Married in June 2012, the Kevin and Kara are the founders of Missions of Hope. It's been a long time in it's development and they've got so many stories about how God has moved through so many people to get the Society where it is today. They currently volunteer to manage the operations for the society. Missions are nothing new for the couple, in fact they met while serving the homeless under a bridge in Pittsburgh. They find great purpose in serving missionaries and to make missions possible for young people. They can NOT wait to start a family and wonder what it will look like to have a weird combination of both of their strange personalities. Kevin and Kara will be serving an indefinite term with the Community of Saint John in Salvador, Brazil. Since mission is a lifestyle for them, they will continue their missionary service wherever God calls them. They love to stay in touch with their family, friends, and benefactors through their Facebook page. 

Since 2006 Craig has mentored college students and worked with the poor in Mexico City.  He works with street kids to help transform their lives by giving them hope, encouragement, and help with their basic needs clothing, blankets, shoes and food. He collaborates with the Basilica of Guadalupe on projects to help the poor living on the streets or in safe homes near the Basilica. Each year he hosts groups of college students who come to Mexico City on mission trips to learn from the poor. In 2012 he brought the founders of the Mexico City based pro life home to his home state of Nebraska on a mission trip that resulted in a home being established in Omaha to save the lives of young mothers and their babies. Craig has worked for many years on projects in Mexico City to end human trafficking. He helped produce the Volviendo documentary that is being used by churches and organizations to end human trafficking in Latin America.  Underlying Craig’s heart for the poor is the vision to bring together people to work together and share resources for bringing people to Christ.   

Steve lives in Juneau, Alaska, with his wife, Janet, and six of their seven children. Their oldest son is married. Four of their children were adopted and three of the four are Alaska Native Tlingit Indians. Steve and Janet have a deep love for the people and the beauty of Southeast Alaska.  In 1990, Steve received his Masters of Divinity and was ordained in the Presbyterian Church.  After 16 years of fruitful pastoral ministry, Steve heeded God’s tug on his heart to become Catholic.   With his pastoral heart and passion for people, Steve continues to share the love of Christ in Alaska and internationally.  Steve and Janet are spearheading efforts to reach Alaska Native Youth and their villages with the Good News of Jesus Christ.

Shauna Phelan lives in San Antonio where she serves as an outreach worker to the homeless. Christ placed a calling on her heart to serve others after conquering her struggle from drug addiction.  Sober now for over 3 years Shauna believes it is her responsibility to share Christ’s love to others and give them hope to overcome life’s difficulties.  Shauna is currently working with the Seraphim Project to bless the homeless members of the San Antonio community

John 16:33: "These things I have spoken to you, that in Me you may have peace. In the world you have tribulation, but take courage; I have overcome the world." .

Anna is a junior at Franciscan University of Steubenville as a Theology and Psychology student. She is from Northeast Ohio and first visited Romania when studying abroad in Austria in the fall of 2012. She will be living and serving with Catherine England in the summer of 2014. Anna likes to play guitar, sing, hike, and draw. She hopes to become a Catholic psychologist after graduating with her masters in counseling in 2016. 

For all who donate to her cause, she will offer a holy hour and rosary! 

Catherine England was born and raised in Cincinnati, Ohio. She graduated with Bachelor's degree in theology from Franciscan University of Steubenville in 2012. Her first trip to Romania was in April 2011, during her semester studying abroad in Austria. It was during her first interaction with the children at an orphanage that she knew she would have to one day go back to Romania. She moved to the small farming town of Turţ, Romania in August 2012. She spends most of her days helping out at the same orphanage where she first visited, but she also works for a pretty cool priest doing whatever he needs her to do - everything from cooking to unloading firewood off of horse-drawn carts in the rain. She loves every minute of what she does and there is nothing else she'd rather be doing with her life. She loves doing awesome things!

Ministry has been a part of the Zucco family from the beginning. Both full time students in the Spring of 2009, Matt and Amy met on a school sponsored evangelical mission to southern Florida.  Married in June 2011, the couple's combined ministry experience quickly developed into a desire to serve the people of God as full time missionaries. During the course of their preparations for full-time ministry in the Diocese of Montego Bay, Jamaica, Matt and Amy also began their domestic mission: welcoming their first son, Joseph Vincent Zucco, on April 13, 2012.  Now back from work on the island, the Zucco's have settled in San Antonio, Texas where they have begun work on the "Seraphim Project," and initiative to aid and bless the homeless members of the San Antonio community.

Megan is taking a break from grueling microeconomics classes and treacherous rowing practice on the Hudson in order to serve God in a very unique way. She is off to volunteer for a year with Franciscan Works in Liberia helping to bring hope to a war-torn region and save the world, one child at a time. Megan will be working as a financial administrator and residential mother and will definitely need all the spiritual assistance she can get. Please PRAY, PRAY, PRAY for this new missionary as well as the community in Liberia. Help her help a community that needs the love of Christ now more than ever. God Bless! 

Aaron and Hayley first met and got to know each other in the context of mission work during Aaron's post-graduate studies. The pair grew to deeply love each other while sharing various university ministry contexts, and are now happily married with their first baby on the way! Aaron and Hayley are passionate about the really Catholic life, and are dedicated to communicating the transforming power of the Gospel through retreat-speaking, personal correspondence and their own marriage and growing family. They live and work for in South Bend, Indiana. 

But for the grace of God, Evan Girard would still adhere to the atheism of his childhood... but Providence had other plans! Evan's family underwent a profound conversion in the 1990's, when Evan became a baptized Catholic at age 13. Having become a lover of truth and beauty, he went on to study Humanities & Catholic Culture at the Franciscan University of Steubenville, afterwards attending film school at the Compass College of Cinematic Arts. He is now a full-time screenwriter, actor, videographer and media consultant, convinced that telling the story at the heart of the Christian life is a critical key for the New Evangelization. Some of Evan's favorite authors are converts themselves: CS Lewis, GK Chesterton, JRR Tolkien, EF Schumacher and the prodigious Christopher Dawson. 

Justin is a man with the heart of a traveler. He grew up with a deep love for exploring the great outdoors, and first came to know the Lord in the beauty of His creation. His love for the Truth gave him a passion for mission work and Christian ministry, particularly to the youth. An accomplished retreat and event speaker, Justin studied Theology and Catechetics at the Franciscan University of Steubenville, and loves sharing his love for God and the journey they’re on together with others.

Marc is a man with a story. Being born with a form of Cerebral Palsy and tempered by intense suffering from a young age, he is a real life Saul-turned-Paul. After a dramatic conversion at the age of 18, he journeyed through Evangelical Christianity back to his Catholic roots. Along the way he received a series of miraculous healings that have resulted in the removal of 90% of his life-long disability to date! At the heart of his journey has been learning his identity in Christ through Baptism, which has made him committed to helping others discover their identity in Christ for living full, effective, and joyful Catholic lives. Marc holds a Masters in Theology & Ministry as well as a Bachelor’s in European History. He is a licensed high school Social Studies teacher and certified fitness trainer, as well as a rising author and accomplished motivational speaker. He lives and works in Littleton, Colorado.  

David is discerning priesthood or consecrated life with the Emmanuel Community (Public Association of the Faithful of Pontifical Right) by doing a year of discernment and mission in Salvador da Bahia, Brazil from August 2014-July 2015. His ministry is one of daily prayer for the Church, his benefactors, teaching local Brazilian youth, and discerning the Emmanuel life and charisms. He is a graduate of Ave Maria University (2013) and is currently working towards his M.A. in Theology through Franciscan University of Steubenville.

Ellen Dahlby is currently a student at the University of Notre Dame where she is double majoring in the Great Books program and Pre-medicine. She grew up  in a suburb of Cleveland with three sisters (one twin) and two fantastic parents. Ellen traveled to Romania during her spring break with a grant from Notre Dame and served in a home for girls. There, she fell in love with the children of Romania and is now spending six weeks of her summer at the home and with Catherine England in Turţ. At the beginning of her experiences, a Romanian priest told her: "God will help you." These words have echoed with Ellen ever since.

Like many men, Steve Pokorny was exposed to pornography at a young age and struggled with pornography addiction for many years before encountering freedom.
“I really thought there was no hope at all, but by the grace of God I have been set free – and free indeed, so much so I would rather die than lust. Because of this great gift, I’m making my life work to help others recover their God given-dignity and to assist them on their own journey of healing and wholeness.”

Steve has an MA in theology and a specialization in catechetics from Franciscan University of Steubenville, as well as an MTS from the John Paul II Institute for Marriage and Family Studies. He is married and lives with his family in San Antonio, Texas.

Sr. Mary Paul Friemel is originally from a small town in Texas. She comes from a large family - 4 brothers and 1 sister. Sister Mary Paul was born and raised Catholic and since 1997 has been a consecrated Sister. Before becoming a Sister, she had a deep experience in the Spirit and knew that the Lord was calling her to a vocation of healing, but she  didn't understand it. From 1994 - 2010, she belonged to a group of Franciscan School Sisters, and was involved in teaching, administration, discipleship, and youth work. It was in 2003, however, that the Lord began to stir up the calling towards healing once again, and after seven years of discernment, in 2010, she took a step of faith with the Lord, which meant leaving my community and pursuing this new calling with the Lord. In December 2011, Sister renewed my religious vows under Cardinal Schönborn, the Archbishop of Vienna. Sister Mary Paul has consecrated her life to the Lord for the service of communion, healing, and reconciliation within the Body of Christ. She is currently working closely with Fr. Peter Hocken, and takes care of his house in Hainburg, Austria. In the past three years, the Lord has opened up different fields of ministry in England, Poland, and Slovakia (in addition to the work in Austria) giving teachings on spirituality of communion, healing, and reconciliation, especially in regards to Israel and the Church.  In addition to teaching, Sister is involved in the ministry of healing and deliverance.  In this ministry, again and again, she has witnessed the Lord restoring hope to His people, speaking deeply to hearts that they are the Beloved Sons and Daughters of the Father.  As His Beloved Daughter, Sister Mary Paul has discovered that the deepest call on her heart is the cry of the Spirit - Maranatha! Come, Lord Jesus!.

Katie has started an inner city mission in downtown Steubenville reaching out to the lost and broken and to facilitate prayer for our city's transformation. Our mission is to create an atmosphere that people can encounter Christ in whatever ministry work we are doing and by the way of life we live. We do this through positive entertainment, inspirational talks and  DVDs, prayer walking in the city and personal interactions with people we meet in our city. We are a Catholic and ecumenical mission that builds unity in the Body of Christ through pursuing a genuine life  of the Gospel  through understanding our identity and purpose as sons and daughters of an amazingly good God. We want to see healing, freedom and transformation in our own lives, our neighbors and those around us through the finished work of the cross of Jesus Christ. We believe city wide revival is possible one person at a time and through the power of prayer.