Year: 2013
Travel Spot: Garden of the Gods in Colorado
While on our Returned Missioner Retreat this past weekend, a small group took the vans to a beautiful andmark. We recommend you check it out! A rusty gateway to the great Rocky Mountains, the Garden of the Gods is a registered National Natural Landmark in Colorado Springs, Colorado. It is a unique public park…
Read MoreMission Monday: Navigating the Market
Missioner Jeff Sved shares an update from Cochabamba, Bolivia where he’s learning that a busy outdoor market can look very different from the vendor’s point of view… As part of my normal Saturday routine (or as much of a “normal” routine as is possible), I spend the afternoon in the Cancha buying our week’s worth…
Read MoreRecommiting to a Life-Long Mission
Mission does not end with a flight back to the U.S. It does not end with the completion of a term of service or a year of volunteering. Every three years, our returned missioners from across the country gather in Colorado for three days to reflect on this fact. This weekend, our retreat centers around…
Read MoreNatural Beauty Using Natural Ingredients
Recently Mary House, an organization where some of our Domestic Volunteers help out on Wednesdays, hosted a workshop on natural hair and skin care. Try some of these tips we learned and go natural with things you can easily find in your kitchen! Photo taken by Sarah Cady via Flickr Hair Care Tips Apple Cider…
Read MoreFranciscan Friday: Visiting an AIDS Hospice
Today, travelers on our Short-Term Missions and Global Awareness Trip to South Africa visit an HIV/AIDS Hospice center. A few months ago Domestic Volunteer Anna Robinson also went on this trip and visited patients affected by AIDS. For this Franciscan Friday post, she shares with us a reflection on the experience and finding common ground…
Read MoreBudget Travel Tidbits for a Volunteer
Just because you have decided to dedicate your time and energy to service work, doesn’t mean you have to let go of that desire to explore the world. In fact, volunteering can often open new doors to travel opportunities. Here are a few tips we gathered from seasoned travelers in our office to keep your…
Read MoreMission 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…
Read MoreFranciscan Friday: Prayers from South Africa
South Africa is on our hearts and in our minds as we lead seven college students on a Short-Term Mission and Global Awareness Trip this week. By engaging with locals, the students will learn about nation’s history of apartheid as well as current realities faced by some of its residents, including HIV/AIDS and poverty. Each…
Read MoreDig Deeper with the “I Am From” Poem
Today is departure day for students from three different U.S. universities who are participating in our second Short-Term Mission and Global Awareness Trip to South Africa. As part of their orientation and early reflection these next few days, they’ll be writing an “I Am From” poem as an ice-breaker. Associate director Mariam Mitry, who is…
Read MoreFranciscan Friday: Laborers of the Lord
This Friday post comes from Jeff Sved on mission in Bolivia where he is finding work, and God, in the vineyards. Photo by Feliciano Guimarães Fruit of the vine and work of human hands now has a new meaning for me after a few afternoons sorting grapes with the Capuchin Sisters down the street. They…
Read MoreWhat’s In a Name?
Pope Francis! Papa Francis! Holy Father Francis! For a few months now people have excitedly called out the name of our new Pope and in many different ways. But no matter how you say it, it refers to the same person and the same mission they are to carry out for the rest of their…
Read MoreFMS Podcasts: Liberation Theology
If you haven’t noticed yet, we have a few podcasts available on our SoundCloud profile covering a wide range of topics. From Franciscan spirituality and history to Catholicism and social justice, you can listen and learn right along with our missioner candidates in formation. The last two podcasts came from a talk Fr. Joe Nangle…
Read MoreTime for some fun!
Last week we made some suggestions on how to get to know your community members. This week we add some other games to liven up your community nights! Our current community Domestic Volunteer community is settling in, sharing meals and laundry facilities. It can take a lot of work to keep a community well and…
Read MoreFranciscan Friday: Spring Fugue
This Friday, guest blogger and Secular Franciscan Susan Burke, facing her garden, reflects on caring–or not caring–for things we care for. This morning I made myself a pot of coffee and thought I’d settle down with Morning Prayer. That’s what I thought—until I opened the door to the back porch and remembered I hadn’t watered…
Read MoreCommunity Nights and Icebreakers
This week we’ve welcomed a new volunteer into Casa San Salvador, which means it’s time for a community night! Domestic Volunteers tend to have one community night per a week following a community meal. Community nights can be spiritual exercises/discussions, social justice awareness activities, a special event in D.C., or just watching a movie. But…
Read MoreFranciscan Friday: Experiencing the Ministry of Presence
One of the hallmarks of Franciscan service is something we often refer to as the “ministry of presence” or “accompaniment.” From community gardens in Cochabamba to the slums of Nairobi to the after-school programs and homeless shelters in Washington, D.C., FMS missioners and volunteers spend their time focusing on being with people rather than doing…
Read MoreMeet Our Newest Volunteer, Chanda!
This National Volunteer Week is a special one as we welcome our newest full-time domestic volunteer to the Franciscan Mission Service team. Our volunteers serve in our headquarters doing administrative work for 35 hours a week and then spend five hours doing direct service in the community. From the far lands of Zambia, where she…
Read MoreAlternative Spring Break with FMS: Advocating for a New Kind of Service Trip
University of Georgia students in an advocacy workshop with Russell Testa. Five days into their alternative spring break trip to D.C., college students from the University of Georgia ditched the work gloves for a clipboard and a stack of talking points. Franciscan Mission Service’s newly developed Short-Term Mission and Global Awareness Trips includes a spring…
Read MoreDonor Story: The Simple Life and Legacy of Daniel Lynch
Daniel Lynch Franciscan Mission Service is grateful for the support of our donors from around the world and of all walks of life.This is the story of one supporter who has recently inspired us. Daniel Lynch lived a long life of simplicity and service. The New Jersey man refused to let people take him out…
Read More2013 World Care Benefit: Remaining in the Catholic Church Today
Sr. Pat Farrell, OSF, past-president of the Leadership Conference of Women Religious has received numerous awards in the months since the organization’s conflict with the Vatican. FMS Executive Director Kim Smolik presents Sr. Pat Farrell with the Anselm Moons Award. But accepting the 8th Anselm Moons, OFM Award to a standing ovation on April 5…
Read MoreGroup Connects with Youth on Test Trip to South Africa
Video created by Domestic Volunteer Anna about her experience in South Africa as part of a Short-Term Mission and Global Awareness Trip. While winter weather raged back home in the states, a group from FMS led a gathering of young adults in the Electric Slide in the North-West region of South Africa. The group, piloted…
Read MoreDiscernment Days – Is Mission for Me?
Perhaps you have just recently graduated from a college that’s cost you your life savings, countless sleepless nights, and many antisocial weekends. Or perhaps you just celebrated your 20th anniversary at a job you’ve kept through thick and thin. Whether you are 22 or 62, discerning a call to mission can be a journey. For…
Read More2013 Anselm Moons, OFM Award Recipient – Sr. Pat Farrell, OSF
Photo by Jerry Martineau Friday, April 5, we held our World Care Annual Benefit & Celebration where Sr. Pat Farrell, OSF, received the Anselm Moons, OFM Award as part of the evening’s program.We had an inspiring night with Sr. Pat’s stories of mission work abroad and her most recent work with the Leadership Conference of…
Read MoreTake the First Step and Don’t Leave a Footprint!
Earth Day is in a couple of weeks and as a Franciscan organization we are looking forward to celebrating! With a new Pope expressing the urgent need of our attention to protecting the earth, a renewed push for environmental sustainability has rattled the religious world. Search “catholic earth day” on Google and you will receive…
Read MoreMission Monday: Reflections from a Spring Breaker
This March marked the first group of students to spend their spring break at our headquarters in Washington, D.C. to participate in our Short-Term Mission and Global Awareness program. Nine students from the University of Georgia learned about poverty in the U.S. from educational workshops to hands-on service. One of the students, Jacob Spaulding, reflects…
Read MoreInternational Recipe: Arroz con Leche
Served warm with canela (cinnamon), arroz con leche is a traditional dessert beverage in Bolivia and many parts of Central and South America. As lay missioner Jeff Sved finished his first Lent in Bolivia, he learned that arroz con leche is usually one of dishes enjoyed on Good Friday. It is customary to fast in…
Read MoreJesus is Risen!
Alleluia, Jesus is Risen! But are we? After a Lent spent looking at how we are called to be “Walking in Solidarity” with others, we celebrate on this joyful spring day how all is made new in the Lord. For if we follow Jesus’ example of dying to ourselves, we can also experience a risen…
Read MoreFranciscan Friday: Why do advocacy? What is our motivation?
For our last post as part of our Lenten series “Walking in Solidarity“, Russell Testa closes with a reflection on advocacy and our call to mend relationships with those “nailed to a cross” in today’s societies around the world.On Wednesday we reflected on the manner in which we do advocacy—the manner in which we call…
Read MoreSolidarity, Conversion and Advocacy
We are nearing the end of our Lenten series “Walking in Solidarity.” For our theme this week, Russell Testa shares with us a process to identify and act on social justice issues we see in our communities. Francis began his conversion in the Church of San Damiano, when he heard the crucifix challenge him, “Francis,…
Read MoreMission Monday: Advocacy and Political Responsibility
Holy Week marks our last week in our Lenten blog series, “Walking in Solidarity.” Before we turn to the celebration of Easter, we’re focusing on “Promoting Solidarity: Advocacy and Political Responsibility.” Wednesday and Friday we’ll have tips and reflections on how you can be an advocate for solidarity, but today we look at how Franciscan Mission…
Read MoreOutreach and Charity: Reflections and Answers to Why
For our week of Outreach and Charity, Domestic Volunteer Anna Robinson shares the lessons she has learned through multiple years and ways of volunteering, encouraging everyone to look at service in a new light. Volunteering was a requirement of me and my siblings growing up. Trips to the food pantry, the history museum, group highway…
Read MoreOutreach and Charity: Help Finding the Right Ministry
As we continue this journey of “Walking in Solidarity,” we take a moment reflect on how we might act. To go along with this week’s theme of outreach and charity, we have some suggestions, traditional and nontraditional, on how you might impact others. Lent is a time of personal reflection and prayer, of reexamining our…
Read MoreMission Monday: I Saw God in the Smile of Strangers
This week as part of our Lenten “Walking in Solidarity” series, we focus on practicing outreach and charity. This past Wednesday our Domestic Volunteer Sarah began her direct service work at Miriam’s Kitchen and she reflects on her first day for this Mission Monday post. I saw God in the smiles of strangers. It was…
Read MoreFranciscan Friday: Coming Together to Be Good Stewards
We wrap up this week’s Walking in Solidarity theme of “Investing in Solidarity: Stewardship of Resources” with a reflection by Br. Hermann Borg, OFM, a German friar serving in Kenya with the Mother Earth Network. Some of Mother Earth Network’s ministries include planting trees, environmental conservation and restoration, community mobilization, education and raising awareness about…
Read MoreStewardship of Resources: Recycling Old Clothes
This week of Lent we continue Walking in Solidarity, and this time towards a green, sustainable future! Explore these tips on recycling old clothes and share with friends and family to make a bigger impact. Spring cleaning is upon us, and this may be the year you decide to tackle your closet. What to do…
Read MoreMission Monday: Being Good Stewards of Resources
Twenty-seven days into our Lenten journey of “Walking in Solidarity,” we turn our attention to this week’s theme of Investing in Solidarity: Stewardship of Resources. “As each one has received a gift, use it to serve one another as good stewards of God’s varied grace.” (1 Pt 4:10) We’re going to focus mainly on stewardship…
Read MoreFranciscan Friday: Solidarity with Workers
Continuing this week’s Walking in Solidarity theme of “Living Solidarity: Work, Family and Citizenship,” Secular Franciscan Susan Burke offers a reflection on what her work has taught her about solidarity. When I went to work for a union almost 18 years ago, I wasn’t as excited about it as I might have been. It didn’t…
Read MoreMission Monday: Patience in Solidarity
To kick off week three of our Lenten Walking in Solidarity series with its theme of”Living Solidarity: Work, Family and Citizenship,” new missioner Jeff Sved writes about his experiences so far in Bolivia. Paciencia. With time and practice I’ll be able to communicate adequately in a new language. Paciencia. With time I’ll get used…
Read MoreFranciscan Friday: What My Travels to South Africa Taught Me About Lent
Domestic Volunteer Anna Robinson has recently returned from a Short-Term Mission and Global Awareness Trip in South Africa. She thought she could escape from Lent, but instead Lent found her in new and enlightening ways. I’ve always dreaded Lent. To me it’s this bleak, dull, weary time of year. As a kid, giving up sweets…
Read MoreMission Monday: Teaching Solidarity
Each Monday during our Lenten “Walking in Solidarity” series we look at how Franciscan Mission Service is striving to live out the theme for the week. This week’s theme is solidarity through education and formation. “Teaching” solidarity is at the very core of Franciscan Mission Service’s work. We have two programs in particular that embody…
Read MoreFranciscan Friday: Following Jesus’ Example of Prayer and Preaching Solidarity
For this week of reflecting on “Solidarity as Prayer, Worship and Preaching,” we asked one of our favorite preachers, Fr. Joe Nangle, OFM, to offer a Lenten reflection on solidarity. Please join us throughout the season as we reflect on how “Walking in Solidarity.” On the First Sunday of Lent we hear the fascinating Gospel…
Read MoreTools for Fostering Solidarity Through Prayer, Worship, and Preaching
On Wednesdays during this Lenten series, “Walking in Solidarity,” we offer tangible ways you can live out the theme for the week. We offer tips and resources, and encourage you to post in the comments your own suggestions. This collaboration fosters even greater solidarity. This week we’re looking at solidarity through prayer, worship and preaching.…
Read MoreMission Monday: Praying for Solidarity
During this first full week of Lent we start our “Walking in Solidarity” series by looking at how we can be in solidarity with others through prayer, worship and preaching. On Mondays during this series we share how Franciscan Mission Service – be it our staff, missioners, board or volunteers – is striving to live…
Read MorePreparing for South Africa: Watching “The Power of One”
Last “Preparing for South Africa” post, Domestic Volunteer Anna talked about her familiarity with South African culture and a documentary she saw prior to departing. For this post she reviews additional material she covered before going on the Short-Term Mission and Global Awareness Trip. As I mentioned in a previous blog post, I had little…
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