Mission Monday: Applications for International Service Due June 10

Do you find yourself praying often for people in need overseas? Do you feel called to do your part to build global community? Do you want to serve with fellow Christians, respecting religious and cultural diversity?

If you have an open heart and are ready for an experience you will treasure for the rest of your life, consider coming a Franciscan lay missioner.

We are still accepting applications for our long-term international mission program. You must submit all of your materials by June 10 to be considered for the 29th Lay Mission Class, which begins training in September and leaves for mission in January 2014. So start your application now!

Don’t forget that we consider applications from lay U.S. and Canadian Catholics aged 22 to 62, single or married, from all walks of life. So whether you’ve just graduated or just retired, we’d love to hear from you.

What all does “long-term international mission” entail?
Areas of service vary based on missioners’ skill sets and community needs, but often times missioners are invited to participate in pastoral service, education, health care, social services and agriculture projects.  You serve for a minimum of two years (but no more than six) in either Bolivia, Kenya, South Africa, or Jamaica. You live in community with other missioners and be connected to Franciscans serving in the area.

How is serving with Franciscan Mission Service different from serving with other volunteer/mission programs?

1. Before mission, you spend 14 weeks in training at our formation program in Washington, D.C. While nothing can fully prepare you for mission, we do our best to form you in the areas of Catholic Social Teaching, cross-cultural communication, self-care, the Franciscan charism, and more.
2. After mission, you spend three weeks at a re-entry retreat in Washington, D.C. This is a time for you to process your experiences and think about how you’re going to share them with others.
3. This retreat sets you up for life-long mission, also known as returned or reverse mission. Your experiences abroad can continue to change North American society and church for years to come.
4. While abroad, you engage in the ministry of presence. The aim of Franciscan ministry is to sit down and see God in people, to name the good in their midst, and to live in it and return it to the source of all good, who is God. Your time abroad is not measured by the number of projects accomplished, but by the richness of the relationships you build with the local impoverished community. 
   

If you have any questions about our long-term overseas mission program or the application process, please contact us at info@franciscanmissionservice.org or 202-832-1762.