May 26, 2026 // Diocese

Totus Tuus Missionaries Set to ‘Light a Fire in Our Youth’

Bethany Beebe

 

Ryan Norden, a 2026 Totus Tuus missionary and senior biology major at the University of Notre Dame, said he often turns to Luke 1:36 for inspiration. “Mary said, ‘Behold, I am the handmaid of the Lord. May it be done to me according to your word.’ My goal is to have the same response as her,” Norden told Today’s Catholic.

He and a group of seven other college-age young adults will be heeding that call to missionary service as they teach elementary- and high school-age participants about the Faith through the Totus Tuus program this summer.

Totus Tuus — Latin for “totally yours” — is an annual diocesan summer ministry led by teams of four college-aged missionaries that aims to inspire the young people of the diocese by challenging them to give themselves to Christ through Mary’s example. Participants in each weeklong parish program receive catechesis, go to Mass, and learn about the love of Jesus both in the classroom and through recreation.

Jessica Tillinghast, associate director of youth and adult formation for the Diocese of Fort Wayne-South Bend, said the diocese’s Totus Tuus program aims to inspire a true longing for holiness and ignite the hearts of both the missionaries and those they teach.

“The result,” she said, “has been the formation of youth and young adults who continue to dedicate themselves to the Church’s mission of evangelization.”   

Those chosen for the summer teaching roles have a passion for serving the Church.

“They are mature, teachable and humble disciples eager for more,” Tillinghast said.

Special training is offered to prepare the missionaries. Tillinghast said before the Totus Tuus summer schedule begins in early June, the missionaries are sent for training to the Diocese of Peoria, Illinois, where the University of Illinois Champaign-Urbana’s Newman Center has a special emphasis on vocational discernment.

Throughout the summer, the missionaries foster a close connection with one another. New last year were Friday night dinners for the missionary teams. Tillighast said everyone met at a central location “after a long week of serving the youth to share a meal, debrief the week together and offer a time of human and spiritual formation. We found that this investment in them affirms their dignity as humans and missionary disciples.”

The missionary disciples selected for this year’s team exude that fervor of faith.

“I attended Totus Tuus at Blessed Sacrament in Albion when I was in high school,” Norden said. “For me, it was an introduction to young adults who were actually interested in their faith and continued to not only practice it but actually minister to younger people. The missionaries that I encountered took ownership of their local church and accepted the responsibility for ministry in a way that was inspiring for me even then.

Norden continued, saying: “While preparing for medical school, I have been encouraged to seek out summer opportunities in fields I am passionate about. In my opinion, there is no better opportunity to engage in youth and young adult ministry — one of my passions — than through Totus Tuus. It will provide me with excellent formation, the chance to meet many new people across the diocese and the opportunity for consistent communal prayer.”

Elena Lock, a junior elementary education major from Wolcottville, also felt Totus Tuus was a spiritual blessing.

“I looked into various summer camps,” she told Today’s Catholic, “but it just didn’t feel right. My mom introduced me to Totus Tuus, and it was like an answered prayer. … I not only get to practice teaching, but I also get the opportunity to share Christ with our youth. What a privilege! Totus Tuus will light a fire in our youth. It will help them fall in love with Our Lord, and to know that I played a part in that is an incredible blessing.”

A family connection also helped Yadira Martinez discern the call to join the program.

“The Holy Spirit and my mom helped me realize that it would be an amazing opportunity,” said Martinez, who graduated last year with an elementary education degree from Indiana University South Bend.

At each stop along the way, the missionaries stay with a host family while engaging in the day’s work.

“I am excited to stay with host families throughout the summer and build connections with people of all ages,” Lock said. “I look forward to sharing stories of faith and hearing how God has worked in each of their lives. We are one universal Church, and I hope this experience will be a beautiful testimony to that unity.”

Recalling the unity of the initial disciples of Jesus, Martinez said, “I am excited because I will be able to meet new people and truly travel around as Jesus’ disciples did.”

The young people who participate in Totus Tuus are not the only ones who benefit from the presence of the missionaries, Norden said.

“The host-family method is a wonderful way to really integrate us into the parish and get to know the people we are serving on a deeper level,” Norden said. “In their homes, I also have the chance to witness to them. Many people are concerned with the state of religiosity among young adults, and having energetic and convicted young people in your home and parish is an opportunity to really provide hope.”

Providing hope to all present, whether they are native English or Spanish speakers, is one of the aims of the program.

“Bishop Rhoades has made Hispanic ministry a priority during his episcopate,” Norden said, “and I have seen the fruits of this in different ministry roles. In talking with parents and students, many are more comfortable worshipping in a language with which they are more familiar, and the vibrancy I have witnessed at majority-Hispanic parishes is beautiful.”

Martinez sees the potential for cultural unity through Totus Tuus.

“The Spanish-speaking community has grown so much, and it allows for different communities to be united,” Martinez said.

The missionaries who spoke with Today’s Catholic noted that while their primary purpose is to serve the students and families who attend the weeklong sessions, they are eager to see the fruits of their ministry in their own faith lives

“So far,” Lock said, “Totus Tuus has already impacted my faith by encouraging me to step out of my comfort zone and trust God more fully. It has challenged me to become bolder and more courageous in sharing the Gospel and speaking the truth with love and confidence.”

Martinez agreed that, for her, the confidence to trust God has been a great outcome. She said, “It was an opportunity to leave everything in God’s hands and worry more about the spirit than the flesh.”

---

2026 Schedule

During the summer, two teams of Totus Tuus missionaries will be traveling to parishes across the diocese to host weeklong programs for students. To learn more about the program and to register students, contact the host parishes below.

June 7-13

Blessed Sacrament Parish, Albion

Immaculate Conception Parish, Auburn

June 14-20

St. Joseph Parish, South Bend

St. John the Evangelist Parish, Goshen

June 21-27

St. Joseph Parish, Bluffton

St. Louis Besancon, New Haven

June 28-July 3

Sacred Heart Parish, Warsaw

St. Joseph/St. Monica parishes, Mishawaka

July 12-18

St. Thomas the Apostle Parish, Elkhart

Our Lady of Hungary Parish, South Bend

July 19-25

St. Dominic Parish, Bremen

St. John the Baptist Parish, Fort Wayne