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The Light of One: Have a Blessed Day!
Continuing our daily Advent reflection series on the Feast of St. Francis Xavier, Patron of Missionaries. Natalie reminds us that we are all called to witness our faith through mission. Her reflection today focuses on one person’s mission of consecrating simplicity. “Have a blessed day, Ma’am!” It’s a sentence I look forward to hearing every…
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The Light of One: The Gift of Your Self
Continuing our Advent reflection series today on International Day for the Abolition of Slavery, we keep in mind that all relationships must be founded in dignity. Current Missioner Hady Mendez reflects on the affirming dignity she received during her relationship with her spiritual director. “I love my spiritual director!” Everyone has heard me say this…
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Running Our Own Courses
The 13 weeks of our mission formation program is a time of discernment. Candidates come to formation intending that, at the end, they will embark on at least two years of overseas service. But sometimes, during the course of those 13 weeks of prayer, reflection, and discussion, things come to light that make candidates reevaluate…
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Friendship on the Street: Take Two
Missioner-in-training Valerie Ellis reflects on one of her experiences with those living on the streets of Washington, D.C. Yesterday, I met Brad.* When we first met, he thanked us for the food that we gave and asked if we would like to pray. He joined hands with us and we prayed the Our Father. Brad…
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Onward and Upward
Being continuously called back to the Creator. Photo by Nate Mortenson Through discussions, required readings, spiritual direction, and prayer, our mission training program has many opportunities to reflect on life, faith, and self. Here’s what been on missioner-in-training Mary Morrtenson’s mind these last few weeks. One concept that I’ve been mulling over since the beginning…
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The Kingdom of God
By flickr connerdowney via Creative Commons Missioner-in-training Brittany Koepke reflects on her experience volunteering in D.C. for mission formation. During group prayer the other night the question was proposed, “In what moment of today did you glimpse the Kingdom of God?” I immediately thought of my volunteer site with the Missionaries of Charity that I…
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Shopping for Trust
Missioner-in-training Dae Doseff’s first reflection from formation touches on what life is like in the community house where the missioners-in-training live with our volunteers and other residents. Trust is one of the most difficult things for me to do in life. Trusting myself to make good decisions, trusting that God’s plan is going to be…
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Let Your Mercy Light The Path Before Me
Discerning and preparing for mission can be an emotional process, as missioner-in-training Brittany Koepke shares here. “I could be safe here in Your arms and never leave homeI could just stay right where I am and hope to feel YouBut You have called me higherYou have called me deeperAnd I will go where You will…
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Mission Monday: Sharing Stories in Sacred Spaces
A watercolor by Annemarie that was inspired by the women of Santa Rosa First-year missioner Annemarie Barrett reflects on the conversations she has had with the women she has come to know in Cochabamba, Bolivia. Work. More work. Children. Husbands. Cooking. Cleaning. More cooking and more cleaning. Domestic violence. Machismo. More violence. And no justice.…
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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…
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Mission Monday: Saying Yes
New lay missioner Annemarie Barrett shares what her time so far in Cochabamba, Bolivia has taught her about being open to new opportunities and the unknown. I have been reflecting lately on what it means to live as a lay missioner and to constantly be saying “yes,” and on what it takes to be able…
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Outreach and Charity: Reflections and Answers to Why
For our week of Outreach and Charity, Domestic Volunteer Anna Robinson shares the lessons she has learned through multiple years and ways of volunteering, encouraging everyone to look at service in a new light. Volunteering was a requirement of me and my siblings growing up. Trips to the food pantry, the history museum, group highway…
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Outreach and Charity: Help Finding the Right Ministry
As we continue this journey of “Walking in Solidarity,” we take a moment reflect on how we might act. To go along with this week’s theme of outreach and charity, we have some suggestions, traditional and nontraditional, on how you might impact others. Lent is a time of personal reflection and prayer, of reexamining our…
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Mission Monday: I Saw God in the Smile of Strangers
This week as part of our Lenten “Walking in Solidarity” series, we focus on practicing outreach and charity. This past Wednesday our Domestic Volunteer Sarah began her direct service work at Miriam’s Kitchen and she reflects on her first day for this Mission Monday post. I saw God in the smiles of strangers. It was…
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Franciscan Friday: Coming Together to Be Good Stewards
We wrap up this week’s Walking in Solidarity theme of “Investing in Solidarity: Stewardship of Resources” with a reflection by Br. Hermann Borg, OFM, a German friar serving in Kenya with the Mother Earth Network. Some of Mother Earth Network’s ministries include planting trees, environmental conservation and restoration, community mobilization, education and raising awareness about…
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Stewardship of Resources: Recycling Old Clothes
This week of Lent we continue Walking in Solidarity, and this time towards a green, sustainable future! Explore these tips on recycling old clothes and share with friends and family to make a bigger impact. Spring cleaning is upon us, and this may be the year you decide to tackle your closet. What to do…
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Mission Monday: Being Good Stewards of Resources
Twenty-seven days into our Lenten journey of “Walking in Solidarity,” we turn our attention to this week’s theme of Investing in Solidarity: Stewardship of Resources. “As each one has received a gift, use it to serve one another as good stewards of God’s varied grace.” (1 Pt 4:10) We’re going to focus mainly on stewardship…
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Franciscan Friday: Solidarity with Workers
Continuing this week’s Walking in Solidarity theme of “Living Solidarity: Work, Family and Citizenship,” Secular Franciscan Susan Burke offers a reflection on what her work has taught her about solidarity. When I went to work for a union almost 18 years ago, I wasn’t as excited about it as I might have been. It didn’t…
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Living Solidarity: Tools for Faithful Citizenship
The theme for this week’s Walking in Solidarity Lenten Series is “Living in Solidarity: Work, Family and Citizenship.” Today we talk about some wonderful resources provided by the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops that can help you understand your position as a citizen who can affect change for others. For the 2007 election, the…
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Mission Monday: Patience in Solidarity
To kick off week three of our Lenten Walking in Solidarity series with its theme of”Living Solidarity: Work, Family and Citizenship,” new missioner Jeff Sved writes about his experiences so far in Bolivia. Paciencia. With time and practice I’ll be able to communicate adequately in a new language. Paciencia. With time I’ll get used…
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Franciscan Friday: What My Travels to South Africa Taught Me About Lent
Domestic Volunteer Anna Robinson has recently returned from a Short-Term Mission and Global Awareness Trip in South Africa. She thought she could escape from Lent, but instead Lent found her in new and enlightening ways. I’ve always dreaded Lent. To me it’s this bleak, dull, weary time of year. As a kid, giving up sweets…
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Teaching Solidarity: See-Judge-Act Model
As we continue this week’s Walking in Solidarity theme of education and formation, we share with you one of the tools we use to “teach” solidarity to our long-term missioners and short-term trip participants: the See-Judge-Act model. This Lent, we encourage you to use See-Judge-Act in your own social justice analysis so that you may…
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Mission Monday: Teaching Solidarity
Each Monday during our Lenten “Walking in Solidarity” series we look at how Franciscan Mission Service is striving to live out the theme for the week. This week’s theme is solidarity through education and formation. “Teaching” solidarity is at the very core of Franciscan Mission Service’s work. We have two programs in particular that embody…
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Franciscan Friday: Following Jesus’ Example of Prayer and Preaching Solidarity
For this week of reflecting on “Solidarity as Prayer, Worship and Preaching,” we asked one of our favorite preachers, Fr. Joe Nangle, OFM, to offer a Lenten reflection on solidarity. Please join us throughout the season as we reflect on how “Walking in Solidarity.” On the First Sunday of Lent we hear the fascinating Gospel…
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Tools for Fostering Solidarity Through Prayer, Worship, and Preaching
On Wednesdays during this Lenten series, “Walking in Solidarity,” we offer tangible ways you can live out the theme for the week. We offer tips and resources, and encourage you to post in the comments your own suggestions. This collaboration fosters even greater solidarity. This week we’re looking at solidarity through prayer, worship and preaching.…
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Mission Monday: Praying for Solidarity
During this first full week of Lent we start our “Walking in Solidarity” series by looking at how we can be in solidarity with others through prayer, worship and preaching. On Mondays during this series we share how Franciscan Mission Service – be it our staff, missioners, board or volunteers – is striving to live…
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Preparing for South Africa: Watching “The Power of One”
Last “Preparing for South Africa” post, Domestic Volunteer Anna talked about her familiarity with South African culture and a documentary she saw prior to departing. For this post she reviews additional material she covered before going on the Short-Term Mission and Global Awareness Trip. As I mentioned in a previous blog post, I had little…
Read MoreFranciscan Friday: The Fasting That I Wish
Today is only the third day of Lent, so chances are good that your fast is still going strong. Three days without whatever you “gave up” – be it sweets, television, alcohol, coffee, Facebook – probably has not been too bad. By fasting from temptations and distractions over these 40 days, we can purify ourselves…
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Valentine’s Day – Celebrating the Ability to Love
Do you have a favorite love quote? There are many, too many to sort through. Quotes by saints, celebrities, historical figures…. the list goes on. And it can be interpreted in different ways – love for family, Christ’s love, love is patient, love is kind, etc. But by far my favorite quote comes from a…
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Walking in Solidarity this Lent
“Solidarity” is a word that is often used in social justice circles to describe the unity or oneness we strive to have with others, especially those who are experiencing poverty or inequality. There are many more ways to describe solidarity, and even more ways to live it out. This is something we will continue to…
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Postcard from Bolivia: Carnaval in Oruro
About 28,000 dancers and 10,000 musicians parade over four miles at the Oruro Carnaval. Just because new missioners Annemarie Barrett and Jeff Sved are in language school right now doesn’t mean they can’t have some fun. Our missioners joined about seven other classmates from the Maryknoll Language Institute to experience the most famous of Bolivia’s…
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On the Franciscan Mission Service blog, you’ll find moving updates from the mission field, reflections on the world from a Franciscan lens, and tips on living out the values of simplicity, solidarity, peace, justice and caring for creation. Blog content is particularly rich and fulfilling during liturgical seasons, such as Lent. While we always have…
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Preparing for South Africa – Watching “Amandla!”
We’re currently testing a Short-Term Mission and Global Awareness Trip to South Africa, and Domestic Volunteer Anna is participating. However, before she left, she had some studying to do: I am very lucky to be a part of Franciscan Mission Services’ trip to South Africa for a two-week mission and global education experience. Never have…
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Mission Monday: Why We Do Re-Entry
Rhonda Miska, who co-facilitated two re-entry retreats at Franciscan Mission Service this January, talks about the importance of the re-entry process on returning missioners. Co-facilitator Rhonda Miska singing during morning prayer with returned missioners Catherine Giller and Nora Pfeiffer, both of whom served for three years in Bolivia. When I explained to my friends and…
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Franciscan Friday: Preparing for a Green Lent
As we approach the season of Lent, keep in mind these suggestions to add to your observance. It’s hard to believe that Lent is just a few weeks away. It feels like we just finished Christmas, a time of light and hope and new beginnings, and soon we’ll be immersed in a time we often…
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Meet the new Domestic Volunteer: Sarah
It took 12 hours to drive from her hometown of Newton, Illinois, but Sarah Hoffeditz has made it to our headquarters in D.C. to join our staff and become the newest Domestic Volunteer. Sarah graduated in the spring of 2012 from Bellarmine University, a Catholic university where she appreciated the emphasis on social justice and…
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Mission Monday: Wine and Cheese Make a Reunion
To welcome home our returning missioners we held our traditional Wine and Cheese Open House. On this Thursday evening, snow threatened the roads and dark had already fallen, but Casa San Salvador soon filled with friends, new and old, to welcome home missioners who had been away for two to three years. The missioners came…
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FMS Podcasts: History of the Church and Franciscanism
Franciscan Mission Service is making resources from our mission formation available to the public, including podcasts from the classes. Our missioners get to learn some interesting subjects while in formation: history, theology, geography, environmentalism, social justice issues, cross-cultural communication… the list goes on! Now you can also be enriched and inspired by these same lessons…
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What Would Dr. King Say To The First Black President? (Part 2)
Fr. Joe Nangle, OFM shares part two of his message for this historic weekend. For part one, please see Friday’s post. By The White House from Washington, DC (P012009PS-0477 Uploaded by Ekabhishek) [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons In preparing for today’s homily, I spoke with an African-American Jesuit theologian and asked him what Dr. King…
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What Would Dr. King Say To The First Black President? (Part 1)
By Trikosko, Marion S. [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons Fr. Joe Nangle, OFM shares part one of his message for this historic weekend: The coincidence of the Dr.. Martin Luther King, Jr. holiday and the 2013 Inauguration of America’s first African-American president for a second term must be seen as truly historic. Just 150 years…
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Les Misérables and the Ministry of Presence
Domestic Volunteer Anna didn’t expect to feel the spirit of St. Francis in a movie theater. And yet she couldn’t help but hear a familiar Franciscan message in the context of this pop-culture film. Les Misérables, the movie that everyone seems to be talking about struck an unexpected chord when I finally viewed it a…
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Recommended Reads – Reluctant Saint: The Life of Francis of Assisi
For today’s book review, Domestic Volunteer Anna Robinson shares a title that inspired the first steps of her Franciscan journey. Cover art of Spoto’s Book In 2010 I was selected to go with a group of students from my university to Italy on a Franciscan Pilgrimage. At the time I knew little about Italy and…
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Blessings in the New Year
Just as we are blessed to begin a new day, we are thankful to begin a bright new year! 2012 was a good year for us and we have much to look forward to in 2013. – The homecoming of eight missioners from Bolivia, South Africa, and Zambia. Nora Pfeiffer (Bolivia) Catherine Giller (Bolivia) Lynn…
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Encountering God in the Face of Missioners
While our missioners encounter God in those we serve, we often find ourselves experiencing God through our missioners themselves. Development Director Br. Paul O’Keeffe, OFM, shares how our missioners inspire him: Br. Paul O’Keeffe, OFM, with some of our missioners in Bolivia: Kitzi Hendricks, Lynn Myrick and Joel Vaughn “My ministry with Franciscan Mission Service…
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Encountering God in Godparents
On this Feast of the Holy Family, former domestic volunteer Christine Landau reflects on how she’s encountered God through her godparents. This summer, I had the chance to visit my godparents, whom I hadn’t seen for about fifteen years. They have always watched over me – we send each other cards at Christmas, and they…
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Encountering God in Our Supporters
Our returned missioners commit to sharing their mission experiences with North Americans. This helps spread the Franciscan charism as well as bring awareness to issues faced by the poor abroad. One of our returned missioners who regularly speaks for FMS is Doug Garofalo, who shares with us today how he has encountered God in those…
Read MoreEncountering God in the Innocents
On this Feast of the Holy Innocents, we remember the small children killed by Herod after the birth of Jesus. In more recent years, there are been so many innocent lives that have been lost through violence, from the recent 26 victims of the shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary in Newtown, Conn., to the 200,000 victims of…
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Merry Christmas!
The FMS staff: (front) Mariam Mitry, Anna Robinson, Naomi Amsberry, (back) Chelsea Tanous, Br. Paul O’Keeffe, Kim Smolik and Bridget Higginbotham Merry Christmas from the Franciscan Mission Service staff in Washington, D.C.! This Advent, we’ve been sharing stories of encountering God this year in our families, friends, strangers and those whom we serve. But there is…
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Encountering God in the Kitchen
Family and friends are gathering around tables these next few days to share meals and celebrate Christmas. Executive Director Kim Smolik reflects on how she has encountered God while preparing for such occasions. I love to cook. Although I have had no formal training, it is one of the activities that gives me the greatest…
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