Month: August 2017
Get to Know Rose Urankar, the New DC Service Corps Programs Associate
Editor’s note: New Programs Associate Rose Urankar shares her path to becoming a DC Service Corps volunteer and looks forward to the year ahead. Welcome Rose Urankar, the new DC Service Corps Programs Associate. Born and raised in Cleveland, Ohio, Rose attended the University of Notre Dame, where she majored in Theology and American Studies.…
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Introducing Sam Hardwick, DC Service Corps Development Associate
Editor’s note: Learn about DC Service Corps participant Sam Hardwick’s background and his hopes for this service year. Sam Hardwick, the new DC Service Corps Development Associate, will be helping with donations and data management and growing in his faith during his service year with FMS. Sam, one of four brothers, was born in the…
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2017 DC Service Corps/Class 33 Scavenger Hunt
Editor’s Note: Last Thursday afternoon the DC Service Corps and Class 33 participated in a scavenger hunt to familiarize themselves with the Brookland area. Split up into teams of two or three, they had exactly two hours to get as many points as possible by collecting photo evidence of the items on the list. Although…
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Meet Alessia Catena, the New Graphic Design Associate
Editor’s note: Learn more about DC Service Corps member Alessia Catena, the new Graphic Design Associate. FMS’ new DC Service Corps Graphic Design Associate, Alessia Catena, was born in Rome, Italy, where she spent much of her life. She owes her world travels to being part of a military family–she and her two older sisters and…
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We Are Each Other’s Angels and We Meet When It Is Time
Editor’s note: Missioner Erin McHugh shares her gratitude for her host community, the Valley of the Angels School in Guatemala. I have found myself reflecting on my year and half as an FMS missioner with a song called We Are Each Other’s Angels. I played it for my family and friend before leaving for Jamaica…
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Connecting with the Continent
Editor’s note: FMS Communications Manager Kim Puchir looks forward to the 2017-2018 DC Service Corps year by reflecting on new beginnings. Starting this week, FMS has welcomed a new class of DC Service Corps volunteers, including Alessia Catena, a new Graphic Design Associate in the Communications Department. Establishing a relationship with a new coworker means…
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Compartir: The Mission of the Church
Editor’s note: Missioner Maggie Van Roekel contemplates her immersion into the culture of the rural University in which she works and what this means for her personal spirituality. “For even as the body is one and yet has many members, and all the members of the body, though they are many, are one body, so…
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My Jeremiah Miracle
Editor’s note: Tim Shelgren, a new missioner, recalls a lesson in Franciscanism—and football—he learned from boys at a group home. As a 56-year-old American, I hear many of my peers talking about their retirement accounts and soon-to-be retirement dates. I ask myself as I prepare for Formation to be a lay missioner with FMS, am…
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The World Is Thy Ship, Not Thy Home
Editor’s note: Missioner Amanda Ceraldi shares her sacred connection with her late grandfather and his impact upon her service. I cannot remember a time in my life where my grandfather wasn’t there supporting me in everything that I did. He watched me play lacrosse growing up, he was at my high school and college graduations,…
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Conversations with Desi
Editor’s note: Missioner Anna Klonowski experiences the ministry of presence with a new friend at a ministry site. I met a woman named Desi the other day at Hogar San José, the nursing home in Cochabamba that is one of my ministries. She was sitting alone in a courtyard, and I said hello as I…
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Jamaica: History and Future of a Paradise Island
Editor’s note: Missioner Cindy Mizes reflects on Jamaica’s history and the invitation to solidarity and mercy. I recently had the opportunity to visit the National Museum Jamaica, which opened my eyes to Jamaica’s past struggles. As began to I explored Jamaica’s history, I learned about the early Spanish colonization and merciless treatment of the Tainos (Jamaica’s first…
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Searching for, and Finding, Community
Editor’s note: Stephanie Ashley Caban, a new FMS missioner, traces the path that led her to overseas mission and her hopes for ministry. God and I sat down and talked one day a few months ago, and we’ve decided that serving abroad for two years seemed like a pretty good plan for my life. I am…
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Waiting for Mission in Stillness
Editor’s note: SarahJane Cauzillo, a new FMS missioner, walks us through her spiritual growth process as she prepares to join us for formation in Washington, DC. Almost eight months ago to the day, I sucked in a harsh breath, and then clicked “submit.” My muscles unclenched as the first stage of my official application to…
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Jesus Commands Us to Love – Faces of Unconditional Love
Editor’s Note: Missioner Janice Smullen starts her new blog series by reflecting on the transformative power of unconditional love. Sister Marita found a small baby bird, brought it inside, and began to feed and care for it. I was able to help by “bird-sitting” one weekend while she was away. We were manually putting a…
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Being a Missionary in a Distracted World, Abroad and at Home
Last fall, FMS was invited to present at a Theology on Tap event for young adults, hosted by the the Diocese of Arlington at the Auld Shebeen pub in Fairfax. As part of the evening’s program of faith formation and fellowship, Meghan Meros, Associate Director of Programs and Operations, DC Service Corps volunteers, and Amanda…
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The Gift of Self-Awareness
Editor’s note: Missioner Aubrey Kimble shares a brave decision that was a milestone in her self-understanding. One of the biggest gifts I have received while being on mission has been time to cultivate a deeper understanding and awareness of who I am, what I believe, and what makes me tick. This is an incredible gift…
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