Franciscanism
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 …
Read MoreEaster 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…
Read More“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…
Read MoreThe 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…
Read MoreNew 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…
Read MoreFor 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…
Read More“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…
Read MoreThe 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…
Read MoreTouched 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…
Read MoreAnnemarie 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…
Read MoreReflections 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…
Read MoreThe 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” …
Read MoreWere 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…
Read MoreWere 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…
Read MoreWere 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,…
Read MoreWere 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…
Read MoreWere 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…
Read MoreWere 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…
Read MoreMeatless 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…
Read MoreWere 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…
Read MoreWere 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…
Read MoreWere 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…
Read MoreWere 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?…
Read MoreWere 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…
Read MoreMeatless 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…
Read MoreWere 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…
Read MoreWere 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…
Read MoreSan 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…
Read MoreWere 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,…
Read MoreWere 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…
Read MoreWere 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…
Read MoreWere 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…
Read MoreWere 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…
Read MoreMeatless 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…
Read MoreWere 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…
Read MoreWere 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…
Read MoreWere 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.…
Read MoreWere You There: Ministry of Presence in the Little Things
Editor’s Note: DC Service Corps member Ali Sentmanat reflects on an encounter with a man at the Father McKenna Center which changed her perspective and approach to “being there” for other people. The Father McKenna Center has a large gathering area for meetings that is often called “the chapel.” As I was walked through it…
Read MoreWere You There: He Consoles Us
Editor’s note: Contemplating the Eighth Station of the Cross, Missioner Aubrey Kimble reflects on the power of following Jesus’ example in being present to those who are suffering. “Were You There?” This is a question that I frequently find myself reflecting on. One of the things I strive for on mission is to be present…
Read MoreWere You There: What Did You Do?
Editor’s Note: NSLP alumna Bridget Higginbotham shares about attending the Mass at the White House for Muslim Refugees, and reflects on how the next step after being present is taking action. Sometimes I imagine that 50 years from now, future generations will ask me about something they learned about in history class. The conversation might…
Read MoreWere You There?
Lent is a time for reflections and questions. What will we offer up during Lent? How can we change our daily habits to grow in our relationship with God and each other? How can we serve and walk in the footsteps of Christ right now in our own lives? “Were You There?” is a beautiful…
Read MoreLearning to Receive
Editor’s Note: Missioner Erin McHugh reflects on the blessings and graces to be found in giving as well as allowing others to give. After December’s season of giving, I have found myself reflecting on the beauty that can come from receiving. I am not trying to sound selfish or greedy, but I have begun to…
Read MoreBe Not Afraid: Something Wonderful
Editor’s note: Alumna Bridget Higginbotham reflects on an experience she had while on vacation in Guatemala this summer that changed her outlook on life. Standing on a plywood platform, I looked out over a lush, misty valley full of coffee plants. My chest still heaved and my shirt (okay, all of me) was damp from…
Read MoreBe Not Afraid: Finding Joy
Editor’s Note: Graphic design and communications associate Kathleen Strycula reflects on the active nature of waiting. Do you know those times when you sit in front of your computer screen or notebook, waiting for artistic inspiration to strike? For those perfect words or the story you’ve always felt was waiting inside you? Or when you feel…
Read MoreBe Not Afraid: Consumed by Fear
Editor’s note: As Missioner Erin McHugh prepares to return to mission, she shares how the fears that she faced over the last few months brought her to a deeper recognition of what it means to trust unconditionally. The past six months have been an unexpected and challenging journey for me, what with having to return from…
Read MoreWelcome Communications Manager Kim
Where Kim goes, plants follow. The Franciscan Mission Service window ledges were lonely before, but now green things ranging from sprouts to stalks can be found growing on each one. “I love plants and giving plants to others,” Kim laughs. “My large indoor garden may have been the original Franciscan impetus to find a more…
Read MoreHappy Day
Editor’s note: Missioner-in-training Cindy Mizes reflects on her service at the Jeanne Jugan Residence, where she has formed relationships with the residents. Every Wednesday morning, I take a 30 minute walk from Casa San Salvador through the Catholic University of America campus to the Jeanne Jugan Residence, a long-term care facility for the elderly with limited…
Read MoreWorld Care Benefit and Celebration 2016 Recap
When everyone gathered in St. Francis Hall on May 13 for the 2016 World Care Benefit and Celebration, the spirits of generosity and gratitude were almost tangible. This annual celebration at Franciscan Mission Service is more than a fancy catered event; it’s a call to action. It’s a reminder of how important it is to…
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