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Servant Leadership

Letting Go: Daily Surrender

Editor’s Note: DC Service Corps member Julie Bauerle reflects on her journey before she arrived at Franciscan Mission Service and the realization that striving to follow God’s will applies to daily life as well as the extended future. In my life, I have always tried to do the will of God. A few months ago…

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The Little Things

Editor’s Note: Embracing the power of perspective, today communications associate Maria Beben launches a three-part series calling for reflection on “the little things” in life that are too often overlooked and unappreciated. Check back next Wednesday for the next installment. When I was a student at The Catholic University of America, I had a very…

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Comfort and Joy: Maranatha, Come Lord Jesus

Editor’s Note: As part of our “Comfort and Joy” Advent/Christmas blog series, DC Service Corps member Josh Maxey stresses the importance of God’s love and forgiveness.  Each year the church invites all the faithful to joyfully prepare our hearts and our minds for the celebration of the birth of the savior of the world. The holy…

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Comfort and Joy: Exactly Where I Needed to Be

Editor’s Note: As part of our “Comfort and Joy” Advent/Christmas blog series, Communications Associate Maria Beben shares some of her experiences from her time volunteering at a nursing home in Washington, DC.  My year as a communications associate with Franciscan Mission Service (FMS) includes a weekly volunteer component of direct service. As someone who experiences anxiety…

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Comfort and Joy: St. Francis’ Story of Perfect Joy

Editor’s Note: As part of our “Comfort and Joy” Advent/Christmas blog series, Development Associate Sarah Sokora shares the story of St. Francis and “true and perfect joy.”  Our dear Saint Francis is known for his wild deeds, but his story of “true and perfect joy” proves that his antics are not thoughtless, but are in keeping with his…

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Comfort and Joy: Vulnerability

Editor’s note: As part of our “Comfort and Joy” Advent/Christmas blog series, DC Service Corps member Lizzy Balboa shares how living in community has challenged her to embrace vulnerability and how, through this vulnerability, she has found comfort and joy. A few weeks ago, one of my community members asked when in my life I’ve felt most at…

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On the Steps of the Basilica

Editor’s Note: Communications associate Maria Beben reflects back on Pope Francis’ visit “The Pope is coming to DC!” I remember hearing this announcement during my senior year of college at The Catholic University of America. Although I was excited by the idea, I assumed I wouldn’t be in DC to see him. Barely four months…

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DC Service Corps Launches – Meet the First Class

Last week we welcomed two new Franciscan-hearted young adults to our community as part of the exciting launch of our newest arm of the Nonprofit Servant Leadership Program: DC Service Corps. This transformative year of direct service in our nation’s capital builds young adults’ foundation for a lifelong commitment to social activism and their Catholic…

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THE RADICAL SAINT FROM ASSISI (NO, NOT *THAT* ONE)

Operations Manager Sarah Hoffeditz offers a reflection on  Clare of Assisi in honor of the saint’s Aug. 11 feast day.  When I set out on my pilgrimage to Assisi this past May, I expected to learn a lot about St. Francis of Assisi while I was there. After all, he is certainly the most famous resident…

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Bolivian woman on mic

Handing Over the Microphone

“Les invitamos a escuchar a nuestras hermanas. Abrimos este espacio para que ellas puedan compartir sus experiencias. Ahora este espacio es para ellas.”  “We invite you all to listen to our sisters. We open this space so that they can share their experiences with you. Now this space is for them.” I was holding the…

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¡Romero Vive, Vive!

“Sentir con la iglesia,” to feel with the church. This was the motto of Blessed Monseñor Oscar Romero. Oscar Romero lived out this life motto as a way to draw himself closer to God through prayer, as a decisive love and service to others, and as a fidelity to the teachings of the Church. When…

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Learning to Volunteer

Editor’s Note: * indicates names changed to ensure privacy.  When I cam to FMS in November, I had very little previous experience in volunteering. It was a requirement in high school, but my football coach usually signed us off for moving tables, and I worked in a soup kitchen and food pantry once or twice,…

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Learning to be present

“Just be with some people.” Those were Elaine’s words of wisdom to me last week at Calvary Women’s Services. She oversees my work as part of the LEAP program there, and those five words reminded me of my purpose for that afternoon. Ministry of presence is something I am still trying to grasp—even though I’ve…

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Lessons through Lax

I was lucky enough to have a tremendous coach when I began playing lacrosse in 2006 at the age of 14. While I wasn’t the slightest bit athletic, or motivated in any way, he found a way to make me both, as I went on to start all four years on an NCAA team and graduate…

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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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Finalists for First-Ever San Damiano Servant Leadership Award

We are pleased to announce the five finalists for our first-ever San Damiano Servant Leadership Award. Launched in conjunction with our 25th anniversary, this honor recognizes a faithful, service-oriented young leader dedicated to building the kingdom of heaven on earth today. The winner, who will be announced the first week of February, will be given a $500 scholarship…

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What Does it Mean to be Sent?

After 13 weeks of formation filled with classes, early mornings at service sites, and plenty of community time, the 30th mission class of Franciscan Mission Service walked into the Blessed Sacrament Chapel at the Franciscan Monastery filled with our family and friends for our Commissioning Mass to celebrate our being sent out on mission. During…

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The Best Shoes I Ever Had

Editor’s Note: The following is part of our daily holiday series celebrating “The Shared World.” Anusia Dickow is a good friend to FMS. In college I volunteered in an emergency women’s shelter in North Saint Louis. One night, there was only one woman at the shelter, Deborah. This twenty-year-old, Caucasian, college student did not know how to…

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Growth Through Faith

Editor’s Note: The following is part of our daily holiday series celebrating “The Shared World.” Michael is the former communications associate at FMS. We Irish-Catholics are known for many things, but ecumenism isn’t one of those things. In my own heart, I’ve felt a need to resist feelings of clannishness and pride that keep me from…

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A Shared World at Home

Editor’s Note: The following is part of our daily holiday series celebrating “The Shared World.” I can still remember how nervous I was my first night hosting at Claremont Homeless Advocacy Program (CHAP); I laugh when I think about it now. I started volunteering at CHAP in preparation for formation with FMS in Washington, DC. CHAP…

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Time Well Spent

Editor’s Note: The following is part of our daily holiday series celebrating “The Shared World” through Nate’s thoughts and experiences.  Last week a faculty member from the Unidad Académica Campesina-Carmen Pampa came into my office and asked if I could go through the filing cabinets to clean out old papers and documents left behind from previous…

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Sharing is Caring

Editor’s Note: The following is part of our daily holiday series celebrating “The Shared World.” It started with a story. It was Holy Week of my senior year of high school and I was volunteering with Bissonnette House, a home for recently released convicts looking to get back on their feet. While we took a break…

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A Humble Mission

Editor’s Note: The following is part of our daily holiday series celebrating “The Shared World.” Fr. Joe Nangle, OFM, is a former FMS executive director and board member. The originating vision of Franciscan Mission Service remains compelling today, thirty years after it was articulated by FMS founder, Anselm Moons, OFM. Called by Franciscan leadership in North…

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Learning in the House of Mary

Editor’s Note: The following is part of our daily holiday series celebrating “The Shared World.” January 12, 2010: the day the whole world turned its eyes towards Haiti. The day I began a lifelong journey. The day I started to fall in love. I was 18 years old and in my freshman year of college. I…

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The Power of One

Editor’s Note: The following is part of our daily holiday series celebrating “The Shared World.” New missioner Maeve talks about an experience that lead her to Franciscan Mission Service and her mission call.  On the surface, Wendy and I don’t appear to have much in common.  When we met she was fourteen and I was nineteen.  She…

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Welcome, Nate!

Join Franciscan Mission Service in extending a warm welcome to the newest member of our Nonprofit Leadership Program, Staff Writer Nate Marsh! Nate finds his way to Franciscan Mission Service through a desire to make an impact on the world around him. “I wanted to do something bigger than myself,” he said. “Most people go…

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Owning My Ignorance

I was taught at a young age to try to find rooms in which I was the dumbest person there. It was not an invitation to be lazy or to not take education seriously. Quite the opposite: I was told that if I surrounded myself with people smarter than I, then it was an opportunity…

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Inspired by John Paul II

My birthday was a couple of weeks ago. I turned the ripe old age of 23 or 69, depending on who you ask (friends say that some of my interests – including my love of naps – make me an old man.) I had a great birthday – my parents came to visit as part…

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Homeless man sleeping on the sidewalk 1972 Los Angeles, CA by social documentary photographer Daniel D. Teoli Jr.

Learning About Homelessness

The first few weeks of my training at FMS have been very eventful. In the short time I’ve been here, I’ve met countless individuals that have opened up and shared stories that are both meaningful and full of great experiences. I have been a part of a community that is set on helping each other…

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Discomfort, Anger, Tears, Foolishness and the Feast of Saint Francis

One hundred feet. It couldn’t have been more than 100 feet. One hundred feet, from the Capitol building in Raleigh, North Carolina to the tour bus parked down the street. These 100 feet were the most significant parts of my Feast of St. Francis. Hand in hand and side by side we marched to the…

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Welcome, Melissa!

Join Franciscan Mission Service in extending a warm welcome to the newest member of our Nonprofit Leadership Program, Development Associate Melissa Montrowl! Melissa graduated in 2013 from Franciscan University of Steubenville (FUS), where she double majored in Theology and Catechetics. Asked how the Franciscan character of the school colored her education, she laughs and says…

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Bridge-Building in Bolivia

Lay missioner Hady Mendez answers one of the questions mostly frequently asked of a missioner: “What do you do in Bolivia?”  I build bridges. No, not the kind people walk on or cars drive across. I build other types of bridges. Another way to describe what I do is “bring people together”. It’s not actually…

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Community 101: Learning to Love

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 Ryan Murphy, who lived…

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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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Welcome, John!

Join Franciscan Mission Service in extending a warm welcome to our new Program Associate, John Quense! A native of New Jersey, John graduated in 2011 from Rutgers University, where he double majored in Political Science and Spanish. He comes to Franciscan Mission Service with a good amount of international volunteer experience under his belt. The…

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Welcome, Mary!

Franciscan Mission Service extends a warm welcome to a new summer volunteer: Mary Unverferth!During her bi-weekly volunteer experience this summer, Mary will work on a variety of administrative and maintenance tasks at the FMS office, as well as at Casa San Salvador, the community house for associates and guests. Hailing from Cypress, Texas, Mary is a graduate…

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Mission Monday: A Third Year of Service for Annemarie and Jeff!

Today’s post features an exciting update about two current missioners in Cochabamba! Great news: second-year missioners Annemarie Barrett and Jeff Sved have each decided to stay in Bolivia for a third year of mission! When our lay missioners are commissioned, they agree to a minimum of two years of service, but they can renew their…

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Franciscan Friday: The Necessity of Presence

To highlight the service component of the Nonprofit Leadership Program (positions are currently available), Franciscan Fridays are currently featuring reflections from program associates about their experiences with weekly direct service.  Enjoy other entries in this series: “Service through Faith: The Ultimate Act of Hope” by communications associate Michael Carlson “A Lesson in Perspective” by development associate…

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Franciscan Friday: Service through Faith: the Ultimate Act of Hope

To honor National Volunteer Month and highlight the service component of the Nonprofit Leadership Program, the next several Fridays will feature reflections from program associates about their experiences with weekly direct service.  In today’s post, communications associate Michael Carlson writes about his weekly service experience as a Reading Partner at DC Prep Elementary, a grade…

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Takeaway Wednesday: Nonprofit Leadership Program!

Update: We have a new title for our domestic service program: Nonprofit Leadership Program!  This is an opportunity for Catholic women and men to gain experience in nonprofit work at Franciscan Mission Service while receiving faith formation through intentional community living and direct service.  Our 13 month program is a distinctive full-time volunteer program combining…

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Forming New Disciples: 2014 World Care Benefit

Franciscan Mission Service recently celebrated the 2014 World Care Benefit! In today’s blog, we share the evening in a post of gratitude for Anselm Moons, OFM award recipient Jack Jezreel, keynote speaker Fr. Dan Horan, OFM, and all of our sponsors and members of the Franciscan family. As part of Friday night’s 2014 World Care…

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Mission Monday: “How Life Prepared Me for Mission”

In today’s post, current missioner Hady Mendez reflects on how the relationships she developed and enjoyed before mission prepared her for her ministry of presence as a Franciscan lay missioner. When I was living in New York, I used to often go to a salon in Jersey City. Mary owned the salon. Lucy did my…

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Franciscan Friday: “The Joy of Love through Commitment”

Casa San Salvador is the intentional faith community where Franciscan Mission Service Domestic Volunteers live along with Katie Miller and James Luisi, who work at NETWORK.  Today we chat with Casa San Salvador House Manager Slavka Brigantova to learn more about her faith and how it inspires her to live in community. Slavka, you are…

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The Light of One: Confessions of a Bad Listener

Continuing our daily Advent reflection series, Nonprofit Servant Leadership Associate Sarah Hoffeditz writes about how an individual encounter challenged her to listen to others more deeply. I’m a bad listener. Anyone who knows me knows how much I like to talk. I often spend most of my non-talking time in a conversation thinking about what I’m…

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The Light of One: Mother. Administrator. Agronomist. Jefa. Friend.

Continuing our daily Advent reflection series, Missioner Annemarie Barrett writes about a woman who continues to greatly influence her life in more ways than one. Mother. Administrator. Agronomist. Jefa. Friend. Working with Casta, our parish administrator and jefa in the parish garden, has been one of the many transformative relationships that I have encountered in…

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“This, my friends, is Ministry of Presence”

ME: I’m going to be Audrey Hepburn for Halloween. You know who she is, right? MAC: Nah, never heard of her. ME: Let me show you a picture. You’ll probably recognize her. SHOW HIM PIC. MAC: Nah, I don’t know who that is. Hady serving coffee to the men at Fr. McKenna Center I had…

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29th FMS Commissioning: Sent Forth!

“This is a beginning, a step along the way, an opportunity for the Lord’s grace to enter and do the rest.” –Archbishop Oscar Romero As their formation program drew to a close, the Franciscan missioners were all aware that the Commissioning Mass was actually a celebration of beginnings. On Sunday, November 17, at 5:30 p.m.,…

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Franciscan Friday: Praying for World Youth Day

Every two to three years since 1984, millions of teens and young adults from around the globe gather together for a week of celebrating their faith with the pope. This year’s World Youth Day festivities started on Tuesday and run until Sunday in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, under the motto, “Go and make disciples of…

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