Archive
The Sweet Presences of God
Editor’s note: Missioner Erin McHugh shares her gratitude for God’s presence on a retreat she lead for the girls at Valley in Guatemala. “I’m a little pencil in the hand of God writing love letters to the world.” —Mother Teresa I love this quote from Mother Teresa, as that’s exactly how I feel on mission.…
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I Whispered and He Heard Me: Notes from Valle de los Angeles
Editor’s note: missioner Misty Menis-Kyler shares several recent events from her mission experience in Guatemala. The end of the school year has come and the students are relieved to be done with their exams. It was a bitter sweet time for me personally. I did not want to say goodbye to my students whom I…
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Some People Feel Like Home Feels
Editor’s note: now returned missioner Amanda Ceraldi shares the impact the kids at Valley of the Angels in Guatemala had on her during her time on mission. I stood at the front of a line of the 210 children at Valley of the Angels. Each one of them was waiting to hug me. After three…
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The Privilege of Options
Editor’s note: Missioner Catherine Hope Sullivan reflects on her two years in Bolivia and shares her reflective thoughts on the transition to returning home. As my two years here in Bolivia come to a close (I cannot believe I am typing it, but today marks one month until departure), I have found myself constantly reflecting…
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Beneath the Paint
Editor’s note: Missioner Allison Dethlefs reflects on the transformative process of an art project with the girls at Nuestra Casa in Cochabamba, Bolivia. It started out as a boredom prevention project. The girls at Nuestra Casa—a home for girls who have experienced sexual violence or abuse—were about to start their month-and-a-half of winter vacation (in…
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Showing Up
Editor’s note: Missioner Allison Dethlefs traces the ups and downs of her journey on mission and reflects on the challenges and joys of forming relationships along the way. When I decided to go on mission, Iwas prepared to experience two of the most fulfilling and gratifying years of my life. I pictured myself arriving in…
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Fall Saints, Fall Souls
Editor’s note: Programs Associate, Rose Urankar, reflects on the fall to winter transition during an afternoon joint session with the Class 33 missioners led by Lonnie Ellis, OFS. If there is ever a time to walk around in nature and be astounded by the creativity of God, it’s during the fall. Sure, most flowers are…
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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:…
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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…
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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…
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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…
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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…
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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?!…
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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?
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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…
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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…
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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…
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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…
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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,…
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Take Us Out to the Ball Game
Editor’s note: Missioner Stephanie Ashley Caban shares her community bonding experience at the Nationals’ game, thanks to Liz Hughes and Board President Patrick Martin, OFS. In preparation for our tailgate party, SarahJane, Sam, PJ, and Anne-Marie spent the morning heating up hot dogs and buns, excitedly chattering before walking to the Metro. Alessia and I…
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Love Can Be Kept Only By Being Given Away
Editor’s note: Missioner Maggie Van Roekel describes a meal that she and her campus ministry group organized in the Carmen Pampa community. “Love can be kept only by being given away.” —Tomas Merton, No Man is an Island This month our campus ministry group, pastoral, organized a lunch for older people in the Carmen Pampa…
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Cooking and Community at Casa San Salvador
Editor’s note: Missioner SarahJane Cauzillo gives a glimpse of the Casa San Salvador community’s evening meal and prayer time. [unitegallery casadinner] Reflection question: How do you make mindful connections through meal time?
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Heavenly Food to the Faithful
Editor’s note: DC Service Corps volunteer PJ Herrera reflects on life with his fellow community members at Casa San Salvador. “He is The Bread sown in the virgin, leavened in the Flesh, molded in His Passion, baked in the furnace of the Sepulchre, placed in the Churches, and set upon the Altars, which daily supplies…
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Introducing DC Service Corps member Anne-Marie Elsinger
Editor’s note: Learn more about Anne-Marie Elsinger, DC Service Corps member and volunteer at Don Bosco Cristo Rey High School. Anne-Marie Elsinger joined DC Service Corps shortly after graduating with bachelor’s degrees in music and social work from Loras College, a Catholic school run by the Archdiocese of Dubuque, Iowa. Born in Herndon, Virginia, she…
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Full Arms, Fuller Heart
Editor’s note: Missioner Amanda Ceraldi shares her interactions with the families of the children she cares for at Valley of the Angels School in Guatemala. I could hear them from across the parking lot. A group of girls screaming my name: “Amanda, Amanda, Amanda, we have a surprise for you!” They pulled me into the…
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A Sant’ Egidio Experience: Seeing Christ and Fueling Fires
Editor’s note: Missioner-in-training Tim Shelgren tells the story of the FMS community joining Sant’Egidio, a group of volunteers in DC who meet every Friday night to prepare foods, walk out into the streets, and offer their goods to men and women who are experiencing homelessness. As we set out for 21st Street tonight, we originally thought…
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Give the Gift of Presence on World Alzheimer’s Day and Every Day
Editor’s note: Missioner Anna Klonowski reflects on her personal connections to people with Alzheimer’s on World Alzheimer’s Day. In 2010, I was on the brink of newfound freedom, sitting in the backseat of a Driver’s Ed car waiting for my turn to cruise (or rather, slowly and nervously jolt) down Main Street. My friend was…
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An FMS Welcome to PJ Herrera, New DC Service Corps Member
Editor’s note: DC Service Corps member PJ Herrera shares his background and motivation for becoming a volunteer at SOME, a nonprofit serving people who have experienced homelessness. Last week I sat down with PJ Herrera, a DC Service Corps member serving at So Others Might Eat (SOME), an interfaith organization serving people who have experienced…
Read MoreInner and Outer Beauty: An Interview with Alessia Catena
Editor’s note: Tim Shelgren deepened his acquaintance with DC Service Corps member Alessia Catena in an interview last week. I have known Alessia Catena for two weeks. My first impression of Alessia reflects maturity and both inner and outer beauty. She presents herself in a way that shows she has confidence and does not hesitate…
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Many Passions: An Interview with Stephanie Ashley Caban
Editor’s note: Missioner SarahJane Cauzillo compiled her interview with fellow missioner in training Stephanie Ashley Caban, who shared her journey to FMS and towards a sense of cultural identity. It’s early in the morning. The sun has yet to grace us with its presence, and the grass still glistens with the night’s dropping of dew.…
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A Mantra for the Possible: An Interview with Lay Missioner Tim Shelgren
Editor’s note: Missioner Stephanie Ashley Caban shares an interview with fellow missioner in training Tim Shelgren. Tim Shelgren is one of those people you can’t possibly forget. His kind nature and listening ability stand out of the crowd more so than the loudest person in the room. Always the first to clean up after dinner…
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The Dump
Editor’s note: Missioner Misty Menis-Kyler shares a glimpse of Guatemala City’s dump and the people who live and work there. Last month I had the privilege of taking the Holy Spirit mission group from Texas to a site off campus called the dump. It is exactly what it sounds like. It is the dump where…
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United by God’s Mercy
Editor’s note: Missioner Cindy Mizes shares two powerful experiences of human hands rescuing people in need and relates them to our call to unity with others. This past spring while visiting the Compassionate Franciscan Sisters of the Poor, I was given a tour of Hope Hospice. There I met the lovely and memorable “Miss Daisy.”…
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Dancing (and Running) with the Spirit
Editor’s note: New missioner Stephanie Ashley Caban relates the adjustments to her fitness commitment as part of her Formation experience. I don’t always like New Year’s Resolutions, possibly because I never saw a need to make one. However, I do enjoy the concept of learning to better oneself and encourage that to be done at…
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Old Money Bag—A Voice of Simplicity from the FMS Casa Community
Editor’s note: New missioner Tim Shelgren writes a post about practicing simple living with the other members of the intentional community at FMS’ Casa San Salvador. My job is to hold currency. I have been at my job for quite some time. My once vibrant purple and yellow stripes are fading, my plastic is getting…
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Humbling Myself and Embracing My Imperfections
Editor’s note: Missioner Erin McHugh relates how embracing vulnerability has allowed for deeper relationships with her students. I have always found myself feeling pressured to be “perfect,” whether it is because people tell me I have a “perfect” body, or that I say the “perfect” things. I have been called a “perfect” little angel because…
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Unpacking Simplicity
Editor’s note: New missioner SarahJane Cauzillo reflects on her search for a simpler and more intentional life at the start of Formation. As I stood in the living room of my parent’s home, all my clothing, shoes, books, and other various personal items strewn out around me, and an empty suitcase beside me, I asked…
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Jesus Commands Us to Love, Part 2: Down in the Depths
Editor’s note: Missioner Janice Smullen continues her blog series, “Jesus Commands Us to Love,” by tracing Jamaica’s movement for social justice. God is always offering grace and unconditional love to us, but history has shown us that human beings are capable of displaying a dark and desperate side.Young Miss Bev (from Bat Mitzvah Girl, a…
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Get to Know Rose Urankar, the New DC Service Corps Programs Associate
Editor’s note: New Programs Associate Rose Urankar shares her path to becoming a DC Service Corps volunteer and looks forward to the year ahead. Welcome Rose Urankar, the new DC Service Corps Programs Associate. Born and raised in Cleveland, Ohio, Rose attended the University of Notre Dame, where she majored in Theology and American Studies.…
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Introducing Sam Hardwick, DC Service Corps Development Associate
Editor’s note: Learn about DC Service Corps participant Sam Hardwick’s background and his hopes for this service year. Sam Hardwick, the new DC Service Corps Development Associate, will be helping with donations and data management and growing in his faith during his service year with FMS. Sam, one of four brothers, was born in the…
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2017 DC Service Corps/Class 33 Scavenger Hunt
Editor’s Note: Last Thursday afternoon the DC Service Corps and Class 33 participated in a scavenger hunt to familiarize themselves with the Brookland area. Split up into teams of two or three, they had exactly two hours to get as many points as possible by collecting photo evidence of the items on the list. Although…
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Meet Alessia Catena, the New Graphic Design Associate
Editor’s note: Learn more about DC Service Corps member Alessia Catena, the new Graphic Design Associate. FMS’ new DC Service Corps Graphic Design Associate, Alessia Catena, was born in Rome, Italy, where she spent much of her life. She owes her world travels to being part of a military family–she and her two older sisters and…
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We Are Each Other’s Angels and We Meet When It Is Time
Editor’s note: Missioner Erin McHugh shares her gratitude for her host community, the Valley of the Angels School in Guatemala. I have found myself reflecting on my year and half as an FMS missioner with a song called We Are Each Other’s Angels. I played it for my family and friend before leaving for Jamaica…
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Connecting with the Continent
Editor’s note: FMS Communications Manager Kim Puchir looks forward to the 2017-2018 DC Service Corps year by reflecting on new beginnings. Starting this week, FMS has welcomed a new class of DC Service Corps volunteers, including Alessia Catena, a new Graphic Design Associate in the Communications Department. Establishing a relationship with a new coworker means…
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Compartir: The Mission of the Church
Editor’s note: Missioner Maggie Van Roekel contemplates her immersion into the culture of the rural University in which she works and what this means for her personal spirituality. “For even as the body is one and yet has many members, and all the members of the body, though they are many, are one body, so…
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My Jeremiah Miracle
Editor’s note: Tim Shelgren, a new missioner, recalls a lesson in Franciscanism—and football—he learned from boys at a group home. As a 56-year-old American, I hear many of my peers talking about their retirement accounts and soon-to-be retirement dates. I ask myself as I prepare for Formation to be a lay missioner with FMS, am…
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The World Is Thy Ship, Not Thy Home
Editor’s note: Missioner Amanda Ceraldi shares her sacred connection with her late grandfather and his impact upon her service. I cannot remember a time in my life where my grandfather wasn’t there supporting me in everything that I did. He watched me play lacrosse growing up, he was at my high school and college graduations,…
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Conversations with Desi
Editor’s note: Missioner Anna Klonowski experiences the ministry of presence with a new friend at a ministry site. I met a woman named Desi the other day at Hogar San José, the nursing home in Cochabamba that is one of my ministries. She was sitting alone in a courtyard, and I said hello as I…
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Jamaica: History and Future of a Paradise Island
Editor’s note: Missioner Cindy Mizes reflects on Jamaica’s history and the invitation to solidarity and mercy. I recently had the opportunity to visit the National Museum Jamaica, which opened my eyes to Jamaica’s past struggles. As began to I explored Jamaica’s history, I learned about the early Spanish colonization and merciless treatment of the Tainos (Jamaica’s first…
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Searching for, and Finding, Community
Editor’s note: Stephanie Ashley Caban, a new FMS missioner, traces the path that led her to overseas mission and her hopes for ministry. God and I sat down and talked one day a few months ago, and we’ve decided that serving abroad for two years seemed like a pretty good plan for my life. I am…
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