Home / 2015 / October

Month: October 2015

Some of My Favorite Moments with the Kids in Chilimarca

Editor’s Note: Missioner Valerie Ellis shares some of her favorite moments with the pre-school children she works with from impoverished families in Chilimarca, Bolivia.   When counting, it was commonplace for one little girl to say, “1…2…8,” so I asked her if “8” was her favorite number and she responded with a resounding, “Yes!” Since then,…

Read More

Called by God

Editor’s Note: Missioner-in-training Erin McHugh shares how she finds comfort in the face of fear and doubt.  One of my favorite sessions during our time here at Formation has been Scripture and Mission. During this session, we look at the Bible in a historical context, but especially at the passages and books related to social…

Read More

To Bolivia and Beyond

Editor’s Note: Missioner Jeff Sved decided to co-write a blog post with his friend Billy to tell the story of a small plant and its significance. While I was a volunteer with FVM, we regularly had a retreat with the Franciscans at the Mt. Irenaeus community. During those retreats, I would spend much of my…

Read More

Celebrating Diversity

Editor’s Note: Missioner Tom Little shares his change of heart during a week of activities at the University where he serves in Carmen Pampa, Bolivia. I just finished my first inter-carreras experience and it was not what I expected. Inter-carreras, or inter-major of study, is a week long group of activities to celebrate the founding…

Read More

Honoring Saint Francis

Editor’s Note: Missioner Amanda Ceraldi shares what the Feast of St. Francis looked like where she serves in Guatemala. For hundreds of years Franciscans from all over the world have been commemorating the last moments of Saint Francis’ life and his passage to eternal life. Best known as the Transitus, on October 3rd, Franciscan communities from…

Read More

The Many Pieces of Support

Editor’s Note: Franciscan Mission Service overseas missioners are asked to fundraise in support of their training and service. Missioner-in-training Janice Smullen reflects on a recent support-raising class and shares her experiences inviting others to join in her mission journey through financial contributions. “Some give by going. Some go by giving.”  -Fr. Anselm Moons (Franciscan Mission Service founder.) There are…

Read More

Weekend Recap: Expo ReIncorpora

Editor’s Note: Missioner Jeff Sved shares a recent event from his time of prison ministry in Bolivia. Expo ReIncorpora: 1­st Feria Productiva de Recintos Penitenciaria (The first annual fair/expo of products made within the prisons.) To say this weekend was a success would be an understatement. Opportunities to sell goods other than inside the prison or at the…

Read More

Taking Time to Reflect

Editor’s Note: Missioner Patrick Montine shares his experience of the retreat he took recently in the town of Maggoty, Jamaica.  In  September, during the first weeks of school, I finally took my retreat. As a Franciscan Missioner, I am able to take a retreat and a vacation each year. I am taking my vacation later,…

Read More

The Francis Effect

During Pope Francis’ visit to Washington, DC, I had the incredible opportunity to attend some of his events. This was truly a remarkable experience, so I’d like to share some of my observations and reflections following his departure. The first event I attended was the papal parade. Since security gates opened for the area at…

Read More

Beneath the Surface

Editor’s note: Weekly service is an important part of Formation for overseas mission. Missioner-in-training Allison Dethlefs shares an experience from her volunteer site. “That one’s wrinkled. I want a new one,” the woman snapped as my supervisor, Brittany, offered her a coloring sheet. “I’ll go get you a new one,” I offered. “No. I don’t…

Read More

“I Don’t Know”

Editor’s Note: Missioner-in-training Catherine Sullivan shares her new-found freedom in humility. As a child, I hated asking for help. As the youngest of five, I refused to believe that my siblings knew anything that I didn’t. My response to any new information was a stubborn “I know.” (I didn’t know). Over time, I have learned…

Read More

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…

Read More

Make Me Worthy to Serve

So far, my time in Washington, DC going through Franciscan Mission Service’s formation program has been incredible. I am across the street and right down the road from different convents and monasteries, all offering a quiet place for reflection, Adoration, mass, and confession. I’m now living in an intentional community with 12 other people, learning…

Read More

I Caught Papal Fever – All the Way from Bolivia!

The Pope was just here in Bolivia, and although I was excited to have him be here, I had no desire to go see him. “I already saw him in Rome,” I told my friends. “I don’t like crowds,” I told other people. In the end, I don’t know why I wasn’t excited to see…

Read More

Walking in the Footsteps of St. Francis

At my Discernment Days retreat with Franciscan Mission Service back in March, Fr. Tom Washburn, OFM, told me that I may not know about St. Francis or Franciscan spirituality explicitly, but I definitely knew it implicitly. I didn’t really know what he meant by that until now. As I have learned more about St. Francis…

Read More