Home / 2017 / October

Month: October 2017

Fall Day of Reflection

Editor’s note: Graphic Design Associate, Alessia Catena, shares her photos and her thoughts from the 2017 Fall Day of Reflection experience. Earlier this month, Associate Director Meghan Meros led the DC Service Corps on a day of hiking and reflection amidst the fall foliage at the trails of Great Falls, Maryland. [unitegallery FallDay2017] Reflection question:…

Read More

Dios Está Aquí

Editor’s Note: Executive Director Elizabeth Hughes shares a reflection from her October site visit to FMS communities in Cochabamba, Bolivia and Carmen Pampa, Bolivia. There is a popular Spanish worship song — that also happens to be one of my favorites — called “Dios Está Aquí.” Its English lyrics proclaim “God is here, as certain…

Read More

Lively Young Man in a Brown Hooded Habit: An Interview with Brother Tommy

Editor’s note: Missioner Tim Shelgren shares an interview with Brother Tommy, a Capuchin Franciscan. One quiet morning at the Casa, my colleagues and I prepared for our first class session of the day with prayer in the chapel and a quiet reflection on how appreciative we are for the education we are receiving. We made…

Read More

Being There

Editor’s note: Former DC Service Corps volunteer Chase Medelberg shares what he learned about the ministry of presence while serving at Don Bosco Cristo Rey High School last year. What a year it was at FMS. I still remember walking up the mountain of steps in front of Casa San Salvador and being greeted by…

Read More

Women’s Wisdom

Editor’s note: Former DC Service Corps volunteer Chase Medelberg reflects on the women got to know during his last year living in intentional community at Casa San Salvador. My year at FMS was full of surprises–none bigger than living in a volunteer community with so many women. Before I came to DC, I sort of…

Read More

A Boricua Thinking of Home

Editor’s note:Missioner Stephanie Ashley Caban shares her perspective as a Puerto Rican concerned about the island after the devastation from Hurricane Maria.   “Hey mom, I’m at a baseball game right now with the Casa, can I call you ba-”   “Hola mami, soy yo, tu abuela! Te amo mucho!”   “Abuela!!! Como está usted?!…

Read More

A Day in the Children’s Library and Daycare Center

Editor’s note: Missioner Aubrey Kimble shares her experiences both in the daycare center and the children’s library in Carmen Pampa, Bolivia. [unitegallery daycare] How do you practice a childlike faith in your life?

Read More

A Light in the Darkness

Editor’s note: Missioner Cindy Mizes reflects on the beauty of creation as a manifestation of Christ’s redeeming light. There is a beautiful night blooming cactus on the grounds where I live that has an abundance of flower buds. This particular cactus is massive with its long green tentacle-like arms stretching over 10 feet into the…

Read More

Morning Community

Editor’s note: DC Service Corps member Sam Hardwick shares what he is gaining from incorporating daily Mass into his routine. A man dressed in a janitor’s uniform. A woman from the Middle East wearing a headdress. A man in a freshly cleaned suit with a briefcase. A nun dressed in blue and gray. An elderly…

Read More

A Deeper Definition of Dignity

Editor’s note: Missioner Catherine Hope Sullivan explores perspectives on sexuality through the lens of her experiences in San Sebastian Prison in Cochabamba, Bolivia. First comes love. Then comes marriage. Then comes the baby in the baby carriage. Are you all singing along? I know I am. I have known that song for as long as…

Read More

Jesus Commands Us To Love, Part 3: Transformation

Editor’s note: Missioner Janice Smullen shares her reflections on forgiveness and redemption. When I write “I will talk about my experience,” I only say that because my experience is all that I know. As you read, take what you like and leave the rest, but know that I share this with you because I am…

Read More

Letting Go

Editor’s note: Missioner SarahJane Cauzillo shares a significant moment in her commitment to mission. When I first learned about St. Francis of Assisi famously stripping in the town square in front of the bishop and about his denouncement of his father, I heard St. Francis described as a “dramatic medieval Italian.” As an Italian myself,…

Read More