Meet Our Missioners
Click on missioners’ names to see their profile, blog posts, and donation page. Missioners commit to serving in solidarity with an overseas community for a minimum of two years and can renew for up to six years. Before going abroad they spend three months training in Washington, DC.
Current Classes
Class 38
Hometown: Beautiful, downtown Burbank, CA (The town made famous by the TV show "Laugh In"!)
Path to FMS:
I was sitting on the couch in the Catholic Worker House in Eugene, Oregon. My spiritual director was telling me about his upcoming trip to a Franciscan celebration in Phoenix, AZ. I had not planned on attending but I felt the urge to act on the spur of the moment. To my surprise they were still taking reservations but no rooms were available. I registered and told Charley, my director, that I would trust that God would provide the rest. I made a reservation at a campground and planned on sleeping in a tent.
We made a long drive to Phoenix and the first thing we did was wander around the vendor tables. The first table I stopped at was Franciscan Mission Service. I have been a professed Franciscan since 2014 and I had never heard of such an organization. I learned about FMS and their approach to mission. I said “I appreciate what you’re doing but I don’t think I could be gone for2 years.” I walked away and a voice in my head said YOU CAN DO THIS. I went back and we talked a little bit more.
That night I went and pitched my tent, crawled in, and tried to sleep. I tossed and turned in a pool of sweat unable to sleep. I looked at my phone it was 2:00am and 99 degrees, and there were thunderstorms. I began to think about the migrants and the people I had met in Honduras and Ecuador. I started to think how many would die that night. I reviewed my life and realized "you can do this." You know suffering and you know how to live in hardship. Like the movie "Father Stu," I knew I was called to this ministry of accompaniment. The next morning, I went back to the mission table and told Rhonda, "I am all in." She slowed me down. Discernment is the first step in the journey. A commitment was not needed to begin.
Scripture passage meaningful to mission: Matthew 25 - Jesus tells us three stories, and in the last story he tells us how he wants us to be and what he wants us to do. When this journey I am on is over, will I hear from the Master say “well done good and faithful servant”? Only God can know that. Walk with me for a little while. Join me in my mission.
Catholic role model: Venerable Matt Talbot a mean, abusive and self-centered Irish drunk during the beginning of the 1900’s in Dublin Ireland. He gave his life completely to God. He embraced poverty as a secular Franciscan and gave away every penny he earned to the poor and marginalized. Many Catholics and people of all faith traditions gather together for a weekend retreat in his honor once or twice a year.
Social Justice areas of interest: Care of creation and the sharing of God’s resources; economic injustice and the creation of wage slaves; youth without hope and the causes of violence and addiction
Favorite Saint: Francis of Assisi. I pray that I can do justice to his rule of life that I profess to live by. Bringing the Gospel to life without uttering a word unless asked about the joy in my heart.
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Hometown: San Francisco, CA
Path to FMS: I believe I heard the call to mission or religious work as early as my adolescent years. As a teen and young adult, I followed that call in my work as a youth leader and community volunteer. However, a series of events took place that led to my disillusionment as a Catholic. I felt a great loss of trust, and so I kept my faith to myself and religiously “went my own way.” I sought worship in many Protestant churches, but never felt at home. By the age of 24, I stopped attending church altogether.
Almost 40 years had passed since I left the Catholic church before an awakening occurred. It began when COVID first hit our nation. To see the streets vacant, schools closed, skies empty of planes…there was such a silence, and I truly believe that silence allowed me to finally hear God again. I felt a great compulsion to listen and I would often find that I listened best on long walks. We (God and I) would walk together for hours, like best friends getting reacquainted. There were lots of tears and regrets, but also lots of joy. At some point I recommitted myself to God and went to confession (in a drive through car confession - LOL). Since that moment, God has directed so much of what I do. I applied to several service organizations, but FMS seemed to stand out for some reason. I feel such peace and gratitude in having this opportunity. I know there are many ways we can serve God, but if this is where God wants me, then who am I to say no?
Scripture passage meaningful to mission: John 14:6 - “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me”. There are so many passages I love, but this is a verse I say every day. With this verse, I don’t have to worry about the brokenness of man. I can put all of that messiness, pain, and tragedy in His loving and merciful hands, and have confidence that he will guide me to walk in his light.
Catholic role model: I pray all the time for the Holy Spirit to help me know how to love those who are strangers to me or who are difficult to love. Most times, the image of St. Teresa of Calcutta appears in my mind. She found God in the darkest of moments. Mother Teresa is a model of how to love as God loves, to love boundlessly and without prejudice. Here are a couple of worthy quotes:
- “I never judge anyone because it doesn't allow me the time to love them.”
- "If we have no peace, it is because we have forgotten that we belong to each other."
Social Justice areas of interest: The dignity and value of human life. It is so easy to prejudge people just by an initial impression, but there is a story behind each and every one of us, and those stories are worth hearing and knowing.
Favorite Saint: Of course, it is St. Teresa of Calcutta! To be honest, I have a posse of saints I pray to for intercession. So I would include St. Therese of Lisieux and St. Bernadette of Lourdes. Above all, I love our Mother of Saints, Mary.
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Hometown: Kansas City, Missouri
Path to FMS: Service has always been a core value of mine, instilled in me through my Catholic faith. After a few years of domestic service, I felt called to continue serving others - but I wanted to push myself out of my comfort zone, encounter global problems first-hand, and put love into action by being present with people through difficult things around the world. This calling led me to FMS and to saying yes to two years of overseas service.
Scripture passage meaningful to mission: Isaiah 6:8: “Then I heard the voice of the Lord saying, “Whom shall I send? Who will go for us?” “Here I am,” I said; “send me!”
I have kept this verse in my heart and mind since I first heard it when I was a child. This passage resonates with me as I feel I am answering a call from God to be His hands in the world in service to others through FMS.
Catholic role model: My Aunt Laura is one of my role models in my life. She is constantly a living example of God’s love in the world through her actions — she works at a local Catholic elementary school to support students who are falling behind, she helped care for aging and sick family members in their last years of life, she is always be the first person to volunteer to help someone in need, and she helps to keep us all connected as one of the matriarchs of the family. My Aunt Laura is someone who radically lives out the values of her Catholic faith in her life. I hope to live out the values of loving and caring for everyone I meet on mission and in my life just as my Aunt Laura does each day.
Social Justice areas of interest: There are many social justice areas that I am interested in: the treatment of people who are incarcerated, the treatment of migrants, immigrants, and refugees, gender and racial equity, and environmental justice to name a few. I feel that my interest in all of these issues, and human rights and social justice issues in general, stems back to my firm belief in the inherent dignity and worth of every human person. I want to affirm this belief in my time in service through working to make sure that every human being is treated as a child of God no matter their migration status, past mistakes, race, or gender.
Favorite Saint: One saint that I love is Saint Joan of Arc. Her radical bravery and fearlessness in listening to her calling from God and going into battle as a young woman in 15th century France is something I admire greatly. Her quote “Go forward bravely. Fear nothing. Trust in God; all will be well” is a helpful reminder for me to call upon her to help me put my fears aside and trust in God throughout my service time with Franciscan Mission Service.
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Class 37
Hometown: North Haven, CT
Path to FMS: Life and work circumstances provided me time to pray and contemplate what God wants for me. FMS ended up being the ideal mission organization for me to grow more deeply in my faith and exercise my discernment of the Holy Spirit’s call.
Scripture passage meaningful to mission: John 15:16. “The Lord is in control and if we seek Him, He will lead the way. I have sought His direction and He has made my path clear.”
Catholic role model: Through reading and prayer, King David, Saint Augustine, Blessed Fr. Michael McGivney, Saint John Paul II, Bishop Robert Barron, and Fr. John Behr have all taken ahold of my heart as men who have persevered and strived to serve our Lord and share His love through their lives of struggle and faith. I can relate to them in my personal life struggles, experiences, and faith.
Social Justice areas of interest: The sanctity of life: to save and protect God’s design of human life. Empowerment of women’s rights around the world: to provide equality in freedom, resources, and opportunities to express their God-given beliefs and talents. Hunger, clean water, and food insecurity: economies need to ensure nutritious food and clean water are available to all people.
Favorite Saint: Saint John Paul II exuded Jesus’s love and grace with such passion. I felt he brought the world’s people closer together somehow. I was blessed to visit his hometown, home/museum and local church in Wadowice.
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Hometown: Dallas, TX
Path to FMS: I was drawn to the FMS overseas lay mission program because of the diversity of ministry opportunities they offer, as well as the intentional community they provide during formation and overseas mission.
Scripture passage meaningful to mission: “But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, throughout Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.” – Acts 1:8
This has always been one of my favorite Scripture verses – with an accompanying song that speaks to my spirit – because it reminds me of my call as a Christian to share God’s love with those around the world and that I do not go alone. The Lord can do so much through us if we will let Him.
Catholic role model: My friend and mentor, Kathy, has been one of my role models for years. She works full-time as the director of religious education for a parish, takes care of her aging parents and in-laws, supports her five adult children, helps those in need in the community, and still manages to make time for me on top of all of that. Kathy is proof to me that you can live in the world and still serve radically and authentically. She tackles each day with new energy and love for people and God, with humility and generosity to which I aspire.
Social Justice areas of interest: Gender and racial inequality: We are all equal and have the same dignity, made in the image and likeness of God. It shocks me that in the 21st century we are still having to fight for equal rights in basic areas such as equal pay for women and lack of discrimination in hiring women or people of color.
The achievement gap for students of different socioeconomic backgrounds: As a teacher, I have witnessed firsthand the hurdles that students of lower socioeconomic statuses face in their desire to attend high school and college and have the same opportunities as others.
Dignified treatment of migrants: People from countries south of the US are fleeing violence, political unrest, and dire poverty to find a better life for their families. There are issues to be sorted out with finding employment and housing for these refugees, but every human being deserves to be treated as a child of God and should not be unfairly perceived/labeled as a threat or criminal.
Favorite Saint: I have a special devotion to Saint Teresa of Calcutta, as she is a modern saint who lived out a missionary life in her care for the economically poor and marginalized in the slums of Kolkata, India. Despite spiritual and physical attacks and obstacles, she persevered in her desire to serve the Christ that she saw hidden in each person.
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Hometown: Silver Spring, Maryland
Path to FMS: I’ve been imagining mission as a possibility for me for a long time. In my young adult years, I was intrigued by ways to serve my country but was more compelled to do that through my career. My purpose-filled work — leading Marriott’s corporate social responsibility globally, and then in economic empowerment with the University of Maryland SAFE Center for Human Trafficking Survivors — was educative and preparatory for what calls me now. My Catholic faith and the Franciscan tradition have been vital for me throughout my life, since my days at St. Bonaventure University and the Franciscan community at Mt. Irenaeus. FMS, which is grounded in the Franciscan charism, was the ideal fit for me.
Scripture passage meaningful to mission: “Cause me to hear your lovingkindness in the morning, for in you do I trust. Cause me to know the way in which I should walk, for I lift up my soul to you.” – Psalm 143:8. I’ve been praying this for nearly five years. It captures what I have been longing for; a clear purpose, a sacred calling in what has been a personally tumultuous time in my life with many “high highs and low lows.” I have said yes to this sacred calling to be an overseas lay missioner with FMS. While I know my prayer’s have been answered, this psalm remains with me. It guides me in all matters, big and small, and I know I will rely on it to guide me in the FMS ministry of presence.
Catholic role model: Fr. Dan Reilly, a Franciscan friar and founder of Mt. Irenaeus Franciscan Mountain Community, and Fr. Cyril Edwards, the devoted pastor of my hometown parish Mary, Mother of God at Holy Rosary Church, are role models for who they are, what they do, and how they live. They are two of the most inspiring and effective communicators I will ever know. While in mission, I hope to channel what I’ve seen and learned from them, especially their intuition for what people need to know and hear and, when there is a language barrier of any sort, what people need to feel and believe.
Social Justice areas of interest: Human Rights, particularly human trafficking prevention, women’s equity and empowerment, climate change, and gun control: I’ve seen these injustices that plague the developing and the developed worlds in my work and on travel. The long-lasting impacts from loss, injustice, and trauma are devastating and completely counter what St. Irenaeus calls us to see: “The glory of God is the human person fully alive.” Preventing these injustices is the long, hard, collective work that will outlive us. Restoring the human spirit is an everyday opportunity.
Favorite Saint: St. Mary Magdalene. Within the last two years, I’ve had occasion to become a devotee and see this saint with new eyes, this holy woman whom Pope Francis called “the Apostle of the new and greatest hope.” I think she provides a portal for all of us who are neither man nor mother but want to see ourselves represented from Good Friday to Resurrection Sunday. I can’t imagine what it took as a woman in that time to live and work within this traveling band of disciples. Mary Magdalene is radical, unfailing, and unflappable in her devotion to Jesus. I hope and pray she lights my way in mission. She simply fascinates me.
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Class 36
Hometown: Brooklyn Park, MN
Why FMS? I discovered a passion for overseas service during my first mission trip in 2012 to Guatemala. Since then I have served in Haiti and studied abroad in India, teaching English in an elementary school, after which I began to feel the call to longer term overseas service. I am excited to see what God will teach me through FMS, and look forward to living out His call for me. I’m inspired by FMS’s humble and relational approach to ministry.
Scripture passage meaningful to mission: 1 Tim 4:12 (NASB): Let no one look down on your youthfulness, but rather in speech, conduct, love, faith and purity, show yourself an example of those who believe. I’ve always liked this verse as an encouragement to do the right thing and not fear being too young to be impactful. It reminds me that God calls young people to greatness and equips His called. Perhaps in this FMS experience, the concept of portraying love will be the most prominent of those in the list of this verse.
Catholic role model: Mary Jo Copeland is the founder of a Minneapolis ministry called Sharing and Caring Hands, which serves locals who are experiencing homelessness. She has tremendous faith and is lead by it everyday when she loves on each person who walks through her doors. Mary Jo has been known to pray at church everyday before the sun rises and is deeply committed to her faith. Before each meal that is served at Sharing and Caring Hands, Mary Jo says a prayer with a microphone for everyone to hear and speaks of the redemption and forgiveness of God and just how much God loves each person there. She washes the feet of new people who come in and serves the homeless population in every way she can. Her faith and her heart for service to the Lord and His people is inspirational to me.
Social Justice areas of interest: The issue of global hunger is of interest to me. I would like to learn more about food distribution globally and locally. Likewise, I’ve been very impacted by the issue of access to clean water. Ever since a mission trip to Haiti and experiencing the lack of drinkable water in certain areas, I’ve never looked at water the same way. The reaction and appreciation of local Haitians when clean water arrived for them was a very moving experience for me. Clean water and adequate food are basic human needs and I’m interested in learning more about Catholic Social Teaching and it’s response to these issues. Another social justice issue that interests me is the pro-life movement. The dignity of each human life, no matter how big, small, or tall, reaches to many aspects of life, and opportunities to defend and uphold it are numerous.
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Hometown: Brooklyn, NY
Path to FMS: I have been moved by my international service missions in the past and believe that there is so much more to gain and learn that I haven’t during my short-term missions. I want to fully immerse myself into marginalized communities so I take what I’ll learn into my future career.
Scripture passage meaningful to mission: (Matthew 25:40) “And the king will say to them in reply, ‘Amen, I say to you, whatever you did for one of these least brothers of mine, you did for me.’” This speaks to me and my call to service because it encourages all of us to see one another as children of God. It reminds us that we are all deserving of basic human rights and dignity.
Catholic role model: I do not have any saint that I have a special devotion to, but I do admire St. Ignatius because of the values that have been instilled into me by my school.
Social Justice areas of interest: I am most interested in violence against women and climate change. I am passionate about violence against women because this is an issue that persists worldwide. In many countries, women are oppressed and violence against us can be overlooked and even ignore. This further puts women and girls at risk by limiting our access to justice and safety. I am passionate about advocating about this because the effects of interpersonal violence are often lifelong. By advocating and raising awareness we promote education among young boys and girls and provide the proper resources for those who may have experience domestic or sexual violence. By raising awareness we allow for those who’ve experience to seek help and healing. By raising awareness we force perpetrators to be held accountable for their actions. By raising awareness we educate women that it is not “ok” or “normal” to be violated and/or abused. By raising awareness we allow for women to feel confident and comfortable in their own skin.
I am passionate about climate change because of the state our earth is in right now. It is the product of all of our mistakes and poor treatment. So, it is up to us to make the effort to fix it. I want to educate about climate change because many people believe that we are in too deep for there to be a change. I want to share that there is so much that we can do just by doing so little. I advocate for a more plant- based diet because it is something that we can all consciously do every single day. It is also because of the devastating effects the animal agricultural industry has on the environment. I completely understand that it can be very difficult for people to adapt to the change because it is something that we all grew up doing. Therefore, I advocate for the concept of weekday veg. It’s the idea that for half of the week, or half of our meals we eat vegetarian or vegan. This would make a huge impact on the agricultural industry and the methane gasses released into the atmosphere. It is also important to note that climate change is something that will be felt first by the people in poverty, hence this is another way where we can use our privilege to make a change for others.
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alumni Classes
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Catherine Sullivan