The Culture Project

Through presentations, compelling personal stories, and 1:1 interactions, the Culture Project missionaries draw young people back to the basic truth that all human lives have inherent dignity and worth, evidenced by Church teachings and biological facts. After establishing this groundwork, they address chastity, sexual integrity, social media best practices, and virtue. Their work, primarily tailored to youth and young adults, is steeped in St. John Paul II’s teachings on Theology of the Body.

Missionaries are available to speak to youth, young adults, and parents at schools, parishes, and community events. Before they begin work, the missionaries undergo extensive training from nationally and internationally renowned medical doctors, psychologists, and theologians.

MacKenzi Thibodeaux is a 2020 graduate of University of Louisiana at Lafayette with a BA in Political Science and concentration in Pre-Law. She grew up on a ranch in Southwest Louisiana, and is the oldest of five children.

MacKenzi first encountered the Culture Project through social media via Facebook videos and felt immediately drawn to their mission of affirming human dignity, while spreading a message of love, beauty, and hope. This all lead her to answer the call she felt Christ put on her heart to give a year of her life to serve others as a Culture Project missionary.

“I became a missionary so that I could affirm others in their goodness, and show them that living a life in accordance with the Church allows you to be fully alive,” she said.

Alex O'Connor is a 2021 graduate of the University of Virginia with a BA in Psychology. He grew up in Southeastern Virginia and played both club and high school soccer. Alex first encountered The Culture Project at in 2018 at the FOCUS Student Leadership Conference. In 2020 a Culture Project missionary invited him to apply to The Culture Project. He was drawn to its mission of proclaiming each person’s inherent human dignity. Soon after he applied, Alex responded to the Lord’s call for him to give a year of his life in service to others as a missionary.

“We were made for more than what the world offers us. I found freedom in learning my worth and I became a missionary so I could help others do the same,” he said.

Dani Kinney grew up in Colorado Springs, Colorado where she did as much singing, dancing and theater as she could. She graduated with her license to practice dental hygiene in 2019 then moved to Orlando, Florida to work for The Walt Disney Company. There she found herself longing for deeper love and greater fulfillment. Shortly after returning home, she encountered The Culture Project at a FOCUS conference and was set on fire with their message of authentic, self-sacrificing love. “The Culture Project’s proclamation of Saint John Paul the Greats’ message was exactly what I was looking for. I felt a deep call to become a missionary and share this message with today’s youth and help them find what we’re all truly looking for; to love and to be loved in the most true, radical and beautiful way.”

Mary Kettinger is a 2021 graduate of the Franciscan University of Steubenville with a BA in Political Science. She grew up in the college town of Bowling Green, Ohio, where she took piano and figure skating lessons throughout middle school and high school. Mary encountered the Culture Project during her junior year of high school when Team Toledo missionaries came and spoke to her theology class. Mary was initially attracted to the message of the Culture Project but it wasn’t until her senior year of college that she decided to answer the call to become a missionary.

“I cannot be complicit in a culture that perpetuates brokenness and passes it off for happiness. People deserve more than what our culture offers. People deserve authentic love because that is the only kind of love the human heart was designed to give and receive. I became a missionary to help break the cycle of brokenness and spread the message of authentic love by leading others to Christ through a countercultural witness to joy and virtue,” she said.

Kathryn Hallinan is a 2021 graduate of West Chester University with a BA in Communication and Media Studies. She grew up in the suburbs of Philadelphia and is from a large Irish Catholic family. Kathryn was drawn to the Culture Project after encountering two Culture Project missionaries whose authenticity captured her heart. After looking into the organization’s mission, Kathryn knew she wanted to be a part of spreading the Culture Project’s message. She is excited to serve as a missionary to help others understand who they are and how they are created to live.

“The message of authentic love speaks to the human heart, and I cannot wait to see other young people set free by the truths they deserve to know!” she said.