advent 2012
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 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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Encountering God in Difficult Times
“The Stoning of St Stephen” by Pietro di Cortona Today is the Feast of St. Stephen, who as the first martyr is an example of total trust and forgiving love. His story can be found in the Acts in which he gave a speech and the crowd responded by wanting to stone him: “But [Stephen], filled…
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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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Encountering God in Community
I encountered God this year in the warmth with which the community I have here has continually expressed to me, comforting me in times of sadness, laughing with me, and sharing themselves and their cariño (affection) for me in so many ways. Sincere relationships, it is there that I experience God´s acceptance, love and beauty.…
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Encountering God in the Goodness of Others
Cecilia and Tim Marcy spent the last three years serving at a hospice and clinic for people with AIDS. Today, Cecilia shares with us the story of one patient through whom she encountered God this year. There was a patient at the St. Francis Care Center who had AIDS and cancer. She was a wonderful…
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Encountering God in Hindsight
“Hindsight is 20/20” Today’s reflection on encountering God comes from our the manager of our hospitality house, Danielle Walsh. When I think about how I’ve seen God this year, I think of the old cliché about hindsight being 20/20. 2012 has been a busy year and I have to admit that, for me, busyness and…
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Encountering God in Your Eyes
Hermana Chelo and missioner Kitzi Hendricks When our lay missioners serve abroad, they work alongside religious in solidarity with the poor. Mission Kitzi Hendricks shares a recent conversation she had with a sister at her service site, Madre de Dios, a shelter for abandoned and abused girls:Hermana Chelo is a little Spanish nun who has…
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Encountering God in Children
Domestic Volunteers Naomi Amsberry and Anna Robinson have spent their Wednesday afternoons at an after-school program for immigrant families. Today they share how they’ve found God in the midst of D.C.’s lower-income youth. “For the last several months, I have been volunteering at an after school program with Mary House for children ages pre-K through…
Read MoreEncountering God in Joy
Happy Gaudete Sunday! As we light the pink candle on our Advent wreath today, we are filled with joy at the coming of Jesus. It is this joy that we are called to share with others so that they might see and encounter God through us. Rodger, a catechist who works with missioner Catherine Giller…
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Encountering God Through Openness
Sr. Cathy Cahill, OSF Today’s Advent story of encountering God from Sr. Cathy Cahill, OSF, an FMS board member and Franciscan Sister of Allegeny. Sr. Cathy lives in Tampa, Fla. and leads retreats at the Franciscan Center. Encountering God is a daily occurrence when I open myself to the experiences of each new day. That…
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Encountering God in the Wisdom of Others
Program associate and domestic volunteer Chelsea Tanous spends Wednesday afternoons at the Gift of Peace House, a hospice care center run by the Missionaries of Charity. Today Chelsea shares how one resident helps her encounter God through weekly lessons. Chelsea with a resident of the Gift of Peace House From the the importance of confession…
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Encountering God Through Our Lady of Guadalupe
On this Feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe, new missioner Jeff Sved remembers encountering God during his time in Hispanic ministry with Franciscan Volunteer Ministry last year. The rain was pounding outside as my friend Carlos and I sat in the back of the van listening to Queen. We waited with a mixture of excitement,…
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Encountering God in a Text Message
Photo by Ian Iott Board member Jack McHale shares how he encountered God in a text message. I was in church earlier this fall when my cell phone buzzed. It was a text from my friend who works at a hospital. Her text read as follows: “My sweet little boy earned his angel wings. He…
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Encountering God in Faith
Here is what our friend Fr. Jim Gardiner, SA had to say about where he encountered God this year: This time last year, if I had been asked about a Year of Faith, I would have done my best to discourage it. We’d had the Year of Paul, the U.N. had the Year of…
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Encountering God in Those Back Home
While we all wait and prepare for the coming of Christ this Advent season, the families of Lay Mission Class 25 have even more for which to prepare. Having completed their mission terms abroad, Class 25 is returning to the U.S. this season. They will begin their returned mission to North America by celebrating the…
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Franciscan Friday: Nurturing The Gifts From God
1896 etching by William Strutt On Tuesday of the first week of Advent, Isaiah writes in chapter 11 about how God can foster life in situations where death seemingly reigns. He says that: “On that day a shoot shall sprout from the stump of Jesse, and from his roots a bud shall blossom.” In this…
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Encountering God on the Road
Our Advent quest for stories of encountering God went beyond our missioners and staff. Today’s encounter comes from our friend Genevieve Mougey, the associate director of the United States Catholic Mission Association. I have encountered God in random, strange, familiar and comforting places in the last year. God has been present to me in the…
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Encountering God in the Human Family
Our domestic volunteers commit a year of serving full time in our office supporting our organization in areas such as communications, development and programming. But on Wednesday afternoons, the domestic volunteers go out and serve directly in the community. Today’s Advent story of encountering God comes from domestic volunteer and communications coordinator Bridget Higginbotham who…
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Encountering God in Heartbreak
This Advent, we reached out to our network and asked, “Where did you encounter God this year?” Today’s response comes from Megeen Testa White, a board member who was one of our very first missioners back in 1991 to 1993 when she served in Zimbabwe. Megeen is now a nurse and lives in Silver Spring,…
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