Month: December 2011
Prayers for Christmas: Dreams and Goals
“My hope for the new year is that everyone I love fulfills their dreams and goals.” – Sylvia, a student worker at the pastoral juvenil vocacional in Bolivia where missioner Lynn Myrick teaches English and coordinates a film series. On this New Year’s Eve, Franciscan Mission Service certainly doesn’t believe that “old acquaintances should be forgot and…
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Prayers for Christmas: Generous Heart and Perseverance
Dan McNeil on mission in Novosibirsk, Siberia (1992-1995) Today’s prayer comes from returned missioner Dan McNeil who served in the Siberian city of Novosibirsk, Russia from 1992 to 1995. “My prayer for the New Year is what I pray nearly each day: Lord, help me to be good soil; ready to receive you with a generous…
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Deadline for tax-deductible donations: Dec. 31
Original photo by Charles Thompson Don’t miss your chance to make a tax-deductible gift in 2011 and help us promote peace and social justice through Franciscan lay mission! Donations made out to “Franciscan Mission Service” must be postmarked to P.O. Box 29034, Washington, DC 20017 or submitted online by 11:59 p.m. on December 31 to met the…
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Prayers for Christmas: Life and Health
“A voice was heard in Ramah, sobbing and loud lamentation; Rachel weeping for her children, and she would not be consoled, since they were no more.” – Matthew 2:18/Jeremiah 31:15 Massacre of the Innocents On this Feast of the Holy Innocents, the Church remembers the boys under the age of two near Bethlehem who were killed in Herod’s fury. Two…
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Prayers for Christmas: Renewal
Today’s prayer comes from Lynn Myrick, a missioner currently serving in Bolivia: “I am grateful that God continually renews the human spirit in the midst of suffering and struggle. In the new year, I bless the efforts of all those who strive to renew the earth: artists, musicians, scientists, teachers, engineers, doctors and nurses —…
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Prayers for Christmas: Wisdom and Strength in the New Year
The Christmas liturgical season is just beginning! Join us through the new year in praying with our missioners and those they serve overseas. Today’s prayer for Christmas comes from Noemi, a teacher at an after-school program in Bolivia where our missioner Catherine serves.“Lord, for the next year I ask you to continue to bless me, and to…
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Prayers for Christmas: Joy to the World!
“Joy to the world, the Lord is come! Let earth receive her King; Let every heart prepare Him room, And Heaven and nature sing, And Heaven and nature sing, And Heaven, and Heaven, and nature sing.”Share in our joy with our “Prayers for Christmas” video. May you have a happy, healthy, holy day filled with…
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Prayers for Christmas: Why Christmas?
Original photo by Ambuj Saxena “Why Christmas? Our vision, our purpose, our goal: to know, to love, and to serve God. To know God, to know the love between the Trinity, to know the Son, and through Him the Father, and the love that is the Spirit. To know the almighty, the creator, the everlasting,…
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Prayers for Christmas: Witness of Love
“This Christmas I am grateful that the love God showed the world in sending His Incarnate Son has been shown again to me personally in the grace of His sending me to witness to that Love, Jesus Christ, in Africa.” – Sandra Bradford, missioner, Zambia Sandra serves with her husband Bryce through a partnership with the Province…
Read MorePrayers for Christmas: Food and Health
We hear the Canticle of Mary, the Magnificat, in today’s Gospel from Luke: “My soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord;my spirit rejoices in God my savior.for he has looked upon his lowly servant.From this day all generations will call me blessed:the Almighty has done great things for me,and holy is his Name.He has mercy on…
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Prayers for Christmas: Silent Night
Today’s prayer for Christmas comes from Rhegan Hyypio, FMS program director and returned missioner who served in Brazil from 2005 to 2007 and Bolivia from 2007 to 2008. “May we truly hear the cry of the poor, hungry, sick, afflicted and marginalized in our midst this Christmas. And may we respond in love, acting with…
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Prayers for Christmas: More of God, Less of Us
John the Baptist spent his life announcing the coming of Christ. When Jesus was beginning his public ministry, John said “He must increase; I must decrease” (John 3:30). John had done his job in baptizing with water, and it was now time to step aside for the one who would baptize with fire and the Holy Spirit.…
Read MorePrayers for Christmas: Jesus
“This Christmas I am thankful for the sky, the flowers, the trees, and the people around me — and that Jesus died for us.” – 90-year-old South African woman to whom FMS missioner Tim Marcy brings communion weekly Photo by Rennet Stowe It might seem strange to talk about Jesus’ death this time of year. Suffering…
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Prayers for Christmas: Family
The Gospel for today looks at Jesus’ family tree. Forty-two generations culminate in the birth of Christ. Generations of our own families gather in celebration of this birth this time of year. “I thank God that for having had one more year of my family being together. At Christmas we reconfirm the unity of our…
Read MorePrayers for Christmas: Art and Sharing
Photo from flickr, localjapantimes Today’s prayer for Christmas comes from Andrew Kaleya, a Zambian artist and friend of missioners Sandra and Bryce Bradford. “My prayer is to support my family through art in this coming year, and also to be able to share with others the little things which we have during Christmas.” Andrew…
Read MorePrayers for Christmas: Compassion
Happy Feast of Blessed Mary Frances Shervier, member of the Secular Franciscan Third Order and founder of the Franciscan Sisters of the Poor! Frances dedicated herself and her congregation to the healing of all persons, especially the poor and the suffering. “I believed that I saw the Lord himself in the poor and the sick,…
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Prayers for Christmas: Reason for the Season
“My prayer for Christmas is that the REAL reason for the season takes ahold of our hearts and grows us more in God’s unabounding love.” – Michael Redell, FMS lay mission class 27 Kitzi and Michael at their commissioning. Photo by Gerald Martineau. It is because of God’s love that Michael and fellow missioner Kitzi…
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Prayers for Christmas: The Poor and Tolerance
Fred Cain in Brazil “The Lord hears the cry of the poor.” – Responsorial psalm appointed for today. Our prayer for Christmas comes from Fred Cain, one of our returned missioners who served in Brazil from 1999 to 2001. “This Christmas, I am thankful for the reminder that Jesus is among us in the guise…
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Prayers for Christmas: Mothers and Fathers
From flickr user Samuraijohnny “And how does this happen to me, that the mother of my Lord should come to me? For at the moment the sound of your greeting reached my ears, the infant in my womb leaped for joy.” Luke 1:43-44. The gospel for today features two mothers: Elizabeth, the mother of John the Baptist, and…
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Prayers for Christmas: Joy
On this Gaudete Sunday, the third Sunday of Advent, we rejoice that Jesus is almost here, that our wait it almost over! Today’s joyful prayer for Christmas comes from Sr. Erika, one of missioner Lynn Myrick’s students in Bolivia. Sr. Erika is a St. Joseph sister studying to become a physical therapist. We’ve included her…
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Prayers for Christmas: Volunteering and Human Rights
FMS Executive Director Kim Smolik offers a reflection as today’s prayer for Christmas: To say I am blessed in the work I do would be an understatement. I think a job like mine is a rare gift — it takes me around the world, to places one does not usually think of visiting, into the…
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Prayers for Christmas: Strength and Hope for Zambia
FMS lay missioners spend much of their time on mission in ministries of presence–cultivating relationships and connections in their host communities that change them as well as the people to whom they minister Through this journey, the prayers of the community can become the prayers of the missioner. Missioner and teacher Bryce Bradford shares his…
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Prayers for Christmas: Mary and God’s plan
Today we give thanks for Mary and her Immaculate Conception. Through her appearances, she has had a powerful impact on the lives of the people with whom we walk overseas, especially those in Latin America. Because God intended for Mary to be the mother of Jesus, God protected her at the first moment of her…
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Prayers for Christmas: Kindness
Paul in Ghana Today’s prayer for Christmas comes from Br. Paul O’Keeffe, OFM, of Holy Name Province, who served as a lay missioner to Jamaica and Africa in the mid-’90s. “This Christmas I am thankful for the many people God has placed in my life the past year. For those people who have loved me,…
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Prayers for Christmas: Children
Happy Feast of St. Nicholas, patron saint of children! Today’s prayer for Christmas comes from our youngest contributors: 6-year-old Bolivians recovering from burns. “We are grateful for airplanes, flowers, dolls, backpacks and shoes.” The children live and heal at the Franciscan burn center in Cochabamba until they are well enough to return home to their…
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Prayers for Christmas: Love and Companionship
Padre David uses a rose and holy water to perform blessings after Mass. Today’s prayer comes from Padre David Cordozo, parish priest of Our Lady of La Salette in Bolivia. “Esta navidad, estoy agradecido por todas las personas que conocí y por las que estan siempre a mi lado. Para el año nuevo, espero que…
Read MorePrayers for Christmas: Unity and Understanding
Kitzi Hendricks, who is being commissioned today as part of our 27th class of lay missioners, shares her prayer for Christmas: “I pray for understanding in our world – a world that is so noticeably divided by individualism and personal gain. I pray that there may be conversion of hearts this holiday season in that…
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Prayers for Christmas: Opportunity and Service
Jesus tells us in today’s Gospel, “The harvest is abundant but the laborers are few; so ask the master of the harvest to send out laborers for his harvest.” (Matthew 9: 36-38). FMS missioner Joel Vaughn expresses gratitude for being one of these laborers in his prayer for Christmas. “This Christmas, I am thankful for…
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Prayers for Christmas: Comfort and Hope
Kathy Snider on mission in Guatemala, 1998 to 2000. Today’s prayer for Christmas comes from returned missioner Kathy Snider: “My prayer for Christmas is for those who have experienced loss of a loved one due to death or separation, of home due to natural disasters or foreclosure, of food and due to drought and poverty,…
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Prayers for Christmas: World AIDS Day
Worldwide, 33.4 million people are currently living with HIV/AIDS, and more than 67 percent (approximately 22.4 million people) of those infected are in sub-Saharan Africa. On this World AIDS Day, and our thoughts and prayers turn to patients of St. Francis Care Clinic in South Africa where our missioners Cecilia and Tim Marcy serve. FMS…
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