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Millennial Lenten Reflections: Offer your Gifts

Editor’s Note: The following is part of Millennial Lenten Reflections, a blog series in collaboration with Catholics in Alliance for the Common Good. Short reflections on the day’s readings, written by young adults from FMS and other organizations, will be posted everyday throughout Lent.  I’ve always been my own harshest critic.  My perfectionism has waned as I’ve…

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Millennial Lenten Reflections: Sharing the Grace of God

Editor’s Note: The following is part of Millennial Lenten Reflections, a blog series in collaboration with Catholics in Alliance for the Common Good. Short reflections on the day’s readings, written by young adults from FMS and other organizations, will be posted everyday throughout Lent.  “For everyone who asks, receives.” I can’t remember when I realized I wanted…

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Millennial Lenten Reflections: New Life

Editor’s Note: The following is part of Millennial Lenten Reflections, a blog series in collaboration with Catholics in Alliance for the Common Good. Short reflections on the day’s readings, written by young adults from FMS and other organizations, will be posted everyday throughout Lent.  “A clean heart create for me, O God, and a steadfast spirit renew…

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Millennial Lenten Reflections: The Lord’s Prayer

Editor’s Note: The following is part of Millennial Lenten Reflections, a blog series in collaboration with Catholics in Alliance for the Common Good. Short reflections on the day’s readings, written by young adults from FMS and other organizations, will be posted everyday throughout Lent.  Today’s gospel gives us the Lord’s Prayer.  A staple of Christian tradition, the…

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Millennial Lenten Reflections: Do it for the team!

Editor’s Note: The following is part of Millennial Lenten Reflections, a blog series in collaboration with Catholics in Alliance for the Common Good. Short reflections on the day’s readings, written by young adults from FMS and other organizations, will be posted everyday throughout Lent.  “We need to get back to basics.”  It’s something you might hear a…

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Millennial Lenten Reflections: “Filled with God”

Editor’s Note: The following is part of Millennial Lenten Reflections, a blog series in collaboration with Catholics in Alliance for the Common Good. Short reflections on the day’s readings, written by young adults from FMS and other organizations, will be posted everyday throughout Lent.  “See, I am now establishing my covenant with you and your descendants after you and with every…

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Millennial Lenten Reflections: To Serve Others

Editor’s Note: The following is part of Millennial Lenten Reflections, a blog series in collaboration with Catholics in Alliance for the Common Good. Short reflections on the day’s readings, written by young adults from FMS and other organizations, will be posted everyday throughout Lent.  Sometimes the question comes up of why we should even pray, fast, or…

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Millennial Lenten Reflections: Give and Receive

Editor’s Note: The following is part of Millennial Lenten Reflections, a blog series in collaboration with Catholics in Alliance for the Common Good. Short reflections on the day’s readings, written by young adults from FMS and other organizations, will be posted everyday throughout Lent.  When I read today’s first reading, I was reminded of our human weakness.…

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Millennial Lenten Reflections: Our Daily Cross

Editor’s Note: The following is part of Millennial Lenten Reflections, a blog series in collaboration with Catholics in Alliance for the Common Good. Short reflections on the day’s readings, written by young adults from FMS and other organizations, will be posted everyday throughout Lent.  “Whoever wishes to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his…

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Millennial Lenten Reflections: Ash Wednesday

Editor’s Note: The following is part of Millennial Lenten Reflections, a blog series in collaboration with Catholics in Alliance for the Common Good. Short reflections on the day’s readings, written by young adults from FMS and other organizations, will be posted everyday throughout Lent.  The ancient and holy season of Lent comes upon us once again. The…

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San Damiano Servant Leadership Award Winner Announced

Editor’s Note: Award winner Emma Laut pictured on far left of featured image. Franciscan Mission Service is proud to present the first-ever San Damiano Servant Leadership Award to Emma Laut of Marian University in Indianapolis, Indiana. Through her extensive work with several social justice-minded organizations and her dedication to her faith in Christ, Laut embodies…

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Learn to play Cacho

Annemarie Barrett, missioner in Bolivia, spends much of her time gardening to help the community in Cochabamba. Surprisingly enough, she does have down time. “Cacho is a game I often play with friends here in Cochabamba,” she said, “and I loved sharing the tradition with my family as well when they came to visit.” To pass…

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Bonds of Friendship

Editor’s Note: The following is part of our daily holiday series celebrating “The Shared World.” Mariam is a former employee and close friend of FMS. My two closest friends from childhood are Marjie, a Conservative/Orthodox Jew, and Sehreen, an Ismaili Muslim. As an Orthodox Christian, I have always been thankful to have their perspectives along my…

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A Journey of Love

Editor’s Note: The following is part of our daily holiday series celebrating “The Shared World.” Akisha Townsend Eaton is a friend of FMS and Candidate for the Secular Franciscan Order.  Shortly after getting married this past summer, my husband Jack and I set off for what would be a European honeymoon adventure of a lifetime. Despite…

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Lessons in Sainthood

I chose St. Cecilia as my confirmation saint when I was only thirteen years old.  I can’t remember what drew me to her, but I know I didn’t recognize the significance of her martyrdom at my young age. Church Tradition tells us that St. Cecilia was a noblewoman whose parents arranged her marriage to a…

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Staying thankful – and healthy – on mission

This post is about my health. Now before you get all squeamish, even though this is regarding the stomach and all sordid details, I promise to leave out the gross ones. It starts with amoebas. Yes, they are little creatures living in your stomach, but I assure you that this is not the gross part.…

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Getting Over ‘Otherness’

Program associate John Quense tells how he ended up teaching yoga every Wednesday at Miriam’s Studio, an art therapy program in Washington, DC.  I find that God often draws me to Himself using very personal and uncomfortable methods. This particular encounter began in my bed (pretty comfortable) while I read about the conversion of St.…

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Learning to Be in Bolivia

Short-Term Mission and Global Awareness Trip participant Jennifer Peresie reflects on her experience of going with Franciscan Mission Service to Bolivia in May 2014.  When I signed up for this trip, I think I had illusions – no delusions! – of changing the world. That is a lofty goal for anyone, but certainly in a…

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OFM Congress: Enzo Bianchi’s Three Elements for Evangelization

Communications Manager Bridget Higginbotham blogs about her experience last month at the Order of Friars Minor first international congress on mission and evangelization.   What does “evangelization” mean and how do we do it? According to Enzo Bianchi, one of the first lecturers at the OFM Congresso, evangelization means to give witness and bear testimony, but not necessarily…

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Donor Story: Leadership and Service of Art McNeill

Arthur T. McNeill Franciscan Mission Service is grateful for the support of our donors from around the world and of all walks of life. This Father’s Day, we honor Art McNeill, a father of three whose life of service touched many. In 1963, Arthur McNeill took his 8-year-old son Thomas to the National Mall to…

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Community 101: Listening

For the next four weeks, we will feature a four part series on faith in community every Franciscan Friday: “Community 101: An Introduction to Intentional Living”! and would like weekly contributors to highlight specific features of intentional-living in faith communities: Prayer, Listening, Sharing, and Learning to Love.  Today’s post is by Kaitlin Depuydt, one of…

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Community 101: Prayer

For the next four weeks, we will feature a four part series on faith in community every Franciscan Friday: “Community 101: An Introduction to Intentional Living”! It will feature weekly contributors highlighting specific features of intentional-living in faith communities: Prayer, Listening, Sharing, and Learning to Love. Today’s post about prayer is by Paola Piscitelli, President…

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Poor and Free: “Beyond Detachment”

Franciscan Mission Service presents:  “Poor and Free: A Spiritual Yes to Less” every Friday in Lent Series contributions:  Shane Claiborne: Part I, Part II, and Part III Gigi Gruenke: “Invest in God’s Dream” Jack Jezreel: “The Simple Math of Voluntary Simplicity” Amy Echeverria: “Saying ‘Yes’ to Love” Sr. Marie Lucey (OSF): “Faith Keeps Hope Alive” Marie Dennis: “Beyond Detachment” Fr. Martin…

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Takeaway Wednesday: Saying “Yes” to the Culture of Encounter

Our Lenten series focuses on the joyful freedom of spiritual poverty. The Good News is that detachment of ownership leads us to greater reliance on God which makes us more available to love and serve the poor. Series contributions:  Shane Claiborne: “A Theology of Enough”: Part I, Part II, and Part III. Gigi Gruenke: “Invest in God’s…

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Franciscan Friday: On Mission with Fr. Tom Washburn, OFM

Continuing our series Sacraments and Social Mission: Living the Gospel, Being Disciples, our blog today features a conversation with Fr. Tom Washburn, OFM, on the Sacrament of Holy Orders and Mission. Fr. Tom Washburn, OFM, has been a Franciscan since 1991 and was ordained a priest in 2000. He holds degrees in theology and liturgy…

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Takeaway Wednesday: 3 Questions About Religious Orders

Continuing our series Sacraments and Social Mission: Living the Gospel, Being Disciples, our blog today features the Sacrament of Holy Orders.  Franciscan Mission Service defines itself through its dedication to St. Francis. While discernment to serve as a Franciscan missioner is different from discernment to religious life, our organization is inspired by the lives and…

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On Mission with Fr. John Swope

Continuing our series Sacraments and Social Mission: Living the Gospel, Being Disciples, full-time volunteer and communications associate Michael Carlson interviews Fr. John Swope, S.J., President of Cristo Rey Jesuit High School in Baltimore, MD where Michael used to teach. Fr. Swope has been a Jesuit for 38 years and served in Chile from 1980-1983 and from 1991-2000.  1. During…

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“Necesitamos menos ciencia y más Pachamama”

Continuing our series Sacraments and Social Mission: Living the Gospel, Being Disciples, current missioner Annemarie Barrett writes about her relationship with the Earth, its presence in her life, and her ongoing conversion. When I am in Santa Rosa, time is relative. We spend less energy worrying about what time it is or when we need…

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Spirit, Body, and Earth: A Missioner’s Transformation

Continuing our series Sacraments and Social Mission: Living the Gospel, Being Disciples, current missioner Annemarie Barrett writes about her relationship with the Earth, its presence in her life, and her ongoing conversion. I did not grow up gardening. I never got much into my science classes. I preferred reading and writing and making art to…

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New Series: Sacraments and Social Mission

Franciscan Mission Service is beginning a new blog series: Sacraments and Social Mission: Living the Gospel, Being Disciples. Inspired by Sacraments and Social Mission: Living the Gospel, Being Disciples written by the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, this series focuses on the seamless connection between the Sacraments and Mission. Each week will focus on a specific sacrament…

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Franciscan Friday: 5 Reasons Epiphany Matters

public domain Fr. Jason Welle (OFM) breaks it down: 1. Nature obeys Christ from before his birth and speaks a message of hope. – By the light of a star, those who worshipped the stars learned to worship the Sun of Justice and to know the Dawn from on High. 2. The magi come to…

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The Light Remains: 2013 in Review

public domain Many thanks to the Advent reflection series contributors.  Below are reflections our readers particularly enjoyed, listed again in case you missed them: The Light of One: The Gift of Yourself by Hady Mendez The Light of One: Confessions of a Bad Listener by Sarah Hoffeditz The Light of One: Preparing to Be Overwhelmed…

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The Light of One: How It Starts

Continuing our reflection series “The Light of One”, Community of Sant’Egidio member Charlie Gardner writes about a graced insight toward gratitude. On one morning commute, I detoured to a grocery store to pick up a few items, but somehow ending up grabbed a blueberry muffin from the bakery. Then I spotted a chocolate pastry. In…

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The Light of One: Owen

Continuing our reflection series “The Light of One”, Susan Burke (OFS) writes about the amazing gift of her grandson, Owen. The person who sent me on a different way will be three years old in January. If he had been born as scheduled, he would be three in May. Owen, my grandson, arrived four months…

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The Light of One: Preparing to be Overwhelmed

Continuing our reflection series, “The Light of One”, Communications Associate Michael Carlson writes about the spiritual strength of facing the reality of our own limitations. As a former high school teacher, the students I remember most clearly are the ones I still worry about. I’ll refer to this former student as “Hannah”, after the mother…

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The Light of One: From Tourist to Traveler

On the Feast of St. Stephen, Fr. Jason Welle, OFM, continues our reflection series today writing about how his faith grew stronger after a gentle challenge. As we continue to celebrate the birth of Jesus, let us be open to the gentle challenge of Christ who constantly makes Himself present to us. I traveled to…

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The Light of One: The Gift of a Mentor

Merry Christmas! Continuing our daily reflection series “The Light of One”, Casa San Salvador community member and NETWORK Lobby Associate James Luisi writes about the impact a mentor’s faith had on him. As I ponder the blessings of Advent, I want to reflect on how grateful I am for the guidance of one mentor in…

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The Light of One: God’s Presence

Continuing our daily Advent reflection series, returned missioner and former board member, Doug Garofalo, writes about a woman named Sonia who led him to a deeper faith by example. Upon my return to Uberlandia from Brasilia after completing a language and culture course for foreign missionaries, I still felt inept speaking Brazilian-Portuguese. Fortunately for me,…

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The Light of One: Diary of a Young Southern Catholic

Continuing our daily Advent reflection series, Secular Franciscan and Franciscan Mission Service Board Member Patrick Martin writes about the impact meeting Franciscans had on his faith as an impressionable Catholic college student in the South. In the 1960’s and 1970’s, southern Catholics were not part of the national Catholic culture. We didn’t talk like the…

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The Light of One: An Angel’s Message

Continuing our daily Advent reflection series, Communications Coordinator Bridget Higginbotham shares how her life has been shaped through the message of her grandmother’s life. This time of year brings about a host of angel decorations, and each time I see one I am reminded of my grandmother who loved angels. The word “angel” is derived…

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The Light of One: The Common Denominator is Hope

Continuing our daily Advent reflection series, former Domestic Volunteer Susan Zagar highlights the foundation of relationships in faith: hope. A person who touched my life in a positive way was Thelma, a woman who traveled the halls of the Baltimore City Adult Learning Center in a magenta electric wheel chair. I had just begun tutoring…

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The Light of One: The Mother Teresa of El Salvador

Continuing our daily Advent reflection series, returned missioner Beth Riehle writes about a woman whose tireless service brings love and comfort to El Salvador. SOWING LOVE I had always wanted to go to India to work with Mother Teresa, but God had something else in mind. I was called to El Salvador where I met…

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The Light of One: The Wire Man

Continuing our daily Advent reflection series, Katherine Menezes writes about a humbling encounter with a man and how whose memory continues to inspire her. I was blessed to take part in an FMS trip to South Africa this past summer where I met someone known as “The Wire Man” in a craftsmen complex, a lure…

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The Light of One: A True Missionary

Continuing our daily Advent reflection series, Fr. John Ullrich, OFM, writes about a woman whose generosity showed him the spirit of a true missionary. I met Lee D’Amico about ten years ago. She was about 75 years old then. The first thing that struck me about her was that she was happy – and shared…

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The Light of One: Bridge to Forgiveness

Continuing our daily Advent reflection series on the Feast of St. John of the Cross, Bree Haler writes about man named John Sage whose radical forgiveness inspired her toward greater appreciation of God’s grace. When I was living in Houston, Texas I volunteered for a restorative justice program called Bridges to Life. The mission of…

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The Light of One: Witness to Friendship

Continuing our daily Advent reflection series on the Feast of St. Lucy, Fr. Joe Nangle, OFM, writes about his relationship with a woman named Olga whose accepting friendship challenged him toward greater understanding of Christ in poverty. My relationship with Olga was improbable. She was a desperately poor Peruvian indigenous woman while I was a…

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The Light of One: Choosing to See the Gift

On the Feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe, Kate Ackert continues our daily Advent reflection series by writing about the power of a simple encounter with optimism. This past summer, I had the privilege of embarking on a two-week journey to South Africa with the Franciscan Mission Service and the Franciscan Center for Service and…

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The Light of One: To Be and Not To Do

Continuing our daily Advent reflection series, Associate Director Mariam Kaldas writes about discipleship as presence, not accomplishments. I hadn’t heard the phrase “ministry of presence” before I came to Franciscan Mission Service. It seemed like a revolutionary concept, until I realized that it had already been modeled for me during my own mission in Zambia.…

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The Light of One: The Gift of Levity

Continuing our daily Advent reflection series on the Feast of St. Ambrose, Br. Tony LoGalbo, OFM, writes about a formative experience of a lesson learned through humor. It was the beginning of July, 1983. I had completed the Portuguese language program for new missionaries in Brasilia, and I had arrived at my new assignment in…

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