In today’s culture, being in your 20’s means carefree living without any responsibilities or regrets. As Catholics, we know we are made for more than comfort. We were made to make a difference, both on earth and in heaven.

As Pope Francis stated:

We are victims of a trend that pushes us to the provisional…. as though we wanted to stay adolescents. There is a little charm in staying adolescents, and this for life! Let us not be afraid of life commitments, commitments that take up and concern our entire life! In this way our life will be fruitful! — Address, May 4, 2013

With Pope Francis’ words in mind, FOCUS would like to spotlight 30 people under the age of 30 who are making a difference in our Church, men and women who aren’t afraid of making commitments and who are changing the world.

We are looking for nominations of people who serve and lead in various aspects of life whether it be music, speaking, writing, activism, new media, leading an organization or apostolate, or another area we didn’t mention.

If you know someone whom you think should be recognized, we want to hear from you!

The nomination process is below and it is very quick and easy to recommend someone you know.

Here are some quick tips before you nominate someone:

• Must be 29 years of age or younger as of January 1, 2014
• Must be working in the United States or Canada or originally from the United States or Canada
• Self-nominations are allowed.
• Describe the person’s impact in the Catholic Church today. Please be as specific as possible.
• Nominations must be received by October 29, 2013.

Nominations are now closed. Check out the FOCUS blog to see our honorees.