:00 A.M., which includes a continental breakfast (suggested donation $4.00). Parking is available in the Eckstein Hall underground parking structure. (Enter the lot, pull a ticket, and find an open parking space. Once parked, take the elevator to main floor, which opens to the foyer, and go to the welcome desk to get your parking ticket validated.)
