Year: 2016
Letting Go of Being Thought Good
Editor’s Note: Missioner Annemarie Barrett reflects on how her views of lay mission have changed since she first arrived in Bolivia and how the friendships she’s formed there have challenged and inspired her. Francis of Assisi was known to say, “We must bear patiently not being good and not being thought good.” The first time…
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Letting Go of Expectations
Editor’s Note: Missioner Patrick Montine shares a story from mission that stresses the fact that no matter how much we plan and prepare ahead of time, life often does not follow these plans. In these moments, it is important to realize that we can’t do it all by ourselves. A couple of months ago we…
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Letting Go of the Things We Can’t Control
Editor’s Note: Missioner Amanda Ceraldi shares how she’s been challenged to let go of cultural problems outside of her control while serving on mission at Valley of the Angels school in Guatemala. It seems like every other day one of my students shares a tragedy they’ve experienced in their lives with me. These tragedies range…
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Letting Go of Anxiety
Editor’s Note: Missioner Aubrey Kimble shares how the beginning of her time on mission in Bolivia has challenged her to let go of anxieties and the desire to be in control. Through this process, she is discovering great freedom. Lent is one of my favorite times of the year. Even though it is often a…
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Letting Go of the Need to Feel Joy in Prayer
Editor’s Note: Former FMS development associate Christine Landau shares her reflections on genuine prayer, especially during times of great struggle. For my entire adult life, from the age of seventeen on, personal prayer has been very special and important to me. I have joined prayer groups, spent time in monasteries, involved myself in liturgy, gone on…
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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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Lent 2016: Letting Go
“You have to let go at some point in order to move forward.” -C.S. Lewis What happens when we release something we were holding on to so tightly? What happens when we step back and release our expectations? During Lent, there can be a lot of pressure to “fix” ourselves. There can be pressure to…
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Welcome Associate Director Meghan!
When she first met former Franciscan Mission Service missioner Nora Pfieffer, Meghan Meros had no way of knowing that this brief introduction to FMS would reappear several times years later. Meghan first met Nora in 2009 when the two were placed in the same small group during the Catholics on Call Conference at the Catholic…
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The Little Things: The Power of Shared Experience
Editor’s Note: In the conclusion of “The Little Things” series, communications associate Maria Beben reflects on the communal nature of the human person and the power behind this shared experience of humanity. Recently, the phrase “Make me a channel of your peace” has been stuck in my head (Franciscan problems…) Without fully realizing it though, I’ve started to adopt…
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The Little Things: Openness
Editor’s Note: In the latest installment of “The Little Things” series, communications associate Maria Beben explores the power of openness and the importance of recognizing that we don’t always know what’s best in any given situation. It’s often in the moments when we throw up our hands and admit “Okay, fine. I don’t know anything and…
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Health Care in Jamaica
Editor’s Note: Missioner Brandon Newland shares the challenges that he’s seen in the health care system in Jamaica and how it has broadened his views in this area. A few weeks ago, I woke up and headed to church as usual. When I got there, the guy who opens the church every day told me that Danzies was over…
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The Little Things: Moments of Certainty in an Uncertain World
Editor’s Note: Communications associate Maria Beben continues her mini-series “The Little Things.” In the world, we are constantly faced with decisions and have no guarantee of how our choices will pan out. This uncertainty can be paralyzing, but it is in moments of trust that we are led to the beautiful freedom of certainty. Check back next Wednesday for the next installment in the…
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Anticipation as a Blessing
Editor’s Note: Missioner Patrick Montine reflects on the great joy he experienced when his family came to Jamaica to visit him during Christmas. Through this joy and the anticipation that preceded it, Patrick came to deeper realizations about the nature of anticipation and its connection to our relationship with God. Happy New Year everybody. I…
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Welcome DC Service Corps Member Julie!
Sometimes, following God’s call redirects us off our current path and takes us down a much different one. For Julie Bauerle, moving to Washington, DC to join the inaugural class of DC Service Corps wasn’t the traditional next step. After attending Northern Kentucky University Chase College of Law and passing the Bar Examination, Julie realized that her heart was not set on…
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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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What Missioners Can Do For Their Loved Ones
Editor’s Note: As the members of Class 31 begin to leave for mission, we thought it would be helpful to write a post geared towards the missioners who are leaving, as well as the missioners who are already overseas. What can you do for your friends and family before and after you leave to make this transition…
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What You Can Do For Your Missioner
Editor’s Note: As the members of Class 31 begin to leave for mission, we thought it would be helpful to write a post geared towards friends and family members who have or will experience sending loved ones overseas for an extended period of time. What can you do for your missioners before and after they…
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Comfort and Joy: God as Our Transformative Refuge
Editor’s Note: As part of our “Comfort and Joy” Advent/Christmas blog series, Programs Manager Emily Norton reflects on an adventure in Ecuador which reassured her of God’s presence and companionship. “Su parada.” The bus driver abruptly stopped the bus and told my friend Tyler and me that this was our stop. We were on a standing-room-only bus so…
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Comfort and Joy: Buen Camino
Editor’s Note: As part of our “Comfort and Joy” Advent/Christmas blog series, FMS board member Patrick Martin shares an experience from his recent trip to Spain for the Camino de Santiago de Compostela Pilgrimage. On September 29, we started the day with remarkably little comfort and a great need for joy. We were in the small village of…
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