2017 | Page 2 of 4 | Franciscan Mission Service

Heavenly Food to the Faithful

Editor’s note: DC Service Corps volunteer PJ Herrera reflects on life with his fellow community members at Casa San Salvador. “He is The Bread sown in the virgin, leavened in the Flesh, molded in His Passion, baked in the furnace of the Sepulchre, placed in the Churches, and set upon the Altars, which daily supplies…

Introducing DC Service Corps member Anne-Marie Elsinger

Editor’s note: Learn more about Anne-Marie Elsinger, DC Service Corps member and volunteer at Don Bosco Cristo Rey High School. Anne-Marie Elsinger joined DC Service Corps shortly after graduating with bachelor’s degrees in music and social work from Loras College, a Catholic school run by the Archdiocese of Dubuque, Iowa. Born in Herndon, Virginia, she…

Full Arms, Fuller Heart

Editor’s note: Missioner Amanda Ceraldi shares her interactions with the families of the children she cares for at Valley of the Angels School in Guatemala. I could hear them from across the parking lot. A group of girls screaming my name: “Amanda, Amanda, Amanda, we have a surprise for you!” They pulled me into the…

A Sant’ Egidio Experience: Seeing Christ and Fueling Fires

Editor’s note: Missioner-in-training Tim Shelgren tells the story of the FMS community joining Sant’Egidio, a group of volunteers in DC who meet every Friday night to prepare foods, walk out into the streets, and offer their goods to men and women who are experiencing homelessness. As we set out for 21st Street tonight, we originally thought…

Give the Gift of Presence on World Alzheimer’s Day and Every Day

Editor’s note: Missioner Anna Klonowski reflects on her personal connections to people with Alzheimer’s on World Alzheimer’s Day. In 2010, I was on the brink of newfound freedom, sitting in the backseat of a Driver’s Ed car waiting for my turn to cruise (or rather, slowly and nervously jolt) down Main Street. My friend was…

An FMS Welcome to PJ Herrera, New DC Service Corps Member

Editor’s note: DC Service Corps member PJ Herrera shares his background and motivation for becoming a volunteer at SOME, a nonprofit serving people who have experienced homelessness. Last week I sat down with PJ Herrera, a DC Service Corps member serving at So Others Might Eat (SOME), an interfaith organization serving people who have experienced…

Inner and Outer Beauty: An Interview with Alessia Catena

Editor’s note: Tim Shelgren deepened his acquaintance with DC Service Corps member Alessia Catena in an interview last week. I have known Alessia Catena for two weeks. My first impression of Alessia reflects maturity and both inner and outer beauty. She presents herself in a way that shows she has confidence and does not hesitate…

Many Passions: An Interview with Stephanie Ashley Caban

Editor’s note: Missioner SarahJane Cauzillo compiled her interview with fellow missioner in training Stephanie Ashley Caban, who shared her journey to FMS and towards a sense of cultural identity. It’s early in the morning. The sun has yet to grace us with its presence, and the grass still glistens with the night’s dropping of dew.…

A Mantra for the Possible: An Interview with Lay Missioner Tim Shelgren

Editor’s note: Missioner Stephanie Ashley Caban shares an interview with fellow missioner in training Tim Shelgren. Tim Shelgren is one of those people you can’t possibly forget. His kind nature and listening ability stand out of the crowd more so than the loudest person in the room. Always the first to clean up after dinner…

The Dump

Editor’s note: Missioner Misty Menis-Kyler shares a glimpse of Guatemala City’s dump and the people who live and work there. Last month I had the privilege of taking the Holy Spirit mission group from Texas to a site off campus called the dump. It is exactly what it sounds like. It is the dump where…

United by God’s Mercy

Editor’s note: Missioner Cindy Mizes shares two powerful experiences of human hands rescuing people in need and relates them to our call to unity with others. This past spring while visiting the Compassionate Franciscan Sisters of the Poor, I was given a tour of Hope Hospice. There I met the lovely and memorable “Miss Daisy.”…

Dancing (and Running) with the Spirit

Editor’s note: New missioner Stephanie Ashley Caban relates the adjustments to her fitness commitment as part of her Formation experience. I don’t always like New Year’s Resolutions, possibly because I never saw a need to make one. However, I do enjoy the concept of learning to better oneself and encourage that to be done at…

Old Money Bag—A Voice of Simplicity from the FMS Casa Community

Editor’s note: New missioner Tim Shelgren writes a post about practicing simple living with the other members of the intentional community at FMS’ Casa San Salvador. My job is to hold currency. I have been at my job for quite some time. My once vibrant purple and yellow stripes are fading, my plastic is getting…

Humbling Myself and Embracing My Imperfections

Editor’s note: Missioner Erin McHugh relates how embracing vulnerability has allowed for deeper relationships with her students. I have always found myself feeling pressured to be “perfect,” whether it is because people tell me I have a “perfect” body, or that I say the “perfect” things. I have been called a “perfect” little angel because…

Unpacking Simplicity

Editor’s note: New missioner SarahJane Cauzillo reflects on her search for a simpler and more intentional life at the start of Formation. As I stood in the living room of my parent’s home, all my clothing, shoes, books, and other various personal items strewn out around me, and an empty suitcase beside me, I asked…

Jesus Commands Us to Love, Part 2: Down in the Depths

Editor’s note: Missioner Janice Smullen continues her blog series, “Jesus Commands Us to Love,” by tracing Jamaica’s movement for social justice. God is always offering grace and unconditional love to us, but history has shown us that human beings are capable of displaying a dark and desperate side.Young Miss Bev (from Bat Mitzvah Girl, a…

Get to Know Rose Urankar, the New DC Service Corps Programs Associate

Editor’s note: New Programs Associate Rose Urankar shares her path to becoming a DC Service Corps volunteer and looks forward to the year ahead. Welcome Rose Urankar, the new DC Service Corps Programs Associate. Born and raised in Cleveland, Ohio, Rose attended the University of Notre Dame, where she majored in Theology and American Studies.…

Introducing Sam Hardwick, DC Service Corps Development Associate

Editor’s note: Learn about DC Service Corps participant Sam Hardwick’s background and his hopes for this service year. Sam Hardwick, the new DC Service Corps Development Associate, will be helping with donations and data management and growing in his faith during his service year with FMS. Sam, one of four brothers, was born in the…

2017 DC Service Corps/Class 33 Scavenger Hunt

Editor’s Note: Last Thursday afternoon the DC Service Corps and Class 33 participated in a scavenger hunt to familiarize themselves with the Brookland area. Split up into teams of two or three, they had exactly two hours to get as many points as possible by collecting photo evidence of the items on the list. Although…

Meet Alessia Catena, the New Graphic Design Associate

Editor’s note: Learn more about DC Service Corps member Alessia Catena, the new Graphic Design Associate. FMS’ new DC Service Corps Graphic Design Associate, Alessia Catena, was born in Rome, Italy, where she spent much of her life. She owes her world travels to being part of a military family–she and her two older sisters and…

We Are Each Other’s Angels and We Meet When It Is Time

Editor’s note: Missioner Erin McHugh shares her gratitude for her host community, the Valley of the Angels School in Guatemala. I have found myself reflecting on my year and half as an FMS missioner with a song called We Are Each Other’s Angels. I played it for my family and friend before leaving for Jamaica…

Connecting with the Continent

Editor’s note: FMS Communications Manager Kim Puchir looks forward to the 2017-2018 DC Service Corps year by reflecting on new beginnings. Starting this week, FMS has welcomed a new class of DC Service Corps volunteers, including Alessia Catena, a new Graphic Design Associate in the Communications Department. Establishing a relationship with a new coworker means…

Compartir: The Mission of the Church

Editor’s note: Missioner Maggie Van Roekel contemplates her immersion into the culture of the rural University in which she works and what this means for her personal spirituality. “For even as the body is one and yet has many members, and all the members of the body, though they are many, are one body, so…

My Jeremiah Miracle

Editor’s note: Tim Shelgren, a new missioner, recalls a lesson in Franciscanism—and football—he learned from boys at a group home. As a 56-year-old American, I hear many of my peers talking about their retirement accounts and soon-to-be retirement dates. I ask myself as I prepare for Formation to be a lay missioner with FMS, am…

The World Is Thy Ship, Not Thy Home

Editor’s note: Missioner Amanda Ceraldi shares her sacred connection with her late grandfather and his impact upon her service. I cannot remember a time in my life where my grandfather wasn’t there supporting me in everything that I did. He watched me play lacrosse growing up, he was at my high school and college graduations,…

Conversations with Desi

Editor’s note: Missioner Anna Klonowski experiences the ministry of presence with a new friend at a ministry site. I met a woman named Desi the other day at Hogar San José, the nursing home in Cochabamba that is one of my ministries. She was sitting alone in a courtyard, and I said hello as I…

Jamaica: History and Future of a Paradise Island

Editor’s note: Missioner Cindy Mizes reflects on Jamaica’s history and the invitation to solidarity and mercy. I recently had the opportunity to visit the National Museum Jamaica, which opened my eyes to Jamaica’s past struggles. As began to I explored Jamaica’s history, I learned about the early Spanish colonization and merciless treatment of the Tainos (Jamaica’s first…

Searching for, and Finding, Community

Editor’s note: Stephanie Ashley Caban, a new FMS missioner, traces the path that led her to overseas mission and her hopes for ministry. God and I sat down and talked one day a few months ago, and we’ve decided that serving abroad for two years seemed like a pretty good plan for my life. I am…

Waiting for Mission in Stillness

Editor’s note: SarahJane Cauzillo, a new FMS missioner, walks us through her spiritual growth process as she prepares to join us for formation in Washington, DC. Almost eight months ago to the day, I sucked in a harsh breath, and then clicked “submit.” My muscles unclenched as the first stage of my official application to…

Jesus Commands Us to Love – Faces of Unconditional Love

Editor’s Note: Missioner Janice Smullen starts her new blog series by reflecting on the transformative power of unconditional love. Sister Marita found a small baby bird, brought it inside, and began to feed and care for it. I was able to help by “bird-sitting” one weekend while she was away. We were manually putting a…

Being a Missionary in a Distracted World, Abroad and at Home

Last fall, FMS was invited to present at a Theology on Tap event for young adults, hosted by the the Diocese of Arlington at the Auld Shebeen pub in Fairfax. As part of the evening’s program of faith formation and fellowship, Meghan Meros, Associate Director of Programs and Operations, DC Service Corps volunteers, and Amanda…

The Gift of Self-Awareness

Editor’s note: Missioner Aubrey Kimble shares a brave decision that was a milestone in her self-understanding. One of the biggest gifts I have received while being on mission has been time to cultivate a deeper understanding and awareness of who I am, what I believe, and what makes me tick. This is an incredible gift…

On the Road with Hermana Carmen

Editor’s note: Missioner Anna Klonowski recounts her first meeting with a ministry site supervisor and what she learned from Hermana Carmen about living the Franciscan charism. During my search for ministry opportunities, I heard about a place called Hogar San José, a nursing home only a 15-minute walk from my house in Cochabamba. The first…

“Baby, You’re a Firework!”

Editor’s note: Missioner Misty Menis-Kyler reflects on her childhood experience with fireworks and her love for the Fourth of July, relating it to her time now on mission in Guatemala with the students at Valley of the Angels. Growing up, the Fourth of July was my favorite holiday. It still is. It wasn’t because it…

Joy Incarcerated

Editor’s note:Missioner Catherine Sullivan offers a photo essay that is a window into a special day in her prison ministry–her goddaughter Michelle’s baptismal presentation. [unitegallery CHS717] Reflection question: Often light shines the brightest through the darkness. Where can you find light in your hardships?

A Time to Rejoice

Editor’s note: Missioner Allison Dethlefs recounts a celebration at one of her service sites that gave her insight into her community’s strength and ability to turn trauma into joy. For the past year-and-a-half I have been volunteering at a girl’s home called Nuestra Casa (Our House). The home takes in girls ages 5-18 who have…

The Japanese Art of Decluttering and Franciscan Simplicity

Editor’s note: DCSC member Madonna Enwe shares about a book she read about decluttering and organizing, reflecting on how it helped her learn simplicity and presence in the moment. “Life becomes far easier once you know that things will still work out even if you are lacking something.” This is a line from Marie Kondo’s…

“Praised Be to You, My Lord, For Sister Water”

Editor’s note: Missioner Aubrey Kimble reflects on how a trip to Amboró National Park gave her a chance to relax in a beautiful natural setting and reflect on care for creation. The university here in Carmen Pampa is currently on break. I decided to take advantage of the time given and went on a much-needed…

Crystal’s World

Editor’s note: Missioner Cindy Mizes shares about a day at Jacob’s Well with the residents there, and how one personal experience in particular gave her a lens to understand the societal issues that Jamaica is facing today. She was sitting alone quietly in a wheelchair that had been pushed into a dreary corner of the…

Rooted in the Present

Editor’s note: During a visit to a local, Jamaican coffee farm, Missioner Janice Smullen reflects on presence, rootedness, and how to bloom where any of us may be planted. Recently, I was able to spend a two-night holiday with my visiting sister at an eight acre coffee farm containing 5,500 coffee trees, about 3,000 feet…

“Hermosa”

Editor’s note: Missioner Erin McHugh reflects on moments during teaching that have brought up questions for her about privilege, beauty, and unjust societal standards. I recently had a lesson in my English class about beauty and I asked my students, “How do you define beauty? How would you describe a beautiful person?” All the girls…

Michel’s Madrina

Editor’s note: Missioner Catherine Sullivan reflects on the role of “madrinas” in the Bolivian culture when she is asked to be a baptismal godmother for a friend’s daughter. Madrina is a very important term in Bolivia. There is actually an entire day and festival dedicated to madrinas, because here the word refers to a friend…

A Day at CUBE

Editor’s note: Missioner Anna Klonowski shares about her work at the CUBE social center in Bolivia and the children there whom she has formed friendships with. One of the highlights of my week is spending several days with the kids and adolescents at Centro Una Brisa de Esperanza (CUBE), or, in English, Center a Breeze…

Sharing in Solidarity

Editor’s note: Missioner Cindy Mizes reflects on some experiences from her months on mission in Jamaica which have moved her, given her hope, and called her to share God’s mercy. In the short time I have been in Jamaica, I’ve come to love this country and to contemplate its bleeding wounds which run deep and…

The One Among the Ninety-Nine

Editor’s note: DCSC member Ali Sentmanat reflects on the lessons she has learned and the challenges she has faced over her time of service at the Father McKenna Center. “Then Jesus told them this parable: “Suppose one of you has a hundred sheep and loses one of them. Doesn’t he leave the ninety-nine in the…

One Bread, One Body

Editor’s note: Missioner Janice Smullen shares her reflections on the Eucharist and how the sharing of Holy Communion has brought her to a deeper understanding of community. Much to my surprise, one of the questions that I have found myself pondering throughout my time on mission has been the meaning and mystery of the Eucharist.…

My Brother’s Keeper

Editor’s note: Missioner Amanda Ceraldi shares how she has found a deep, inspiring example of what it means to be our brother’s keeper in the lives and actions of her students at Valley of the Angels. Juan* was sitting at the table crying. Tears streamed down his face from his bloodshot eyes. He tried wiping…

The Privilege of Choice

Editor’s note: Missioner Maggie Van Roekel reflects on the privilege of being able to receive education and choose a job, sharing how teaching and the attitude of her students have challenged her own understanding. As I am finishing my first semester at the UAC, several people have asked me what I feel has been the…

Self-Compassion Through Struggles

Editor’s note: Missioner Aubrey Kimble shares a prayer and reflection on self-compassion which have brought her peace and healing in times of struggles. Lately, I’ve been struggling a lot. This isn’t something I usually talk about, and it’s hard to share here. But I want to be honest and authentic, and if I am to…

Allowing Joy to Find Me

Editor’s note: Missioner Erin McHugh reflects on the nature of joy and shares how she was able to find joy when she surrendered, relaxed, and practiced presence with those around her. “Somewhere along my journey, it happened. Quietly, imperceptibly, almost without my knowing it, I relaxed. Got comfortable with myself. I began enjoying myself, accepting…

Year: 2017

All Categories

Recent Stories

Discover More

Contact Us

FOLLOW / LIKE

Quick Links

Affiliations

Donate to FMS

Ensure another 30 years of Franciscan-hearted lay mission service!