Totus Tuus
Totus Tuus is a Catholic summer youth program dedicated to sharing the Gospel and promoting the Catholic Faith through catechesis, evangelization, Christian witness and Eucharistic worship.
2026 Missionary Applications are currently open until we fill our teams!
If you are interested in having our Totus Tuus summer missionaries serve a week at your parish, contact our office!
Questions? Contact Jocelyn: [email protected] or
Jessica: [email protected]
Meet Our Missionaries (2026)
Ryan Norden
Home parish: St. Mary of the Assumption, Avilla
“While in high school, Totus Tuus was an opportunity for me to deepen the faith that I had been taught in elementary school and to offer that same faith across the diocese would be extremely meaningful. There are other ways of doing this outside the diocese, but I feel especially drawn to working in my diocese because it has provided me with so many opportunities to grow my faith in the past.”
Elena Lock
Home parish: St. Gaspar, Rome City
“There is no age to stop learning, which drives my desire now to learn as much as I can…”
Mark Grothouse
Home parish: Sacred Heart, Warsaw
“I love Jesus and the ability to be with him every day. I love that the church is so different from the world, especially in an age when things seem so crazy at times. We always have this rock to fall back on.”
Jose Solis
Home Parish: St. Elizabeth Ann Seton, Fort Wayne
“The best thing about being a Totus Tuus missionary is getting to dive deeper with Jesus and getting to spend the whole summer serving not just Him but his children!”
Sophia Wheeler
Home parish: St. Jude, Fort Wayne
“The two things that I value most about being Catholic are the Eucharist and the community of the Church. It is so beautiful and unique that we as Catholics have the opportunity to meet and receive God face to face in the Eucharist.”
Yadira Martinez
Home Parish: St. Vincent de Paul, Elkhart
Photo coming soon!
“I loved religious education because it helped me grow in my faith and learn the reality of life. We don’t realize how important it is to learn about the Beautiful things God has done for us.”
Sophie Adolay
Home Parish: St. Simon the Apostle, Indianapolis
“It was the infectious joy and love for Christ modeled in people who I began to consider friends which changed my life. Whatever they had, I knew I wanted it.”
Josh Milstead
Home Parish: St. Joseph’s Cathedral, San Jose, California
“The sacraments, the Eucharist, and Reconciliation, saved my life and now I am a living witness to the Truth. I am called by God to proclaim the Gospel, to accept nothing less than the highest calling which is to live out Gods will.”
One summer can inspire a lifetime.
“What I love about Totus Tuus is my children’s excitement about it, they love the songs and sing them throughout the year…I also see my children’s love for the Lord and our Catholic faith grow with each year and give much credit to their weeklong experience at Totus Tuus.”
– Beth Ann (Totus Tuus Parent)
FAQs for prospective missionaries
Each Totus Tuus Missionary Team is made up of four college-aged catechist-witnesses. Applicants must have an authentic, dynamic Catholic faith and be actively living the teachings of the Catholic Church. This is a great summer job experience for anyone who wants to work in ministry, education, or with children in other settings. There will be two young women and two young men who have committed their summer to deepening their own faith through prayer, worship, and spreading the word of God through their witness.
Totus Tuus is a Latin phrase meaning “totally yours” and was the motto of St. John Paul II. Taken from St. Louis De Montfort’s meditations in True Devotion to Mary, it signifies our desire to give ourselves entirely to Jesus through Mary. The mission of the Totus Tuus summer program is to inspire in the next generation a true longing for holiness, a deep desire for daily conversion, and an openness to their vocation by constantly challenging them to give themselves to Christ through Mary’s example.
Totus Tuus Missionaries will receive ten days of paid training at St. John’s Catholic Newman Center at University of Illinois at Champaign – Urbana and stipends during the six weeks of the program. In 2026, missionaries will receive a summer wage of $3,500.
After training, the team will travel to six different parish sites within the diocese (possibly spending one week in a neighboring diocese) sharing the joy and beauty of our faith and teaching this year about the Ten Commandments and Luminous Mysteries of the Rosary.
Missionaries will arrive at each parish on Saturday evening, speak at the vigil Mass, and greet parishioners. The team will speak again at the Sunday Masses, inviting all young people within the parish to attend the program.
The Totus Tuus Program is set up to reach young people from first grade through high school in two separate programs. The middle school/ high school program will run in the evening from Sunday through Thursday each week. The Elementary Program for Grades 1-6 runs during the day.
Missionaries together as a team dedicate time each day to a life of prayer. This daily prayer provides the foundation for a summer filled with amazing moments of God’s grace!
Missionaries must be at least 18 years of age.
Missionaries will be housed with a family from their host parish. The ladies will be with one host family and the men with another. Lunch is provided by parishioners. Each evening, missionaries enjoy dinner with different families within the parish, before returning for the evening session with teens.
Totus Tuus missionaries will receive ten days of paid training and stipends during the six weeks of the program. Each Totus Tuus missionary will receive a wage of $3,500 in the summer of 2026 (about $450 / week).
We have received a growing amount of interest in Totus Tuus from parishes across our diocese. The cost to parishes will be $2,250 / week in 2026. To schedule a Totus Tuus missionary team at your parish, please contact Jocelyn: [email protected] or Jessica: [email protected]
2026 Totus Tuus Schedule
For more information and to register a student, contact a host parish near you. Registration fills up quickly.