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Peace and Justice

McKenna Center session

Portraits of Christ: The Wisdom of King David

Editor’s Note: As part of DC Service Corps, Lizzy Balboa volunteers with Little Friends For Peace, a nonprofit organization that promotes inner and interpersonal peace skills within children and adults. In the third installment of her “Portraits of Christ” series, Lizzy reflects on her experiences at the Father McKenna Center, a Catholic social service agency…

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Portraits of Christ: LeShay and the Sins of Our Fathers

Editor’s Note: For her year of service as part of DC Service Corps, Lizzy Balboa volunteers with Little Friends for Peace, a nonprofit organization in the DC area that promotes inner and inter-personal peace skills within children and adults. In the second installment of her “Portraits of Christ” series, Lizzy shares a story of brokenness passed…

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Portraits of Christ

Editor’s Note: For her year of service as part of DC Service Corps, Lizzy Balboa volunteers with Little Friends for Peace, a nonprofit organization in the DC area that promotes inner and inter-personal peace skills within children and adults. With this special series, she will provide an in-depth look at some of the lives that she’s…

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World 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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San Damiano Servant Leadership Award Winner Announced

Editor’s Note: Franciscan Mission Service is very pleased to name St. John’s University senior Brandon Turner the winner of this year’s San Damiano Servant Leadership Award. After looking at St. John’s University senior Brandon Turner’s resume, one might wonder, “When does he have time to sleep?” Brandon is a member of the Phi Eta Sigma…

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A Prayer for Letting Go

Editor’s Note: Franciscan Sister of the Allegany Sr. Cathy Cahill, OSF, reflects on letting go of difficult decisions and situations and placing them into God’s hands.  A number of years ago I was faced with a very important DECISION. I had the freedom to choose between two equally good opportunities that I will call X…

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But When Do I Let Go?

Editor’s Note: Communications Manager Bridget Higginbotham reflects on how she found peace with the question: how do we know when it is time to hold on and when it is time to let go? My appreciation for “letting go” has recently come from reading works by Fr. Richard Rohr, OFM, and Al-Anon, which all emphasize…

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Letting Go of Bitterness

Editor’s Note: DC Service Corps member Lizzy Balboa shares how a major shift in the expected trajectory of her life led her to reevaluate her priorities and value relationships over a sense of achievement. When a relationship central to my identity dissolved without warning, I became incredibly disoriented. Why was something so good and joyous…

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Letting Go as St. Francis Taught Us

Editor’s Note: In the well known Franciscan Peace Prayer, each line contains an invitation to let go of a particular stumbling block in order to receive the grace offered in its absence.  For Franciscans and non-Franciscans alike, the Peace Prayer is often a source of comfort. It’s a prayer for the strength to become an…

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Letting Go of the Past

Editor’s Note: President of the FMS Board of Directors Fr. Tom Washburn, OFM, reflects on the temptation to become so fixated and caught up in the past that we lose sight of the present and cannot move forward in our lives.  Every now and then, you come across a quotation, a thought, or a statement that…

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Letting Go of Biases and Assumptions

Editor’s Note: Missioner Jeff Sved shares how his views of the penal system have drastically changed since he first arrived in Bolivia and during his time involved with prison ministry. When I first entered a prison in the fall of 2011, I could not imagine the effect it would have on the next few (and…

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Letting Go of Indifference

Editor’s Note: Animal protection attorney Akisha Townsend Eaton, OFS, reflects on Pope Francis’ proposed Lenten practice of giving up indifference and how she has witnessed this practice being lived out by two of her friends.  I sometimes find it challenging to know what I’m being called to do during Lent. That’s why I was very excited…

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Letting Go of Taking Life Too Seriously

Editor’s Note: Development Associate Sarah Sokora shares how the precarious walk to work after a recent snowstorm led to some deeper realizations and a reminder not to take herself so seriously. The Lord often shows Himself to me in little ways: an unexpected breeze, a warm sign of peace from the little old lady at mass…

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Shall We Dance? A Color Meditation on Letting Go

Editor’s Note: Returned missioner Rosanna Ferraro-Jensen uses color and creative expression to reflect on the idea of our relationship with God as a continuous invitation to dance.  “Every Child Has known God” (Hafiz, 1320-1389) Every child has known God, Not the God of names, Not the God of don’ts, Not the God who ever does anything weird,…

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Letting Go and Being Remade

Editor’s Note: Programs Associate Katie Rotterman reflects on how her experience as a crafter challenges her to let go of her ideas for her life and instead let God form her in Christ. “For we are his handiwork, created in Christ Jesus for the good works that God has prepared in advance, that we should…

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Finalists for Annual San Damiano Servant Leadership Award

We are delighted to announce the three finalists for this year’s San Damiano Servant Leadership Award. This award recognizes a faith filled college junior or senior who has a demonstrated passion for and dedication to service, social justice, and leadership. The winner of the San Damiano Servant Leadership Award will receive a $500 scholarship and…

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Letting Go: All We Can Do

Editor’s Note: Missioner Maeve Gallagher reflects on the deeply rooted violence in Guatemala and how it has challenged her to let go of frustration and instead focus on being an example of love for her students at Valley of the Angels school. I spend a lot of time on mission feeling helpless. Living and working…

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Letting Go of What Doesn’t Belong to You

Editor’s Note: Vocations director Sr. Sheila Lehmkuhle, FMM reflects on the idea of letting go of our burdens and offering them up to God.  Sometimes, in work and life I feel inadequate and anxious. I don’t know what to do. When I was in the novitiate, I remember my novice directress telling me to take…

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Letting Go and Healing My Brokenness

Editor’s Note: Missioner Janice Smullen reflects on the gifts of Lent and the opportunity that it offers for healing of our broken human nature. Is it possible to love Lent? To love 40 days of fast, reflection, soul searching and acts of mercy? We spend a lot of time during Lent reading and contemplating Christ’s recognition of suffering…

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Letting Go of the Need to Feel Joy in Prayer

Editor’s Note: Former FMS development associate Christine Landau shares her reflections on genuine prayer, especially during times of great struggle.  For my entire adult life, from the age of seventeen on, personal prayer has been very special and important to me. I have joined prayer groups, spent time in monasteries, involved myself in liturgy, gone on…

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Lent 2016: Letting Go

“You have to let go at some point in order to move forward.” -C.S. Lewis What happens when we release something we were holding on to so tightly? What happens when we step back and release our expectations? During Lent, there can be a lot of pressure to “fix” ourselves. There can be pressure to…

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The Little Things: The Power of Shared Experience

Editor’s Note: In the conclusion of “The Little Things” series, communications associate Maria Beben reflects on the communal nature of the human person and the power behind this shared experience of humanity. Recently, the phrase “Make me a channel of your peace” has been stuck in my head (Franciscan problems…) Without fully realizing it though, I’ve started to adopt…

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The Little Things

Editor’s Note: Embracing the power of perspective, today communications associate Maria Beben launches a three-part series calling for reflection on “the little things” in life that are too often overlooked and unappreciated. Check back next Wednesday for the next installment. When I was a student at The Catholic University of America, I had a very…

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Comfort and Joy: Finding Joy in Social Justice

Editor’s Note: As part of our “Comfort and Joy” Advent/Christmas blog series, Programs Associate Katie Rotterman shares the joy she has found through attending Mass at a parish community that deeply resonates with her. I fell in love with the parish community at the Shrine of Sacred Heart in Washington, DC on March 21, 2015 – ten…

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Comfort and Joy: Peace on Earth Begins with Birth

Editor’s note: As part of our “Comfort and Joy” Advent/Christmas blog series, current missioner Janice Smullen reflects on the joy that she’s received from her role as a doula, a person who is trained to assist a woman before, during, and after childbirth both physically and emotionally. Although I have never seen a doula depicted as being present…

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Advent 2015: Comfort and Joy

All the preparation and waiting of the Advent season leads up the moment when Christ enters the world. In the hustle and bustle of it all, we see in the quiet stillness the image of a mother and child which brings to mind something we see so little of in our world today: tenderness. This…

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Peace Within, Peace Without

Editor’s Note: Missioner-in-training Janice Smullen shares her experience of volunteering with Little Friends for Peace during her time of formation in Washington, DC. “If peace is what every government says it seeks, and peace is the yearning of every heart, why aren’t we studying it and teaching it in schools?” Coleman McCarthy The mission of…

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Marching with Survivors of Sexual Violence

Editor’s note: Missioner Valerie Ellis describes two events she participated in for the recent Bolivian National Day to Support Victims and Survivors of Sexual Violence. As we began the climb through the mountains, so did the sun. When our trufi got high enough to see the snow, we took chilly pictures over the landscape of…

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Through the Eye of the Needle, Part 5: Putting it into Practice

Editor’s Note: Lay missioner Annemarie Barrett finishes up a special five-part series, “Through the Eye of the Needle: Unpacking White Privilege in the Journey Towards Racial Reconciliation” on how her time in mission in Latin America is shaping her understanding of racism and privilege.  I want to wrap up this series with a short list of concrete…

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Through the Eye of the Needle, Part 4: Realities of Cultural Imperialism

Editor’s Note: Lay missioner Annemarie Barrett continues the special five-part series, “Through the Eye of the Needle: Unpacking White Privilege in the Journey Towards Racial Reconciliation” on how her time in mission in Latin America is shaping her understanding of racism and privilege.  I have lost track of the number of times that I have been…

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Through the Eye of the Needle, Part 3: Acknowledging Affluence and Structural Racism

Editor’s Note: Lay missioner Annemarie Barrett continues the special five-part series, “Through the Eye of the Needle:  Unpacking White Privilege in the Journey Towards Racial Reconciliation” on how her time in mission in Latin America is shaping her understanding of racism and privilege.  For much of my life, I was not aware that I was being…

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Through the Eye of the Needle, Part 2: I Am Not A Saint

Editor’s Note: Lay missioner Annemarie Barrett continues the special five-part series, “Through the Eye of the Needle:  Unpacking White Privilege in the Journey Towards Racial Reconciliation” on how her time in mission in Latin America is shaping her understanding of racism and privilege.  One part of my reality as a white person that I took for…

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NEW SERIES – Through the Eye of the Needle: Unpacking White Privilege in the Journey Towards Racial Reconciliation

Editor’s Note: Today lay missioner Annemarie Barrett kicks off a special five-part series on how her time in mission in Latin America is shaping her understanding of racism and privilege. Learn about the significance of the title. Every day I am learning more about what I do not know, my own ignorance. In choosing to…

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Black Lives Matter Bolivia

It was February 12th when I received the first email. The subject line was “First Steps Towards a Worthy Cause”. The email talked about coming together as a US community in Bolivia to voice our concerns around the racial injustices taking place all over the US. My first reaction? Why are we doing this now?…

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Make Noise

Every government has its share of problems. Google “government scandals” are you can learn about Indonesia’s death penalty programs, Italy’s nepotism, or misused aid funds in Greece. Mention the U.S. and the names Nixon, Grant, and Clinton come to mind. Government corruption is nothing new in Guatemala. The country is still recovering from a 36-year civil…

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My “saint Mark”

Today the Church celebrates the Feast of Saint Mark, evangelist, Gospel writer, and one of the Church’s four living creatures—the lion. Today, as the Church celebrates Saint Mark, I celebrate the life of another “saint Mark.” If we are lucky, we are surrounded by people in our lives who support us tirelessly, who care deeply…

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Lent and Larry

As we are still in the Easter season, we remember the many opportunities to reflect on one’s self and determine how to grow as a person beyond the 40 days of preparation during Lent. The sacrifices Jesus made so many years ago afforded the human race a second chance for redemption and the convenience to…

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Journey to the Blue Mountains

Recently one of the priests in Savannah la Mar had a friend visit Jamaica. For the occasion, we were given the opportunity to hike to the top of the famous Blue Mountains of Jamaica located near the capital of Kingston. Since I arrived here in Jamaica, we’ve been constantly busy with our new lives here,…

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The Light of Belen

I went to my first misa de la luz de Belen (mass of the light of Bethlehem) in December. I went with a new friend from Poland and found out that this Girl and Boy Scout tradition happens around the world, and that the light is actually being passed from city to city as well.…

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Seeds of Progress

I did not miss clean air or water until I did not have access to them. I did not miss trees, plants, or grass until I could not see them. And I did not know that my upper class background could buy clean air, access to water, and preservation of nature. I grew up in…

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Finalists for First-Ever San Damiano Servant Leadership Award

We are pleased to announce the five finalists for our first-ever San Damiano Servant Leadership Award. Launched in conjunction with our 25th anniversary, this honor recognizes a faithful, service-oriented young leader dedicated to building the kingdom of heaven on earth today. The winner, who will be announced the first week of February, will be given a $500 scholarship…

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Merry Christmas!

Jesus is happy to come with us, as truth is happy to be spoken, as life to be lived, as light to be lit, as love is to be loved, as joy to be given, as peace to be spread. -St. Francis of Assisi Today we celebrate the birth of Jesus when he crossed the great…

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Reality Strikes

Editor’s Note: The following is part of our daily holiday series celebrating “The Shared World.” As part of his ministry, Jeff works alongside the work delegates in the different prisons to coordinate material purchases and machinery upkeep for the inmates’ workshops. Through his relationships with the artisans and leather workers, he also works as one of their…

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Growth Through Faith

Editor’s Note: The following is part of our daily holiday series celebrating “The Shared World.” Michael is the former communications associate at FMS. We Irish-Catholics are known for many things, but ecumenism isn’t one of those things. In my own heart, I’ve felt a need to resist feelings of clannishness and pride that keep me from…

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A Shared World at Home

Editor’s Note: The following is part of our daily holiday series celebrating “The Shared World.” I can still remember how nervous I was my first night hosting at Claremont Homeless Advocacy Program (CHAP); I laugh when I think about it now. I started volunteering at CHAP in preparation for formation with FMS in Washington, DC. CHAP…

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A Special Connection

Editor’s Note: The following is part of our daily holiday series celebrating “The Shared World.” Fr. Michael Della Penna, OFM, is the Director at Valley of the Angels school in Guatemala.  I am sharing one of the most touching letters I have ever received here at Valley and perhaps in my 15 years as a priest.…

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Sharing is Caring

Editor’s Note: The following is part of our daily holiday series celebrating “The Shared World.” It started with a story. It was Holy Week of my senior year of high school and I was volunteering with Bissonnette House, a home for recently released convicts looking to get back on their feet. While we took a break…

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Building Bridges

Editor’s Note: The following is part of our daily holiday series celebrating “The Shared World.” Fr. John Ullrich, OFM, is a close friend of FMS. As a Franciscan friar who’s been professed for more than forty years, I’ve had plenty of opportunities to reach out and serve people in serious need, be it physically, economically, socially…

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A Humble Mission

Editor’s Note: The following is part of our daily holiday series celebrating “The Shared World.” Fr. Joe Nangle, OFM, is a former FMS executive director and board member. The originating vision of Franciscan Mission Service remains compelling today, thirty years after it was articulated by FMS founder, Anselm Moons, OFM. Called by Franciscan leadership in North…

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Learning in the House of Mary

Editor’s Note: The following is part of our daily holiday series celebrating “The Shared World.” January 12, 2010: the day the whole world turned its eyes towards Haiti. The day I began a lifelong journey. The day I started to fall in love. I was 18 years old and in my freshman year of college. I…

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