2017 | Page 3 of 4 | Franciscan Mission Service

A Letter to My Dad

Editor’s note: In celebration of Father’s Day, Missioner Misty Menis-Kyler shares a letter she wrote to her dad and reflects on how, in his life and his faith, he is an amazing role model for her. Dear Dad, I have written and re-written this letter so many times, but I just could not find the…

¡Nunca de Rodillas!

Editor’s note: In a sequel to her last blog post, “The Weight of Waiting,” missioner Allison Dethlefs continues to learn more about the issue as she stands in solidarity with the Bolivian families who are fighting for better health care for their children. Recently, I read an article in one of Cochabamba’s main newspapers, Opinión,…

Welcome Executive Director Elizabeth Hughes

Executive Director Liz Hughes has been with FMS just over a month, but she can trace her path to her current position all the way back through her many job experiences. She described her development in terms of a J.D. Salinger quote: “All we do our whole lives is go from one little piece of…

To Choose Neither

Editor’s note: Missioner Catherine Sullivan shares a poem juxtaposing the societal norms of the US and the societal norms she experiences throughout her time on mission and her ministry in the Bolivian prisons. These lives continue to baffle me. They are lives lived entirely for others …

Easter Celebrations

Editor’s note: Missioner Maggie Van Roekel reflects on how the missing of Easter mass opened her to renewed solidarity with the Bolivian people and a deeper awareness of privilege. The Easter season is one of my favorite times of the year. I love celebrating the mystery of the Resurrection. Attending mass during Holy Week has…

Warning All Mothers

Editor’s note: Missioner Anna Klonowski celebrates her mother on Bolivian Mother’s Day by acknowledging some of the life lessons that her mom taught her. Although Mother’s Day in the United States is always the second Sunday of May, in Bolivia the date never changes—mothers are celebrated every year on the 27th of May. Though I…

The Ascension: Stepping into Service

Editor’s note: Missioner Janice Smullen reflects on how passages from the Ascension parallel her own experiences of being called to mission and her time in service. Each time I revisit the Ascension in the Gospels, I find numerous points that relate to mission and service. Throughout my own time on mission in Jamaica, I see…

“The Lost Boys” Play

Editor’s note: DC Service Corps member Ali Sentmanat reflects on her experience of creating and performing a play with some of the men at the Father McKenna Center. I have been serving at the Father McKenna Center for nine months now, working with the men who come to the Center and who are determined to…

The Weight of Waiting

Editor’s note: Missioner Allison Dethlefs reflects on early mornings, long lines, and the frustrations with the healthcare system in Bolivia from her experiences on mission, and how—through these encounters—she has felt called to deeper solidarity with the families she accompanies. The darkness pressed in on me as I fumbled to shut off my alarm. I used…

Benedictine Encounters

Editor’s note: Missioner Anna Klonowski reflects on times she has experienced hospitality and how she has felt moved to reflect that example in her own life. As an FMS lay missioner, I am a proud member of a diverse, widespread, Franciscan family. I am a part of this family today largely because of my formation…

New Beginnings

Editor’s note: Missioner Misty Menis-Kyler looks back on her first few months of mission and her time at Valley of the Angels, telling of encounters which have shaped her time on mission for the future. The months here at Valley have gone by in a blink of an eye. The days and weeks seem to…

For My Mother

Editor’s note: In celebration of Mother’s Day, Missioner Cindy Mizes honors and reflects on the life of her supportive and caring mother. Last Valentine’s Day, I sent my mom one dozen pink roses to let her know how much I love her. But nothing on this earth could begin to express the depth of my…

“Tres Mujeres Valientes”—Three Strong Women

On Friday, May 5, Franciscan Mission Service held our annual World Care Benefit. Every year, the organization bestows the Anselm Moons, OFM, Award to remember our founder, who began the Lay Mission Formation Program in 1989 to offer lay Catholics the opportunity to serve overseas in the spirit of Saints Francis and Clare. This year’s…

The Importance of Giving and Receiving Help

Editor’s note: Missioner Aubrey Kimble reflects on how helping others is a two-way interaction that requires the openness not just to offer but also to ask for help. A few weeks ago, a veterinary sciences student at the university where I teach ended up in the ICU in La Paz. Suffice it to say that…

Touched by Kindness

Editor’s note: Missioner Erin McHugh tells how an invitation to a Guatemalan family’s celebrations opened her eyes to the hospitality of the Guatemalan culture and the generosity of the people. Mission is challenging and lonely at times. You are entering into a foreign country with an entirely new culture. You are the outsider in this…

Annemarie Barrett, Activist Artist

Editor’s note: Annemarie Barrett—a returned FMS missioner who now lives in Cochabamba, Bolivia—shares the art that was inspired from her time on mission and that continues as an integral part of her life and activism. ” order_by=”sortorder” order_direction=”ASC” returns=”included” maximum_entity_count=”500″] Annemarie Barrett was an FMS missioner in Cochabamba, Bolivia, for four years, so readers of…

Reflections on a First year on Mission

Editor’s note: Missioner Aubrey Kimble reflects on how lessons learned from her physical exercise relate also to mission and spirituality. While organizing the living room in the volunteer house one day, I came across a Jillian Michaels yoga workout DVD. Since I’ve been determined to exercise more, I decided to try it. Now, I am…

The Paschal Mystery

Editor’s note: DCSC member Amanda Saunders reflects on the nature of the Paschal Mystery and how this process penetrates into our own daily lives. Passion and death…“the loss of life” Resurrection…“the reception of new life” Ascension…“the refusal to cling, as ascending beyond the old life” …

Were You There: “To Be With You is Sacred”

Editor’s note: Reflecting on the passing of a loved one, Interim Executive Director Meghan Meros shares how she came to a deeper appreciation that being present with another person is a sacred opportunity to encounter, share, and give love. Once, I was with someone when they died, but I did not have the privilege of…

Were You There: “What Was Accomplished?”

Editor’s note: The Poor Clare Nuns of Immaculate Heart Monastery in Los Altos Hills, CA, reflect on how—throughout his Passion—Christ gives us countless beautiful examples of how we are to treat those around us and follow His example of taking up our cross daily. In an age when accomplishment is everything, we might ask Our…

Were You There: “Mary Stood”

Editor’s note: DCSC member Amanda Saunders reflects on the example of Mary standing at the foot of the Cross during Christ’s crucifixion. “Near the cross of Jesus stood his mother.” (John 19:25) Near the cross of Jesus stood his mother. It does not say that near the cross of Jesus, his mother wailed, screamed, fought,…

Were You There: The Unlikely Hero

Editor’s note: DCSC member Kathleen Strycula reflects on the unassuming but pivotal role of the disciple John throughout Christ’s Passion on the Cross. “Where’s Bilbo?” In J.R.R. Tolkien’s The Hobbit, Bilbo Baggins is the one who is constantly overlooked, forgotten about, and left behind by the group of dwarves with whom he is travelling. And…

Were You There: Being Simon

Editor’s note: DCSC member Chase Medelberg reflects on the Fifth Station of the Cross, and how we—like Simon of Cyrene—should be open to those times that we find ourselves called upon to help others carry their crosses. When we pray and participate in the Stations of the Cross during Lent, we get to experience the journey…

Were You There: Finding Peace

Editor’s Note: Guest blogger and nurse Emily Colonna reflects on a patient she accompanied at Christiana Hospital, where she was challenged to find God’s presence and strength even in the face of tragedy. I am a nurse at a local hospital in the intensive care unit. I graduated last spring from Neumann University, a…

Were You There: Entrusting Our Crosses to Christ

Editor’s Note: Missioner Janice Smullen reflects on the figure of Simon the Cyrenian who helped Jesus carry his cross, and relates it to a personal encounter on mission. “As they led him away they took hold of a certain Simon, a Cyrenian, who was coming in from the country; and after laying the cross on…

Meatless Meals for Lent: Homemade Tortilla Recipe for Bean Taquitos

Editor’s Note: Missioner Cindy Mizes is now in Jamaica, but she has not forgotten her Texan roots. Here she shares the recipe for homemade flour tortillas, the building blocks for many meatless Tex-Mex recipes. South Texas is where I call home and where making flour tortillas from scratch is a tradition. There is nothing better…

Were You There: Jesus, Help Us to Carry Our Cross

Editor’s Note: recent DC Service Corps member Josh Maxey reflects on what it means to “take up our cross,” and how he came to a deeper understanding of the phrase through his year of service with FMS. “If any of you wants to be my follower, you must turn from your selfish ways, take up…

Were You There: “Rompiendo Barreras”

Editor’s Note: A Junior at St. Mary’s University and a finalist for the San Damiano Award, Valeria García reflects on how she came to a deeper understanding of what it means to “be present” and witness to the lives and sufferings of those around her. Barreras: they were always present. I grew up knowing that…

Were You There: What Can I Give?

Editor’s Note: DC Service Corps member Madonna Enwe shares how a particular encounter with a client at the Refugee Service Center at Catholic Charities moved her to compassion, generosity, and a humble recognition of her own limitations. As I work at the Refugee Service Center at Catholic Charities, one of my most difficult moments is…

Were You There: Stumbling and Rising

Editor’s note: In a follow-up to his post Libre Soy, recently-returned missioner Jeff Sved reflects on how he sees Christ’s struggles and stumbles on the Way of the Cross reflected in the lives of the friends and inmates with whom he served throughout his ministry. Were you there when Jesus stumbled for the first time?…

Were You There: “Is It Scary?”

Editor’s note: What do escape rooms and the 14th Station of the Cross have in common? NSLP alumna Maria Beben reflects on how Lent—with all its uncertainty, waiting, and unknowns—calls us to greater trust and community. As one of my part-time jobs, I work at Surelocked In Escape Games in Frederick, Maryland. For those of you…

Meatless Meals for Lent: Quinoa with Black Beans

Editor’s note: FMS Missioner Erin McHugh shares a gluten-free vegetarian favorite for Lent. Since I have only been in Guatemala for about two months, I am not sure of special meatless meals they have for Lent, so I am going to share a recipe from home. In the US I am not much of a…

Were You There: Bearing Witness

Editor’s Note: Mary Grace Donohoe—a San Damiano Award candidate and a senior at Stonehill College in Easton, MA—reflects on how our Catholic faith and Jesus’ own suffering call us to stand up for all those around us who are suffering or persecuted. “Our lives begin to end the day we become silent about things that matter.” -Dr.…

Were You There: Practicing Repentance

Editor’s note: Father Joseph Nangle OFM reflects on how the season of Lent is a time to practice awareness, repentance, and change, not only for personal failings but for broader societal injustices as well. Since my years on overseas mission, the Lenten season of penance has always signified much more than a personal expression of…

Were You There: Bearing the Unbearable News

Editor’s Note: A friend of FMS, Mickey Edwards reflects on the First Station of the Cross and how being present with another person through their suffering can be a sharing of grace. The First Station: Jesus is Condemned to Death I imagine the devastated disciples and ask myself, “Who told Mary?” Who could summon the…

Were You There: Showing Christ’s Love Amongst Pain

Editor’s note: Missioner Erin McHugh reflects back on her time on mission in Jamaica, recounting how she felt called to witness to the challenges and the joys of her students there. When I was given the topic for our Lenten blog, “Were you There,” the first thing that came to mind was working with the 4th grade class…

Were You There: Consolation in Isolation

Editor’s note: Charlie Gardner—a FMS formation presenter and a member of the Sant’Egidio Community—reflects on how cries for help often reveal a deeper need for recognition and consolation. “Bartimaeus began to shout out and say, ‘Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!’ Many sternly ordered him to be quiet, but he cried out even more…

Meatless Meals For Lent: Bolivian Llajwa

Editor’s note: FMS Missioner Maggie Van Roekel expands her hot sauce horizons with this staple Bolivian condiment. One thing that many people know about me is that I absolutely love hot sauce. It’s a staple for me that goes on almost anything that I eat. When I arrived in Bolivia, I was eager to try llajwa,…

San Damiano Servant Leadership Award Winner Announced

Editor’s note: Franciscan Mission Service is very pleased to name Stonehill College senior Mary Grace Donohoe the winner of this year’s San Damiano Servant Leadership Award. “Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called the children of God.” “Christ calls us in the Beatitudes to be peacemakers—not just to exist in peaceful societies—[and that] is transformative,” says…

Were You There: When There is Joy and Pain

Editor’s note: Missioner Cindy Mizes reflects on a friendship she formed with a resident sister at the Jeanne Jugan Residence for the Elderly, recounting the times of both joy and sorrow she shared with her. I will never forget my first day as a volunteer at the Jeanne Jugan Residence for the Elderly in Washington,…

Were You There: A Time to Expose, Implore, and Adore

Editor’s note: Brother Thomas Piolata, OFM Cap., offers a reflection on how Lent is a time to open our wounds to Christ in order to receive his grace and adore him. “[T]he desert is the place of silence, of solitude…The desert is the place…which sets man before the ultimate demands…In putting aside all preoccupations man…

Were You There: Comfort From a Stranger

Editor’s note: Missioner Anna Klonowski reflects on a past service trip she attended in college, where a small gesture of comfort from one of the women there reminded her that service begins in the little deeds of kindness we do for each other. In college, I had the opportunity to participate in an Alternative Break…

Were You There: Am I Just a Bystander?

Editor’s Note: Missioner Misty Menis-Kyler reflects on her first weeks in Guatemala and how she has found herself called more and more to take action rather than remain a simple bystander in the face of the suffering and needs of those around her. During Lent we often hear the question, “Were you there?” or “What…

Were You There: The Fall and the Rise

Editor’s note: NSLP alum Sarah Sokora reflects on how the stumbles in our life can become the stepping stones to greater perseverance, trust in God, and holiness. On the long road to Calvary, Christ fell three times and rose three times. With each fall, He rose dirtier, more scratched, and with the Cross repositioned on…

Meatless Meals for Lent: Sopa de Maní (Peanut Soup)

Editor’s Note: Missioner Aubrey Kimble has been serving in Carmen Pampa for just over a year. She shares a taste of Bolivia that can be recreated anywhere. One of my favorite traditional Bolivian dishes is sopa de maní, or peanut soup. This soup can be served with or without meat, but since the volunteers in…

Were You There: Am I Here with Christ?

Editor’s Note: Gigi Gruenke reflects on times on mission and in her life when she felt God’s promptings and overcame her fear in order to take action and accompany those who are suffering. I see Jesus’ embrace of the cross as the ultimate act of solidarity with us: He is present in the middle of…

Were You There: Stand and Watch

Editor’s note: Missioner Catherine Sullivan shares a time when she was called to accompany and witness the painful suffering of a friend throughout their trial and testimony. About half of the way through our pre-mission formation, our formation director set an album in the middle of the kitchen table that contained little bios and quotes…

Were You There: He Provides

Editor’s note: A friend of FMS and a Franciscan-hearted individual, Elizabeth Green reflects on how her trip to Haiti with Engineering Ministries International taught her a deep lesson in God’s providential care. Children. Chickens. Roosters. Roads. As I woke up for the first time in Pignon, Haiti, I was surprised by how pleasant these…

The Stripping of Tradition, One Pollera at a Time

Editor’s note: Missioner Allison Dethlefs reflects on the parallels between the stripping of Christ’s clothing with the societal stripping of the cultural dress that she has witnessed in Bolivia. As I reflect on the Stations of the Cross in preparation for our coming Lenten season, my thoughts have come to dwell on the Tenth Station—Jesus…

Were You There: Presence at Camp

Editor’s note: missioner Maggie Van Roekel shares how a conversation and friendship with a young camper challenged her to find time to be present even amidst the busyness of her work. For the past three summers, I worked as a summer camp counselor at a camp for individuals of all ages who have special needs.…

Year: 2017

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