Why one missionary turned down a fantastic job offer in order to join FOCUS

Mike Antonacci just started as a full-time missionary at University of Tulsa this August.  Mike is a Kansas City native, who received his degree in engineering from Kettering University in Michigan this past March.  Not only had Mike never personally experienced FOCUS while in college, he even turned down an amazing job offer with GM in order to interview to be a full-time missionary.  I had to work hard to track down this new missionary.  After spending an afternoon “bare-hand evangelizing,” introducing students on campus to Jesus Christ, he sat down on a park bench, took my call, and shared his story with us.  

Mike, how did the call to FOCUS begin?

I was sitting in a talk by former FOCUS missionary, Fr. Dan Kogut.  He was talking on why Catholics need to evangelize all the time.  I felt a passion to share the Gospel burning in my heart and knew I had to look into it more.  In this moment I admitted to myself that I was unfulfilled in my engineering program, something I’d suspected for a while but ignored. 

What was your greatest fear in applying?

Not having a job.  I had turned in the FOCUS application, but was waiting to be invited to interview. Then I received job offer from GM for $64,000 a year starting pay and they gave me two weeks to decide.  At this point, I still had no word from FOCUS. A few hours later, FOCUS invited me to interview, in 3 weeks!  I knew that this was all or nothing.  I heard God saying: “Do you trust me?”  I thought I trusted him, but it was much harder to move forward when I was abandoning a tangible job with GM for no guarantee of an offer with FOCUS.   I turned down GM.   Even though I took this step, I began freaking out.  “What if I don’t get FOCUS?” kept running through my head. 

Even amidst all the anxiety, was there a moment when you knew you wanted to be a FOCUS Missionary?

Yes! I ran into a fraternity brother who was drunk the Saturday night before finals. We had an amazing conversation about God.  He was a former Catholic who became atheist.   I realized I wanted to have conversations like that without having to worry about finals. Then I knew I wanted to be a full-time missionary.

Which aspect of filling out the application most challenged you?

It was definitely seeing the check box for the dating fast.  I was going through the application and checked the boxes for fundraising and relocating.  Then I saw the check box next to: “I am willing to abstain from dating for my first year on staff.”  I stopped.  “I have to do what?” I asked.  I stopped filling out the application.  I emailed the recruitment department asking them “Why?”  Unfortunately, or fortunately, the department was on vacation that week.  As I waited for the reply, I wrestled in prayer with this unexpected aspect of missionary life.  I realized that what was holding me back from embracing this was fear – which is not from God. 

What advice do you wish you had received while applying?

I wish someone had explained to me that just going to FOCUS Interview Weekend is discernment.  At Interview Weekend I came to understand how we are all called to be part of the New Evangelization.  We have to sanctify everything.  This call may not be with FOCUS, but we need to discern how God is asking how us to live out the New Evangelization.  No matter where you are called, Interview Weekend is a great time to discern.

How have you seen your decision to apply to staff affect others?

In sharing my story with the other guys at Men’s Formation House in Flint, and having them see me through this discernment process, they are now asking “What will make me fulfilled?” and “What does God want me to do?”

If someone thinking about applying for FOCUS walked up to ask for your advice and you only had a few minutes to give them something to think about, what would it be?

I would ask “What are you not willing to give God?”  I realized in my own discernment process that I was willing to give God “X, Y, & Z,” but not anything else.  Maybe those things you are being asked for are your dating life, your paycheck, or social status.  I was being asked to risk losing all those things for the sake of the Gospel.  As you discern, ask yourself and God, “What am I NOT willing to give up?”

Click here to find out more about applying to become a FOCUS Missionary.