The Culture Project

From left, Culture Project missionaries Erick Marquez, MacKenzi Thibodeaux, Olivia Buak, Peyton Anne Thomasson and Brendan Avila

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.

Erick graduated from the University of California, Riverside in 2018 with a BA in Media & Cultural Studies. Erick first encountered The Culture Project while researching Pope Saint John Paul’s Theology of the Body (TOB) for a ministry talk. Soon after, he fell in love with the teaching of TOB and it changed his life. As his journey unfolded, he felt God calling him to mission and was soon presented an opportunity to both serve and educate himself further about one of his passions through The Culture Project.

“Knowledge of the Theology of the Body is a beautiful gift that God gave me when I needed it most. As a missionary, I hope to share this gift and the joy that it has brought me to those who may be experiencing what I went through," he said.

Originally from Santa Cruz, California, Olivia moved to Berkeley to earn a B.A. in Anthropology from the University of California. When attending a bible study, Olivia first heard of the Culture Project. A year later, in prepping for her own study, she encountered a Culture Project blog and was struck by their initiative to living fully alive amidst the culture of death. Olivia’s heart was drawn deeper through witnessing the joy and freedom of chastity in the living testimonies of the Culture Project missionaries she met at a FOCUS conference.

“I am so excited Christ has invited me to serve His children with the Culture Project, where I can respond to my generation’s cry to be known and set free,” Olivia said.

MacKenzi is a 2020 graduate of University of Louisiana at Lafayette, wjere she earned a BA in Political Science with a 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 Facebook videos and felt immediately drawn to their mission of affirming human dignity, while spreading a message of love, beauty, and hope. This 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.

Peyton is a graduate of Auburn University. After speaking at a youth conference in her role as a youth minister in Virginia, bumped into a Culture Project missionary in the hallway. As Divine Providence would have it, they swapped stories and deep dove into prayer and a three-hour heart-to-heart conversation. From that encounter with a missionary who was on fire and fully alive with the Holy Spirit, along with her simple invitation to apply, Peyton felt it was really God inviting her to move forward into this new adventure--a call within a call.

“I cannot wait to continue to receive the mission, community, beauty, and purposeful love of The Culture Project as a vessel to pour into the youth and culture of today," she said.

Brendan is a Michigan native and Franciscan University of Steubenville class of 2017 graduate who is excited to preach the Gospel of Life. He was preparing to apply to law school when he first heard of the Culture Project from his girlfriend, who previously invited missionaries to speak to her Newman center at the University of Pennsylvania. Captivated by the mission and the prospect of a year of service, Brendan quickly and unexpectedly answered the call.

“It is amazing how God and His Spirit move us to go out into the deep. I am excited to communicate the message of true love to a culture so desperately searching for the truth," he said.