Month: September 2012
Hunger Action Month: Needy vs. NIMBY
Why haven’t we found a solution to hunger? Why do so many people differ on the issue? For our last Franciscan Friday post dedicated to Hunger Action Month, St. Francis Inn volunteer Karen Bushaw shares her take on the struggles of neighborhood food pantries. In this election year we are being told by analysts that…
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Identifying the Cause: A Candidate’s Reflection on the Caravan for Peace.
Our formation class attended the Caravan for Peace event when it came to D.C. Paul Heinzen shares with us his reflection of the event and how it relates to the greater issues of drug trafficking. Photo taken from http://www.drugwar101.com/blog/archives/199 On September 10th, I attended a presentation by the Caravan for Peace, concerning increased citizen casualties…
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Mission Monday: Ready, Set…
For this Mission Monday post, mission candidate Jeff Sved shares the process of slowing down that he’s found challenging during formation. Jeff’s picture of the Franciscan Monastery If asked to describe how formation has been so far, I’d say it has been a walk in the park. Are most of you picturing a lazy, unproductive…
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Hunger Action Month: Hungry vs. Hunger
A high school student from New Hampshire reflects on volunteering at St. Francis Inn, a soup kitchen in Philadelphia, for this Hunger Action Month post. “I’m hungry.” This phrase is often spoken by my family, friends and myself. All we have to do is go look through the kitchen for something “good” to eat. The…
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Finding and Sharing Perfect Joy
The three members of our 28th Lay Mission Class have begun their training in Washington, D.C. Candidate Jeff Sved reflects on his formation so far. Over these first few weeks with FMS, one theme has continued to demand my attention. It has continued to surface during our various formation sessions and to dominate my personal…
Read MoreMission Monday: Realizing one’s humanity is a good place to start.
Finishing up her second week in formation, mission candidate Annemarie Barrett shares her initial thoughts and reflections on preparing for mission. What was the essence of the life of Saint Francis? Following his example, how am I called to live as a lay missioner? As I engage the second week of formation as a lay…
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The Face of Hunger : Who is my brother? Who is my sister?
We’re featuring guest posts from fellow Franciscan organizations dealing with hunger in the U.S. as part of Hunger Action Month. Today’s post comes from a St. Francis Inn Ministries in Pennsylvania. On July 19, 393 people came to the doors of St. Francis Inn, a soup kitchen in the Kensington section of Philadelphia, for a…
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Mission Monday: Hospice Residents Celebrate Feast Day
Domestic Volunteers who staff the office at our headquarters are taking Wednesday afternoons to serve at various sites around the D.C. area. Each volunteer is partnered with a non-profit and spending a few hours each week there through their service commitment at Franciscan Mission Service. So far, volunteer Chelsea has had a festive experience at…
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Hunger Action Month: Welcoming the Nameless is Welcoming Change
As part of Hunger Action Month, we’re featuring guest posts from fellow Franciscan organizations dealing with hunger in the U.S. Today’s post comes from a Franciscan Outreach Volunteer serving at a soup kitchen in Chicago. Franciscan Outreach Association’s Marquard Center serves dinner to roughly 100 guests every night of the year. In addition to that,…
Read MoreNew Mission Candidates get a taste of Bolivia
Over the Labor Day weekend the new mission candidates started arriving from all over the country. And what good timing! It just so happened there was a Bolivian festival going on at the Prince William County Fairgrounds in Manassas, VA. Many of these candidates are interested in going to Bolivia for their two years, so…
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Mission Monday: Welcome Class XXVIII!
They came by plane. They came by car. And now they are all settled into Casa San Salvador. Joining us at Franciscan Mission Service are three generous and faith-filled people from across the country. Representing their native lands, they are: Paul Heinzen: Wisconsin Jeff Sved: Pennsylvania Annemarie Barrett: Minnesota For the next 14 weeks…
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