Advent
Day 19: How Can This Be?
Editor’s Note: On the nineteenth and final day of our 2025 Advent blog series, “Visions of Visitation: Love in Motion,” DC Service Corps volunteer Sam Alves reflects on Mary’s response to the Archangel Gabriel during the Annunciation. How can this be: that a day worker, a homeless man, a convicted criminal, a man accused of…
Day 18: A New Song, Of Christmas Singing
Editor’s Notes: On the seventeenth day of our 2025 Advent blog series, “Visions of Visitation: Love in Motion,” DC Service Corps volunteer David Adah-Ogoh uses a Middle English Christmas carol to reflect on the fulfillment of God’s promises. In this blog, David uses the word “lullay,” a Middle English verb meaning to make soothing sounds…
Day 17: Light and Joy
Editor’s Note: On the seventeenth day of our 2025 Advent blog series, “Visions of Visitation: Love in Motion,” DC Service Corps volunteer Claire Schwalb reflects on sharing the light of Christ through choosing to share joy. “[With] Mary’s visit to Elizabeth, she becomes the model for those in the Church who set out to bring…
Day 16: Hope of the Humble
Editor’s Note: On the sixteenth day of our 2025 Advent blog series, “Visions of Visitation: Love in Motion,” DC Service Corps alumnus Sam Hardwick reflects on the humility of his baby, Leo and relates Leo’s confidence that his parents will take care of him to how we can approach our relationship with God. “Mary’s song,…
Day 15: Remembering His Mercy, Mercy at the Courthouse
Editor’s Note: On the fifteenth day of our 2025 Advent blog series, “Visions of Visitation: Love in Motion,” recently returned lay missioner Kim Wagner shares a moment of mercy that she witnessed while she accompanied a family in an immigration courthouse. “He has helped Israel his servant, remembering his mercy.” – Luke 1:54 As I…
Day 14: My Spirit Rejoices
Editor’s Note: On the fourteenth day of our 2025 Advent blog series, “Visions of Visitation: Love in Motion,” DC Service Corps alumna and current Communications Coordinator Madeline Turley reflects on how her spirit rejoices with gratitude while she serves her family. “But service risks being fruitless without praise to God. Indeed, when Mary enters the…
Day 13: Genuine Connection
Editor’s Note: On the thirteenth day of our 2025 Advent blog series, “Visions of Visitation: Love in Motion,” DC Service Corps volunteer Brigid Dunn reflects on how she shares Jesus’ love at her ministry site, in the Casa, and throughout Washington, DC by connecting with others. “Mary is an example of a young person who…
Day 12: Waiting Together
Editor’s Note: On the twelfth day of our 2025 Advent blog series, “Visions of Visitation: Love in Motion,” FMS Executive Director Maggie Conley reflects on how she waits with lay missioners and DC Service Corps volunteers and witnesses the growth that they experience during their waiting. “People who have to wait have received a promise…
Day 11: Mary Remained with Her, Linger Long
Editor’s Note: On the eleventh day of our 2025 Advent blog series, “Visions of Visitation: Love in Motion,” DC Service Corps volunteer Claire Fisher reflects on how she has learned to “linger long” throughout her year of service. If I have learned anything in my year of service, it is to linger long. Each night…
Day 10: The Mother of My Lord
Editor’s Note: On the tenth day of our 2025 Advent blog series, “Visions of Visitation: Love in Motion,” FMS Program Manager Julia Pinto (OLM Class 37) reflects on the unwavering faith the migrants whom she accompanied during her time on mission, particularly through their devotion to Our Lady of Guadalupe. “And why has this happened…
Day 9: Service to Our Neighbor
Editor’s Note: On the ninth day of our Advent blog series, “Visions of Visitation: Love in Motion,” lay missioner Susan Sarkissian reflects on the many ways that the Franciscan Sisters of Allegany, who she lives and serves with on mission, serve their community. “Hail, full of grace” (Luke 1:28). These words spoken by the angel Gabriel…
Day 8: Sharing Hope
Editor’s Note: On the eighth day of our 2025 Advent blog series, “Visions of Visitation, Love in Motion,” DC Service Corps alumna and FMS Interim Grants Manager Bridget Higginbotham reflects on how she serves as a source of hope for her friends and how she has experienced hope through her community. This January, I was…
Day 7: Leaped for Joy
Editor’s Note: On the seventh day of our Advent blog series, “Visions of Visitation: Love in Motion” Br. Sam Roberts, OFM Cap. reflects on genuine joy as a gift from the Holy Spirit. “For as soon as I heard the sound of your greeting, the child in my womb leaped for joy.” -Luke 1:44 There…
Day 6: Filled with the Holy Spirit
Editor’s Note: On the sixth day of our 2025 Advent blog series, “Visions of Visitation: Love in Motion,” Sr. Catherine Rotterman, CSSF shares how she experienced the Holy Spirit through others and reflects on how Mary encountered the Holy Spirit through Elizabeth. “When Elizabeth heard Mary’s greeting, the infant leaped in her womb, and Elizabeth,…
Day 5: Thinking More of Others
Editor’s Note: On the fifth day of our 2025 Advent blog series, “Visions of Visitation: Love in Motion,” House Manager Lindsay Doucette reflects on how she experiences belonging and community at Casa San Salvador. “Mary was motivated by the needs of her elderly cousin. She did not hold back, or remain indifferent. She thought more…
Day 4: Bridging Differences
Editor’s Note: On the fourth day of our 2025 Advent blog series, “Visions of Visitation: Love in Motion,” FMS board member Maeve Gilheney-Gallagher, (OLM Class 30) reflects on having a spirit of openness, which allows her to accompany her sisters and brothers. Several times a month, I spend my Saturday mornings delivering groceries to members…
Day 3: Without Hesitation
Editor’s Note: On the third day of our 2025 Advent blog series, “Visions of Visitation: Love in Motion,” DC Service Corps volunteer Claire Bosch reflects on Mary’s moments in between the Annunciation and the Visitation. “Mary’s haste is thus a sign of her desire to serve, to proclaim her joy, to respond without hesitation to…
Day 2: Compelled to Share
Editor’s Note: On the second day of our 2025 Advent blog series, “Visions of Visitation: Love in Motion,” lay missioner Mary Liston Liepold, OFS reflects on the gifts that she has been blessed with and how she shares them during her time on mission. “The haste of the young woman of Nazareth is the haste…
Day 1: Go in Haste
Editor’s Note: On the first day of our 2025 Advent blog series, “Visions of Visitation: Love in Motion,” DC Service Corps alumna Emily Dold reflects on Mary’s example of going in haste and relates this to the community she has connected with through Franciscan Mission Service. Christmas is on its way. Jesus is on his…
Advent Blog Series 2025 “Visions of Visitation: Love in Motion”
Editor’s Note: To begin our 2025 Advent blog series, DC Service Corps volunteer Claire Bosch and DCSC alumna/FMS Interim Grants Manager Bridget Higginbotham introduce the theme of “Visions of Visitation: Love in Motion” by reflecting on how the Visitation relates to the mission of FMS. “When we feel loved, we experience a force that sets…
Day 16: Beauty
Editor’s Note: On the sixteenth and final day of our Advent blog series, “Following the Holy Family in Solidarity,” Interim Executive Director Maggie Conley reflects on beautiful moments from the Advent and Christmas seasons. Advent is a time of prayer, a time of preparation, and a time of waiting. It is a season for prioritizing…
Day 15: The Franciscan Family and Advent
Editor’s Note: On the fifteenth day of our Advent blog series, “Following the Holy Family in Solidarity,” Lay Missioner Ralph Anderson, OFS describes the Franciscan Family and how Saint Francis of Assisi was inspired to make the first manger scene. December 3, 1223. Francis of Assisi created the first creche (Manger Scene) in the Italian…
Day 14: Sacredness
Editor’s Note: On the fourteenth day of our Advent blog series, “Following the Holy Family in Solidarity,” DC Service Corps alumnus Noah Duclos contemplates sacredness and what we hold to be sacred. What does it mean for something to be sacred? According to the Latin roots of the word, for something to be sacred it…
Day 13: Healing
Editor’s Note: On the thirteenth day of our Advent blog series “Following the Holy Family in Solidarity,” DC Service Corps volunteer Tai Ha reflects on how he offers a ministry of presence to the patients at his ministry site, Christ House. Every morning, before I walk into Christ House, I say hi to the patients…
Day 12: Comfort
Editor’s Note: On the twelfth day of our Advent blog series, “Following the Holy Family in Solidarity,” DC Service Corps alumna Jennifer Eburuoh shares her openness to comforting those around her, inspired by God’s call to be a comforter. “Comfort, give comfort to my people.” I recently read a commentary on this passage of Isaiah…
Day 11: Small and Beautiful
Editor’s Note: On the eleventh day of our Advent blog series, “Following the Holy Family in Solidarity,” newly commissioned lay missioner Mary Liston Liepold, OFS reflects on Jesus’ humility, both in the Eucharist and in his Nativity. “O sublime humility! O humble sublimity!” Though St. Francis was speaking of the Eucharist when he wrote these…
Day 10: Gospel
Editor’s Note: On the tenth day of our Advent blog series, “Following the Holy Family in Solidarity,” Hans Dethlefs, Chair of the FMS Board of Directors connects gratitude to the good news of the Gospel. I periodically find myself asking “What is the good news of the Gospel?” In our world full of strife, suffering,…
Day 9: Home
Editor’s Note: On the ninth day of our Advent blog series, “Following the Holy Family in Solidarity,” Emma Edwards, Associate Director of Franciscan Volunteer Ministry shares what is most necessary in fostering a home environment and how it relates to being children of God. In this season of my life, I spend a lot of…
Day 8: Communion
Editor’s Note: On the eighth day of our Advent blog series, “Following the Holy Family in Solidarity,” lay missioner Susan Sarkissian shares a moment from her faith journey when she experienced communion in a profound way. I spent decades away from my faith and the Catholic Church, and in those years, I knew an emptiness…
Day 7: Contemplation
Editor’s Note: On the seventh day of our Advent blog series, “Following the Holy Family in Solidarity,” Br. Sam Roberts, OFM Cap. helps us understand the prayerful practice of contemplation. Contemplation is a muddy word. What does it mean? Maybe most of us imagine it being like a “deep pondering” where we can get existential…
Day 6: Waiting
Editor’s Note: On the 6th day of our Advent blog series, “Following the Holy Family in Solidarity,” lay missioner Kim Wagner reflects on how God is with us during our various seasons of waiting. As I sit at the front desk at Casa Papa Francisco, a shelter for immigrants in El Paso, Texas, and wait…
Day 5: Trust
Editor’s Note: On the fifth day of our Advent blog series, “Following the Holy Family in Solidarity,” DC Service Corps volunteer Anahi Vega shares a reflection on letting go and trusting God. Sometimes it’s hard to trust that everything will be okay. Trust that where you are is where you are supposed to be. Trust…
Day 4: Solidarity
Editor’s Note: On the fourth day of our Advent blog series, “Following the Holy Family in Solidarity,” DC Service Corps volunteer Grant Diego describes what solidarity entails in an intentional community. In today’s world, where individualism often takes center stage, the concept of solidarity in community living serves as a powerful reminder of the strength…
Day 3: Go Forth
Editor’s Note: On the third day of our Advent blog series, “Following the Holy Family in Solidarity,” lay missioner Julia Pinto reflects on the various ways that God calls us to “go forth,” whether on a physical or spiritual journey. There are many times in the Bible where God asks someone to “go forth,” to…
Day 2: Refuge
Editor’s Note: On the second day of our Advent blog series, “Following the Holy Family in Solidarity,” DC Service Corps volunteer Cecilia Gillis reminds us that we are all refugees. You may have a hard time finding a central story in the Bible that does not involve migration or movement of some kind. God’s chosen…
Day 1: The Holy Family
Editor’s Note: On the first day of our Advent blog series, “Following the Holy Family in Solidarity,” FMS Communications Coordinator Madeline Turley shares how the Holy Family embodies the spirit of solidarity. When I contemplate the Holy Family, composed of Jesus, Mary, and Joseph, I describe it as extraordinary, with emphasis on both “extra” and…
Day 16: Humility
Editor’s Note: For day 16 of our Advent series, “The Day of Joy Drew Near,” Amanda MacMillan, a DCSC alumna and former house manager, reflects on the Feast of the Epiphany and contemplates how we can approach our Lord with humility. The Feast of the Epiphany celebrates the first visitors to the Holy Family. The…
Day 15: Poverty
Editor’s Note: For day 15 of our Advent series, “The Day of Joy Drew Near,” Ralph Anderson, a newly-commissioned missioner shares his thoughts on poverty and describes how one of his Franciscan brothers embodied this virtue. When the list for the Advent blog series topics came around, I was the last to sign up. The…
Day 14: Stood Before the Manger
Editor’s Note: For day 14 of our Advent series, “The Day of Joy Drew Near,” Executive Director Elizabeth Hughes shares farewell with the FMS family after 7 years of service to the organization. It is early Advent, and I join my friend’s 5-year-old in setting up their nativity from Cote d’Ivoire, comprised of the Holy…
Day 13: Simplicity
Editor’s Note: For day 13 of our Advent series, “The Day of Joy Drew Near,” missioner Julia Pinto contemplates the simplicity of Jesus’ Nativity and tells the story of a simple yet meaningful encounter. God, I don’t get it.. Why a barn in some far-off village? Why not have the King of the universe born…
Day 12: Lights
Editor’s Note: For day 12 of our Advent series, “The Day of Joy Drew Near,” Darleen Pryds discusses how an icon of the Nativity has become more than a simple Advent or Christmas decoration. Years ago, a friend gave me a small icon of the Nativity. I wasn’t sure what to do with it until…
Day 11: A New Bethlehem
Editor’s Note: For day 11 of our Advent series “The Day of Joy Drew Near,” DC Service Corps alumnus Sam Hardwick writes a poem that contemplates the Nativity of Jesus and how we participate in this new birth through Baptism and the Eucharist. Birth in a strange land. Joy and amazement from a message. Truth,…
Day 10: Joy to Be Found
Editor’s Note: For day 10 of our Advent series, “The Day of Joy Drew Near,” Susan Sarkissian, a newly-commissioned missioner, recounts a season in her life when God helped her experience genuine joy. Today is a celebration of the birth of Jesus. There is great joy to be had in recognizing this incredibly humble and…
Day 9: Praise
Editor’s Note: For Day 9 of our Advent series “The Day of Joy Drew Near,” returned missioner Anna Metzger, inspired by the lyrics of a praise and worship song, describes how she continues to praise God through changes and challenges. Before reading the following blog, I encourage you to take a few minutes to listen…
Day 8: Solemn: An Advent that Looks Beyond the Blow-Up Santa
Editor’s Note: For day 8 of our Advent series “The Day of Joy Drew Near,” DC Service Corps member Bohdan O’Shaughnessy contemplates the solemn nature of Advent and Christmas. Admittedly, the word “solemn” is not a term I have associated with Advent or Christmas. I typically would assign “joy” or “anticipation” to describe this time…
Day 7: Prepared
Editor’s Note: For day 7 of our Advent series “The Day of Joy Drew Near,” Grace Kueber, a DC Service Corps alumna, describes her tendency to over prepare and resolves to trust in God. I always grew up making sure I was prepared. For bad weather – dress warmly, maybe an umbrella, For traffic –…
Day 6: Multitude
Editor’s Note: For day 6 of our Advent series “The Day of Joy Drew Near,” lay missioner Mari Snyder uses an acrostic, a poetic device in which the first letter of each line forms a word, to describe the diverse people whom she encounters at her ministry site along the US-Mexico border. On a pilgrimage…
Day 5: Tears
Editor’s Note: For day 5 of our Advent series “The Day of Joy Drew Near,” Madeline Turley, a DC Service Corps alumna and current blog manager, shares how a pilgrimage to the Holy Land restored her hope during a season of tears and waiting. “Those who sow in tears will reap with cries of joy.”…
Day 4: Brilliant: Why Let There Be Light?
Editor’s Note: For day 4 of our Advent series “The Day of Joy Drew Near,” DC Service Corps member Jennifer Eburuoh compares the image of light disrupting darkness to the Advent season and the mystery of Christ’s Incarnation. Light can be a disturbance–even a nuisance. Many of us have experienced an interruption of sleep due…
Day 3: Amplifies
Editor’s Note: For day 3 of our Advent series “The Day of Joy Drew Near,”Stephan Rochefort, the Casa San Salvador house manager, uses the imagery and the composition of The Adoration of the Magi to contemplate Jesus’ Nativity. Housed at the National Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C., is my favorite depiction of the Nativity,…
