“College campuses are battlegrounds for the minds and souls of our young people, and many are leaving the Church. Only 10% of Catholic millennials attend Sunday Mass (Sherry Weddell, Forming Intentional Disciples, 2012). Students are hungry for truth and meaning but most are not being reached effectively,” says Saint Paul’s Outreach at spo.org.
Saint Paul’s Outreach reaches out to college students across the country to provide them with quality formation and Catholic community so that they can embrace and live the fullness of the Catholic faith. The ministry has 98 missionaries that reach 20,000 college students through Mission Centers in eight states.
The National Headquarters of Saint Paul’s Outreach is located in the Archdiocese of Saint Paul and Minneapolis. On Friday, April 20, 2018, over 900 guests will gather in the Twin Cities for the 7th Annual Relevant Radio Christ Brings Hope Benefit Banquet honoring Gordon “Gordy” DeMarais, President and Founder of Saint Paul’s Outreach.
DeMarais, husband and father of six, founded Saint Paul’s Outreach at the University of Saint Thomas in the early 1980s. He is actively involved in several ministries within the Archdiocese, including young adult evangelization and formation, serving as an instructor for the Diaconate Formation Program, and as a member of the NET Ministries Board of Directors.
He will be honored with the 2018 Twin Cities Christ Brings Hope Award for his extraordinary dedication to bringing the good news and hope of Christ to all souls, and especially for his service to college students in our nation.
In addition to a record-breaking attendance of over 900 guests, the benefit banquet will be attended by the Most Rev. Bernard Hebda, Archbishop of Saint Paul and Minneapolis and member of the Relevant Radio Board of Directors, Relevant Radio Executive Director Fr. Francis Hoffman “Father Rocky”, and show hosts Patrick Madrid, Father Richard Simon, Glen Lewerenz, and Paul Sadek.
