European Mission Campus: from the Gospel to Acts, a call to equip the next generation of missionaries
When Fr. Mark Thelen, LC, first arrived in Germany in 1999, he was a young seminarian from Ann Arbor, Michigan, just out of high school. Now, after more than 25 years living and working across Europe (in Ireland, Spain, Italy, Germany, Austria, and England), he has seen firsthand some of the profound changes and challenges facing the European Church:
- Religious practice in Europe consists of 46 percent non-practicing Christians, and only 18 percent of Christians attend church regularly.
- 94 percent of Catholics in Austria are no longer practicing their faith (and the statistics are even more dire in city centers and among the youth).
- In Spain, only 19 percent of the population were practicing the faith in 2024—a sharp decline from 56 percent in 1979.
- The number of lay missionaries and catechists serving in Europe dropped by 15,000 from 2021 to 2022.
Indeed, there is a profound crisis of faith facing Europe today: secularism is rising, cultural norms are rapidly shifting, the Christian identity is weakening, and there is a growing disconnection with the Church. Dioceses and parishes across Europe are struggling with declining numbers of priests and religious, and participation in the sacraments in dwindling.
And yet there is reason to hope. In France, baptisms were up 45 percent between 2024 and 2025, and in Belgium, the number of baptisms doubled over the past decade. Since arriving in Austria in 2022 to help with pastoral care and discipleship at the John Paul II Centre, a Regnum Christi-led Catholic community in the heart of Vienna, Fr. Mark has seen not just an opportunity for renewal, but a real hunger for evangelization and service to the Church among young men and women across Europe, including many who want to dedicate their working lives directly to mission.
It was here, while Fr. Mark was working in Vienna, that the vision for European Mission Campus (EMC) came together: a place for young adults to be equipped, supported, and accompanied as they are led to discover how their unique gifts can serve the Church and society, and a space where they can come alive in service, discover their true mission, and ignite transformation.
The Mission Campus is inspired by the first Christian communities and the image of the apostles in the upper room waiting on the Holy Spirit, about to go on mission. EMC aims to empower young adults—through prayer, formation, community, and hands-on experience—to become full-time missionaries in the Church in Europe, people who will dedicate their lives to evangelization and faith-based initiatives that will transform society.
The EMC offers a comprehensive three-year full-time program, comparable to a pastoral MBA; the program is held primarily in Vienna and is conducted in English. The EMC program includes both structured curriculum taught by internationally renowned experts, community leaders, and mission specialists, as well as practical mission work in the form of local and international mission initiatives. Students live together in an intentional Christian community designed to foster collaboration, accountability, and deep spiritual and personal growth.
The program is open to young adults ages 22–30 from Europe and beyond, who have completed a college degree and a discipleship program and who aspire to make a lasting impact on the European Church. Comprehensive formation covers topics such as theology, evangelization, pastoral care, and ministry management, as well as training in strategic planning, resource management, and innovation. Students will engage with local and international mission initiatives in a practical way, serving in churches, schools, universities, tours, pilgrimages, retreats, and public spaces.
EMC hosted its first Call to Mission weekend at the beginning of December of last year. This transformative gathering, held in Alzgern, Germany, brought together 32 young adults from six different countries to deepen their missionary identity and discern God’s unique plan for their lives. A second Call to Mission weekend was held in Vienna in April. And EMC is launching its very first cohort this September with six young people from Spain, Germany and Austria.
The Regnum Christi mission is at the heart of EMC:
We seek to make present the mystery of Christ who goes out to people, reveals the love of his heart to them, gathers them together and forms them as apostles and Christian leaders, sends them out and accompanies them as they collaborate in the evangelization of people and of society. (Statutes of the Regnum Christi Federation, 8)
In response to the challenges facing the Church in Europe, EMC springs from within the spiritual family of Regnum Christi, drawing from a common spirituality focused on mission that ultimately flows from a living relationship with Christ, integrating prayer, sacramental life, and personal accompaniment.
“This isn’t meant to be just another program, but a movement for the Church’s future,” says Fr. Mark, EMC’s initiator and director. “Our motto, ‘From the Gospel to Acts,’ reflects our belief that a new Pentecost—a modern Acts of the Apostles—can emerge through an intentional three-year journey with Christ.” As such, EMC aims to be a community of apostles on mission, not only forming individuals, but creating a living fraternity that will be a seed of renewal for the Church, and the human and spiritual support sustaining each missionary in their future service to parishes, dioceses, and other ecclesial realities.
“More and more people are feeling called to get involved to do something about the challenges in faith and spirituality in Europe, where there are gaps,” says Fr. Mark. “We have very holy lay men and women that feel called to serve in those places and they’re waiting to be sent. So we’re really excited just to be able to equip, accompany, and support those young adults in that mission.”
Applications for a Call to Mission Weekend or the second cohort in 2026 are currently open. To find out more about European Mission Campus, visit their website at missioncampus.eu, or follow them on Instagram. To request more information, email europeanmissioncampus@gmail.com or join the EMC WhatsApp Group.
