Archive

We are grateful to be able to share a post written by Tim Marcy, one of our missioners in South Africa. Feel free to print this out and keep it with you, write a journal entry based on what you read, or share with your friends and loved ones. I like to walk, and when…

Enjoying the homemade pizza dinner over at the Immaculate Heart of Mary community, located across the street from Franciscan Mission Service. In just a matter of two months, the 27th class of lay missioners will be beginning courses at Casa San Salvador, with new mission candidates who will be continuing to discern where Christ is…

Let them eat cake: FMS staff enjoyed a weekend at the beach as part of their annual staff retreat. L to R: Matt Lorch, Br. Paul O’Keeffe, OFM; Susie Zagar, Rhegan Hyypio, Rachel Roa. A gentle breeze brushed past my face as I stared out into the crashing waves and ocean in Beach Haven New…

Our domestic volunteer program tends to attract eager service-focused individuals who are enthusiastic and excited to further the work of lay missioners worldwide. While FMS domestic volunteers do not go overseas to serve, they are deeply invested in the work and ministries of our lay missioners. During their year serving FMS, they engage in the…

House manager Daena Padilla and FMS webmaster Jill Staudt weed our vegetable garden. While FMS missioner, Nora Pffeifer has been busily working on building environmental awareness in Bolivia through composting, our staff at our local headquarters have also been using compost to plant a garden in back of Casa San Salvador. So you might be…

A photograph taken by one of our missioners, Nora in Bolivia The environment is God’s gift to everyone and in our use of it we have a responsibility towards the poor, towards future generations and towards humanity as a whole.” ~Caritas in Veritate, No. 48 It was a blessing this week to be able to…

As a part of her the Domestic Volunteer (DV) formation at FMS, Susie Zagar provides a personal reflection on a talk given by one of the guest speakers, Mr. Harold Nelson, an advocate for civil rights and social justice. Program Director Rhegan Hyypio (right) arranged for her fellow community member Harold Nelson to speak to…

A “family photo” of FMS staff, board of directors (FMS returned missioners among them), and house managers. If one could draw a family tree of FMS, you would see an amazing web of connections of hardworking and dedicated people living around the world, standing up for global peace and justice. Over the last two months,…

En route to Zambia: Sandra and Bryce are greeted by a familiar face. In an airport, everyone is on some kind of a journey, whether it is a business trip, a vacation, a visit to see a loved one, etc. Everyone boards the plane with one particular destination in mind. Sandra and Bryce Bradford are…

Our five missioners in Bolivia are overjoyed to be able to share a meal with Fr. Joe Nangle, OFM. One year ago, five individuals made a decision to leave the comforts of home, family, and friends to serve a ministry of presence with the people of Bolivia. Over the year they’ve dealt with the many…

“Peace is not merely a distant goal that we seek, but a means at which we arrive at that goal.” ~Martin Luther King Jr. Martin Luther King Jr. encouraged others to “stand in solidarity with the poor, the marginalized, and those suffering the devastation of racism” (Snyder 1). His work inspires our efforts at Franciscan…

2009 FMS and Maryknoll Lay Missioners list qualities of St. Francis during Fr. Mike Johnson, OFM’s “Day of Reflection” formation course. In an earlier post from this year, Fr. George Corrigan, OFM provided an essay on Franciscan theology and the concept of “crossing over in mission.” He wrote: “Francis’ vision of mission included the very…

FMS staff was overjoyed to be able to participate in Sr. Ilia Delio’s Profession of Perpetual Commitment ceremony and mass. At Franciscan Mission Service, we are blessed to have as neighbors Sr. Ilia Delio, OSF and the Franciscan Sisters of Washington, D.C. Sr. Ilia, an author and expert on St. Francis, has been an asset…

Kim expresses her appreciation for the perspective Cardinal Rodriguez shared in his inspiring keynote address. “Mission is a grand expression of Communion – of being the body.” These words come from Cardinal Rodriquez, who spoke at the 2010 Mission Congress in Albuquerque, NM, which took place back in October. Kim Smolik was invited to facilitate…

Holy Name Province recently published an article about Franciscan Mission Service’s 20th anniversary celebration. Read the article here. The article features information about our award honorees, but also the OFM friars who have supported our organization: John O’Connor, OFM, provincial minister who serves on FMS’s board; Claude Lenehan, OFM; and Paul O’Keeffe, OFM, Return Missioner…

R to L: Bryce Bradford, Sandra Bradford, Rhegan Hyypio (Our Program Director) and Susan Slavin stand outside St. Camillus. On Sunday, November 14, 2010, FMS commissioned its 26th class of mission candidates: Sandra and Bryce Bradford and Susan Slavin. The ceremony took place on a beautiful autumn day at St. Camillus Church in Silver Spring,…

In Cochabamba, Bolivia, one of our Current Missioners, Nora Pfeiffer, recently prepared a radio program promoting ecological awareness. The show was entitled “Programa de la Familia” and focused on restoring the environment with respects to Franciscan spirituality and the integrity of creation. Read more about Nora’s stories from Bolivia, on advocacy for the environment on…

Click to see a slideshow of the event and videos here. On October 23, 2010, Franciscan Mission Service celebrated its 20th Anniversary Benefit & Celebration to commemorate its rich history of laity in mission. “From the start,” said Fr. Joe Nangle, OFM, former executive director, “Franciscan Mission Service has been oriented not just to walk…

On August 21, 2010, FMS staff and members of the Franciscan family gathered for the celebration of the Rite of Solemn Profession for Return Missioner, Paul O’Keeffe, OFM, and three other friars (Brothers Cidouane Joseph, OFM; Robert Lentz, OFM; and Erick Lopez, OFM). During the solemn vows ceremony and multilingual mass, Brother Paul expressed his…

This is the second series of reflections on mission by Fr. George Corrigan, OFM, that will appear monthly. Fr. George is a Franciscan Friar of Holy Name Province and an FMS returned missioner. Part II: Mission as A Movement of Life and In Life Among founders of religious orders, Francis of Assisi is the first…

Husband-and-wife lay missioners Joel Vaughn and Lynn Myrick report that they received a warm welcome at their new mission site in Carmen Pampa, Bolivia. Joel and Lynn will be working with students at the Unidad Academica Campesina, a small rural college that is a branch of the Catholic University of Bolivia. The college aims to…

This is the first of a series of reflections on mission by Fr. George Corrigan, OFM, which will appear monthly. Fr. George is a Franciscan friar of Holy Name Province and an FMS returned missioner. Part I: Introduction How do contemporary Franciscans understand mission? It is a difficult question to answer, partly because so often…

A very joyful and blessed Easter to all! We submit two images for your consideration. First, the beautiful cross in the Church of San Damiano, depicting the glorified Christ, before which Francis spent many hours in prayer: Like any Christian, St. Francis was profoundly moved by the celebration of Easter. His devotion was spread to…

A bare few days after five missioners departed for Bolivia, seven missioners who had returned in December from their time of service in Bolivia and Tanzania arrived here at Casa San Salvador for our annual re-entry program. The program, which lasts three weeks, is intended as a time of retreat for the missioners to look…

Four members of FMS Class XXV departed for mission in Bolivia on January 5, 2010. Nora Pfeiffer, Clare Lassiter, Joel Vaughn, and Lynn Myrick flew to Miami, and then to La Paz, arriving early in the morning of January 6. From there they flew to Cochabamba, where they will be attending Maryknoll Language School for…

Here, a short, sweet reflection on Advent by Fr. Neil O’Connell, OFM, of the Holy Name Province (found in the HNP newsletter Today). A wonderful reminder that in this season of anticipation and renewal we cannot forget our baptismal call to mission. Like St. Francis, we are called to be “heralds of Christ”; we strive…