Month: August 2013
Take the Pledge to Join Our Missioner Prayer Community
This August, our new class of overseas missioners Catholics will begin their three-month Formation program with us in Washington, D.C. This training is essential in preparing them to work for peace and justice abroad. But it’s not always easy. The 13 weeks are packed with workshops, lectures, paper work, homework, retreats, prayer, reflection, volunteering, community…
Read MoreWe Shall Overcome: 50th Anniversary of the March on Washington
Washington, D.C. was abuzz this weekend with events commemorating Wednesday’s 50th Anniversary of the March on Washington. Communications Coordintor Bridget Higginbotham shares some thoughts on the experience she and Program Coordinator Natalie Helfrick had as attendees. “Realize the Dream” March and RallyJustice for Trayvon. Close Guantanamo. Stop racial profiling. Raise wages. Statehood for DC. Stop…
Read MoreMission Monday: Back to School in Guatemala
Kathy Snider, who served with Franciscan Mission Service from 1998-2000, was so moved by her experience that she decided to return to Guatemala. She continues to live in and serve the remote jungle community in Santaigo Ixcan through her own non-profit, Ixcan Ministries. As students in the U.S. begin the “back to school” season, Kathy…
Read MoreMission Monday: Be A Part of Our Classroom
A chair. A desk. A book. As any educator or student knows, the proper learning environment and materials are keys for success. In our classroom, lay missioners learn about Scripture, prayer, Franciscan spirituality, Catholic Social Teaching, conflict resolution, cross-cultural adaption and more. The 13-weeks of formation in Washington, D.C. are essential in preparing them to…
Read MoreFranciscan Friday: Bridge Building at the Summer Confabulation
Photo by flikr user Conrad Kuiper – Creative Commons Bridge building is important. It creates avenues for mutual understanding, opens the lines for communication, paves the way for peacemaking, fosters community, and more. Bridge building is so important, in fact, that it’s the 2013 theme for the National Secular Franciscan Order USA. And this theme…
Read MoreKitzi’s Quinoa Recipe: A Complete One Pot Meal
Quinoa is a Bolivian staple, second only to the potato. Our missioners in Bolivia have become more acquainted with this highly-nutritious grain, and today we share one of their recipes in honor of the ongoing celebration, “International Year of Quinoa.” The United Nations General Assembly declared 2013 as the “International Year of Quinoa,” in recognition…
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