“SPO is the work of the Holy Spirit and a blessing for our Church!”

Archbishop BERNARD A. Hebda

Archdiocese of St. Paul & Minneapolis
Current Chairman of SPO’s National Board

 

“SPO Household ... had a profound impact on me.”

BISHOP ANDREW H. COZZENS

Diocese of Crookston, MN
Former Chairman of SPO’s National Board
SPO Alumnus

 

SPO deeply impacted Bishop Cozzens’ life when he was
a student and Missionary!

Learn more in the video below.

 

video segment taken from an interview with Bishop in 2020

 

 

EPISCOPAL ENDORSEMENTS

  • “For more than 30 years, Saint Paul's Outreach has worked on college campuses, producing thousands of alumni who are passionate followers of our Risen Lord, and who have remained active, faith-filled leaders in their local parish communities.”

    Cardinal Timothy Michael Dolan, Archbishop of New York, April 2017

  • “I am deeply encouraged by the work of Saint Paul's Outreach (SPO) in the Archdiocese of Newark and across the country. In partnership with my brother bishops, as well as with the leaders of colleges and universities, 200 young SPO Missionaries are heeding the exhortation of our Holy Father, Pope Francis, to "embark upon a new chapter of evangelization” and blaze "new paths for the Church's journey." (Evangelii Gaudium)

    Cardinal Joseph W. Tobin, C.Ss.R., Archbishop of Newark, April 2017

  • “I wholeheartedly endorse Saint Paul's Outreach. It is a forerunner in the "New Evangelization" called for by Pope John Paul II. Saint Paul's Outreach helps young Catholics ot experience the life-changing message of the Gospel, to awaken and grow their faith to maturity.

    Saint Paul's Outreach is one of the finest jewels in the crown of this Archdiocese because of the fidelity to the Magisterium of the Church, the affection for the Holy Father and his teaching, and the embracing of the entire gospel of the Church including something that is all too often forgotten: a reverence for the other and a kindness that is born out of a knowledge of Jesus Christ.”

    Most Reverend Harry J. Flynn, D.D., Archbishop of St Paul and Minneapolis, 2004

  • “We should be even more thankful than ever before that the young men and women of Saint Paul’s Outreach are working to bring the gospel message to their peers at the college level and helping to foster the formation of conscience and moral values based on the words and actions of Jesus, His Apostles, and the magisterium of the Church.”

    Most Reverend John J. Meyers, Archbishop of Newark, June 2012

  • “I’m so grateful to Saint Paul’s Outreach…SPO helps young people develop a relationship with Jesus Christ and a love for His bride the Church, and then they help to form them to have a deep life of prayer. We need ministries like SPO now more than ever.”

    Most Reverend Joseph F. Naumann, Archbishop of Kansas City in Kansas, March 2020

  • “This movement has been a blessing to our diocese. Their most evident fruit is the maturity that is formed in the young men and women they evangelize. This has helped to produce an increase in religious and priestly vocations as well as many dedicated Catholic marriages in the Diocese of Columbus.

    SPO is dedicated to the New Evangelization and has shown itself to be faithful to the magisterial teaching of the Church. I gladly recommend them to you.”

    Most Reverend Frederick F. Campbell, D.D., Ph.D. Bishop of Columbus, December 2012, in a letter to Archbishop Schnurr of the Archdiocese of Cincinnati.

  • “SPO is one of the organizations making an incredible contribution to evangelizing university students….The Missionaries of SPO are the "first responders" on the front lines of the Church’s mission on campus. They are making the Church present where you and I cannot. They are reaching college students who are often far from God, yet are still searching for truth that satisfies the deepest desires of their hearts. I am so grateful for the profound impact in which the Lord used SPO to deepen my own conversion and prepared me to discern and say yes to the call to priesthood. These men and women serve as bold witnesses of hope and love to our world in the midst of tremendous isolation and loneliness.”

    Most Reverend Andrew H. Cozzens, Diocese of Crookston, 2020

  • “I am impressed with the witness given by the young people involved with SPO. Many alumni have remained in the Columbus-area and are contributing to the vitality of our parishes and remain committed to the work of the New Evangelization.”

    Most Reverend Earl K. Fernandes, Bishop of Columbus, 2022, in a letter to David Fischer after he became the new SPO President

  • “I want to lend my thanks to SPO and the many blessings that it brings into lives of so many. I’m grateful for the presence of Saint Paul’s Outreach. SPO is one of the apostolates in our area that is really doing great work.”

    Most Reverend James V. Johnston, Bishop of Kansas City-St. Joseph, March 25, 2021 at the SPO Virtual Prayer Banquet

  • “Saint Paul's Outreach represents an active and effective apostolate whose service in the Diocese of Phoenix at Arizona State University has already produced great fruit. By providing authentic community for Young Adults and students, the evangelistic outreach of SPO impacts the large suburban university where there is critical need of being known by name, being loved as a son or daughter of the Father, and hearing the Gospel.

    SPO continues to represent a movement which is "Ex Corde Ecclesiae,” born from the heart of the Church, and committed to bringing University students to the truth.

    I offer my episcopal support, and pray for their continued success in serving the students and community at Arizona State University.”

    Reverend Thomas J. Olmsted, Bishop of Phoenix, January 2014

  • "It is with great joy that I offer my support for Saint Paul's Outreach (SPO). As a member of their Northeast Regional Advisory Board, I have had the privilege of witnessing the transformative impact they have on young adults here in the Northeast region, and beyond. SPO embodies the essence of the Gospel message, empowering and equipping young people to encounter Christ and live out their faith with passion and purpose. Through their vibrant campus work, dedicated missionaries, and engaging retreats, they inspire a deep love for the Church and a desire to serve others. I wholeheartedly support SPO and commend their commitment to forming disciples who are rooted in faith, enriched by community, and dedicated to evangelization. May God continue to bless their important work and bring forth abundant fruits for His Kingdom."

    Most Reverend Michael A. Saporito, Archdiocese of Newark, 2023

 
 

SPO (Saint Paul’s Outreach) is a canonical organization in the Catholic Church with the status of a Private Association of the Faithful, under the ecclesiastical vigilance of the Archbishop of Saint Paul & Minneapolis. It is a nonprofit corporation, tax-exempt under section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code.