Meet Our Missioners

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.

Lend your support for Ralph using our online form.

Read Ralph's blogs

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.

Lend your support for Susan using our online form.

Read Susan's blogs.

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.

Support Kim using our online form.

Read Kim's blogs.