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Life on Pause
Nate and Mary Mortenson Missioner-in-training Mary Mortenson shares her thoughts on the beginning of mission training. Nate and I arrived in Washington, D.C. the Monday of Labor Day, tired and emotional. We had spent our summer moving back home to help my parents on the strawberry farm, taking long bike trips, celebrating weddings and saying…
Franciscan Friday: Learning about Humility In the Strangest Ways
Lay missioner Jeff Sved tells a story of purchasing food for the prison kitchen in Cochabamba, Bolivia. “Cabeza de baca…” “Wait a second! You want me to buy cow heads?” The head delegate of one of the prisons here was actually asking us to go out and buy cow heads. I guess when you’re cooking…
Mission Monday: Kitzi Answers God’s Call to Continue Service in Cochabamba
Second-year missioner Kitzi Hendricks has decided to renew her contract for another year! We are thrilled to have her continue her ministries of providing social services for children and supporting survivors of torture in Cochabamba, Bolivia. Kitzi has also been part of a team working closely with the Archdiocese of Cochabamba to open a new…
Franciscan Friday: Combating Hunger in D.C.
In honor of September’s Hunger Action Month, we’re sharing experiences of combating hunger. In Washington, D.C. one in eight households struggles with hunger. D.C.’s poverty rate is the third highest in the nation, and on any given night, 6,000 people here are homeless. While our short and long-term international mission programs focus our attention on…
Mission Monday: Sharing and Solidarity with Workers
On this Labor Day edition of “Mission Monday,” we share a reflection from first-year lay missioner Annemarie Barrett who serves in Cochabamba, Bolivia. I had white paint all over my paints, sandals and even in my hair. I was painting the inside of one of the sheds in the parish garden of Santa Vera Cruz…
Take the Pledge to Join Our Missioner Prayer Community
This August, our new class of overseas missioners Catholics will begin their three-month Formation program with us in Washington, D.C. This training is essential in preparing them to work for peace and justice abroad. But it’s not always easy. The 13 weeks are packed with workshops, lectures, paper work, homework, retreats, prayer, reflection, volunteering, community…
We Shall Overcome: 50th Anniversary of the March on Washington
Washington, D.C. was abuzz this weekend with events commemorating Wednesday’s 50th Anniversary of the March on Washington. Communications Coordintor Bridget Higginbotham shares some thoughts on the experience she and Program Coordinator Natalie Helfrick had as attendees. “Realize the Dream” March and RallyJustice for Trayvon. Close Guantanamo. Stop racial profiling. Raise wages. Statehood for DC. Stop…
Mission Monday: Back to School in Guatemala
Kathy Snider, who served with Franciscan Mission Service from 1998-2000, was so moved by her experience that she decided to return to Guatemala. She continues to live in and serve the remote jungle community in Santaigo Ixcan through her own non-profit, Ixcan Ministries. As students in the U.S. begin the “back to school” season, Kathy…
Franciscan Friday: No Violencia – En Español!
Missioner Annemarie Barrett on the Onda Verde radio show with Bolivian friar Efrain in Cochabamba This week, Franciscan Mission Service missioners took to the airways to discuss nonviolence. The discussion between current missioner Annemarie Barrett and former missioner Nora Pfeiffer took place on Onda Verde, a Franciscans International – Bolivia radio show on which Nora…
Join Us For An Open House At Our New Offices
August has been a busy month for our staff as we prepare to welcome five new lay missioners to training in September. Part of that preparation has been moving our administrative offices out of our Casa San Salvador on Quincy Street and into space in the Theological College’s McCormick Pavilion at 415 Michigan Avenue, Northeast.…
Mission Monday: Be A Part of Our Classroom
A chair. A desk. A book. As any educator or student knows, the proper learning environment and materials are keys for success. In our classroom, lay missioners learn about Scripture, prayer, Franciscan spirituality, Catholic Social Teaching, conflict resolution, cross-cultural adaption and more. The 13-weeks of formation in Washington, D.C. are essential in preparing them to…
Franciscan Friday: Bridge Building at the Summer Confabulation
Photo by flikr user Conrad Kuiper – Creative Commons Bridge building is important. It creates avenues for mutual understanding, opens the lines for communication, paves the way for peacemaking, fosters community, and more. Bridge building is so important, in fact, that it’s the 2013 theme for the National Secular Franciscan Order USA. And this theme…
Kitzi’s Quinoa Recipe: A Complete One Pot Meal
Quinoa is a Bolivian staple, second only to the potato. Our missioners in Bolivia have become more acquainted with this highly-nutritious grain, and today we share one of their recipes in honor of the ongoing celebration, “International Year of Quinoa.” The United Nations General Assembly declared 2013 as the “International Year of Quinoa,” in recognition…
Paz y Bien: The Importance of Community
In concluding this Paz y Bien blog series, I have taken time to consider what element is the most essential to these nonviolence workshops that we have been engaging here in Cochabamba. What makes these experiences sacred? What about these workshops lays the foundation for personal and social transformation? My experience has led me to…
Franciscan Friday: Praying for World Youth Day
Every two to three years since 1984, millions of teens and young adults from around the globe gather together for a week of celebrating their faith with the pope. This year’s World Youth Day festivities started on Tuesday and run until Sunday in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, under the motto, “Go and make disciples of…
Throwback Thursday: The Face of God
In honor of World Youth Day taking place in Rio de Janeiro, here is a reflection written by lay missioner Joe Hambuchen while he was serving with his wife Julie in Brazil from 1996 to 1999. Bible study here is a time for reflection on the coming Sunday’s gospel reading. Although at times the discussion…
Paz y Bien: “Pieces of the Truth” activity
Lay missioner Annemarie Barrett continues her non-violence series by sharing an activity inspired by Mohandas Gandhi that she has done with groups in Bolivia. “Gandhi’s nonviolence maintains that no one possesses the entire truth. Rather, each of us possesses a piece of the truth and the un-truth. In a conflict, nonviolent action seeks to reveal…
Mission Monday: The Value of Relationships
First-year lay missioner Jeff Sved sends an update from his time in Bolivia: At the recent Asamblea Nacional del Movimiento Franciscano “Justicia y Paz” Bolivia, I was blessed with the opportunity to enjoy la fraternidad (fraternity) within the Franciscan family throughout Bolivia. Jeff (center) dancing at the Asemblea Nacional del Movmiento Francisco Forty representatives came…
Francsican Friday: Meet Our Newest Staff Member
Natalie Helfrick This week we welcomed the newest member of the Franciscan Mission Service team: Natalie Helfrick, program coordinator! With her passion and experience with the ministry of presence, we are confident in Natalie’s ability to journey with our long-term overseas missioners from discernment through formation, service abroad, and re-entry. She will also be a…
Paz y Bien: Living as Minority
The third part of the Paz y Bien nonviolence series by lay missioner Annemarie Barrett: “Poverty is a way of being by which the individual lets thing be what they are; one refuses to dominate them, subjugate them, and make them the objects of the will to power. One refuses to be over them…
Mission Monday: Share A Lifetime of Experience
Long-term overseas mission isn’t just for young people. After decades of work and life experience, those of you in your 40s, 50s and 60s have something to share with the global community. You have skills. You have compassion. You have love. Our program prepares you for service abroad, supports you while you’re in the field,…
Franciscan Friday: Revisiting Ramadan
To celebrate interfaith friendship and St. Francis’ history with Islam, last summer we featured a special series on Ramadan. As our Muslim brothers and sisters once again celebrate this holy time, we encourage you to learn more about it through these posts. As a Franciscan priest and scholar of Arab and Islamic Studies, guest blogger…
Paz y Bien Part 2: A Posture of Nonviolence and Balance
The second part of the Paz y Bien nonviolence series by lay missioner Annemarie Barrett: “With one hand we say to one who is angry, or to an oppressor, or to an unjust system, ‘Stop what you are doing. I refuse to honor the role you are choosing to play. I refuse to obey you.…
Paz y Bien Part 1: Engaging the Nonviolent Journey in Cochabama
Today we kick-off a special series written by lay missioner Annemarie Barrett. “You can feel it. You can feel the energy!” She told me, beaming, the two of us surrounded by a room full of women sharing hugs and laughter and walls covered in poster board and notes. We had just finished another nonviolence…
Franciscan Friday: Part 2 of “Francis and the Foolishness of God” Podcast
This week we continue to our latest podcast series that focuses on the book, “St. Francis and the Foolishness of God,” by Marie Dennis, Cynthia Moe-Lobeda, Stuart Taylor and Fr. Joe Jangle, OFM. In this multi-part series, recorded during our fall 2012 formation class, Fr. Joe takes listeners through the thought process behind the book…
Maybe We Need To Be A Little More Like Thomas
“The Incredulity of Thomas” by Matthias Stom, public domain St. Thomas the Apostle gets a bad rap for doubting Jesus’ resurrection by saying, “Unless I see the mark of the nails in his hands and put my finger into the nailmarks and put my hand into his side, I will not believe.” But before we…
Francis and the Foolishness of God: Podcast Series, Episode 1
Our FMS podcasts bring the missioner formation classroom right into your home. Our presenters speak on a number of topics including church history, Franciscan spirituality, simplicity, and social justice issues. Our latest podcasts focus on Fr. Joe Nangle’s book, “St. Francis and the Foolishness of God.” Fr. Nangle takes listeners through the thought process behind…
International Day in Support of Victims of Torture
Second-year lay missioner Kitzi Hendricks writes about her current ministry in Cochabamba, Bolivia. Every 26th of June, organizations and individuals all over the world stand together in solidarity to support victims of torture and bring awareness to this atrocious violation of human rights. As a part of an organization in Cochabamba that provides accompaniment and…
Mission Monday: Friends from the Streets of Bolivia to the Seats of the United Nations
While abroad, our lay missioners are invited into the community to share in the local peoples’ lives, culture, and ministries. This leads to strong bonds, so missioners who are able stay in touch with the community and go back to visit. Lay missioner Ginny Dachenhausen on mission in Cochabamba, Bolivia from 2007 to 2010. Ginny…
Franciscan Friday: The Franciscan Family Tree
Explaining the Franciscan “family tree” is no easy feat. The simple man from Assisi inspired and attracted so many people to his Gospel-driven lifestyle over the centuries, and each person has found (or created) his or her own place in the vast movement. Whether male or female, religious or lay, professed or just interested in…
Meet Our New Board Members
This spring we welcome three new members to our Board of Directors. Their varied backgrounds reflect the how FMS strives to be an intersection of the different paths within the Franciscan movement. The support of our mission is a meeting point for religious, seculars, and the “Franciscan-hearted” laity who are also attracted to the example…
Trip Partcipants Learn About Catholic Church’s Fight Against Apartheid
Fr. Dominic Hession is an Irish Franciscan Friar who has been in South Africa for more than 40 years. By the time our recent Short-Term Missions and Global Awareness group met him, he had already seen the rise and fall of the brutal Apartheid as a priest blacklisted for speaking out against the government’s practices.…
Lifelong Accompaniment: Being inspired by our Returned Missioners
For more photos from our returned missioner retreat, please see our online album. Domestic Volunteer Sarah Hoffeditz writes about her experience last weekend as the Franciscan Mission Service staff joined some of our returned missioners in Colorado for a retreat we host every three years for those who have served with us. Their stories were…
Travel Spot: Garden of the Gods in Colorado
While on our Returned Missioner Retreat this past weekend, a small group took the vans to a beautiful andmark. We recommend you check it out! A rusty gateway to the great Rocky Mountains, the Garden of the Gods is a registered National Natural Landmark in Colorado Springs, Colorado. It is a unique public park…
Mission Monday: Navigating the Market
Missioner Jeff Sved shares an update from Cochabamba, Bolivia where he’s learning that a busy outdoor market can look very different from the vendor’s point of view… As part of my normal Saturday routine (or as much of a “normal” routine as is possible), I spend the afternoon in the Cancha buying our week’s worth…
Recommiting to a Life-Long Mission
Mission does not end with a flight back to the U.S. It does not end with the completion of a term of service or a year of volunteering. Every three years, our returned missioners from across the country gather in Colorado for three days to reflect on this fact. This weekend, our retreat centers around…
Natural Beauty Using Natural Ingredients
Recently Mary House, an organization where some of our Domestic Volunteers help out on Wednesdays, hosted a workshop on natural hair and skin care. Try some of these tips we learned and go natural with things you can easily find in your kitchen! Photo taken by Sarah Cady via Flickr Hair Care Tips Apple Cider…
Franciscan Friday: Visiting an AIDS Hospice
Today, travelers on our Short-Term Missions and Global Awareness Trip to South Africa visit an HIV/AIDS Hospice center. A few months ago Domestic Volunteer Anna Robinson also went on this trip and visited patients affected by AIDS. For this Franciscan Friday post, she shares with us a reflection on the experience and finding common ground…
Budget Travel Tidbits for a Volunteer
Just because you have decided to dedicate your time and energy to service work, doesn’t mean you have to let go of that desire to explore the world. In fact, volunteering can often open new doors to travel opportunities. Here are a few tips we gathered from seasoned travelers in our office to keep your…
Mission Monday: Applications for International Service Due June 10
Do you find yourself praying often for people in need overseas? Do you feel called to do your part to build global community? Do you want to serve with fellow Christians, respecting religious and cultural diversity? If you have an open heart and are ready for an experience you will treasure for the rest of…
Franciscan Friday: Prayers from South Africa
South Africa is on our hearts and in our minds as we lead seven college students on a Short-Term Mission and Global Awareness Trip this week. By engaging with locals, the students will learn about nation’s history of apartheid as well as current realities faced by some of its residents, including HIV/AIDS and poverty. Each…
Dig Deeper with the “I Am From” Poem
Today is departure day for students from three different U.S. universities who are participating in our second Short-Term Mission and Global Awareness Trip to South Africa. As part of their orientation and early reflection these next few days, they’ll be writing an “I Am From” poem as an ice-breaker. Associate director Mariam Mitry, who is…
Franciscan Friday: Laborers of the Lord
This Friday post comes from Jeff Sved on mission in Bolivia where he is finding work, and God, in the vineyards. Photo by Feliciano Guimarães Fruit of the vine and work of human hands now has a new meaning for me after a few afternoons sorting grapes with the Capuchin Sisters down the street. They…
What’s In a Name?
Pope Francis! Papa Francis! Holy Father Francis! For a few months now people have excitedly called out the name of our new Pope and in many different ways. But no matter how you say it, it refers to the same person and the same mission they are to carry out for the rest of their…
Mission Monday: Mother and Community Love
For this Mission Monday post, Missioner Annemarie shares a story of the pain of a mother’s love and the healing power of a supportive community. Missioner Annemarie with her mom before she leaves for Bolivia. In the CEB that I have come to know in the northern zone of the city, there is a woman…
FMS Podcasts: Liberation Theology
If you haven’t noticed yet, we have a few podcasts available on our SoundCloud profile covering a wide range of topics. From Franciscan spirituality and history to Catholicism and social justice, you can listen and learn right along with our missioner candidates in formation. The last two podcasts came from a talk Fr. Joe Nangle…
Time for some fun!
Last week we made some suggestions on how to get to know your community members. This week we add some other games to liven up your community nights! Our current community Domestic Volunteer community is settling in, sharing meals and laundry facilities. It can take a lot of work to keep a community well and…
Franciscan Friday: Spring Fugue
This Friday, guest blogger and Secular Franciscan Susan Burke, facing her garden, reflects on caring–or not caring–for things we care for. This morning I made myself a pot of coffee and thought I’d settle down with Morning Prayer. That’s what I thought—until I opened the door to the back porch and remembered I hadn’t watered…
Community Nights and Icebreakers
This week we’ve welcomed a new volunteer into Casa San Salvador, which means it’s time for a community night! Domestic Volunteers tend to have one community night per a week following a community meal. Community nights can be spiritual exercises/discussions, social justice awareness activities, a special event in D.C., or just watching a movie. But…
