creation
Lessons from Under the Sea
Editor’s Note: Lay missioner Joleen Johnson marvels at life and nature under the Caribbean Sea while contemplating this unfamiliar area of God’s creation. I was recently given a very rare opportunity: to snorkel in the sea. These are some of the thoughts, questions, and lessons that passed through while I fixed my eyes, in wonder…
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Holy Ground
Editor’s note: Reflecting on the Scriptural concept of “holy ground,” missioner Joleen Johnson ponders how each person she encounters, created in the image of God, is inviting her to holy ground. Have you ever thought about why God told Moses to take off his sandals when he came over to the burning bush? The story…
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Finding My Center in Nature
Editor’s note: After moving across the country to Washington, DC, missioner-in-formation Kim Wagner shares the ways that nature has kept her grounded in prayer and peace during this season of transition. These past few months have been a season of transition for me. Between saying goodbye to my Jesuit Volunteer Corps intentional community in May,…
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The Way the Wildflowers Grow
Editor’s Note: Happy Earth Day! In this poem, Julia Pinto, a missioner on the US-Mexico Border region, reflects on the ever-changing and adaptable nature of desert wildflowers. Through verse, Julia compares herself to these wildflowers, and shares how her experience on mission has forever changed her and her way of life. Experience has taught me…
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Living Out Franciscan Values on Mission in Bolivia
Editor’s note: Missioner Victor Artaiz was welcomed to the home of a large family in the countryside of Bolivia. During his stay with them, he witnessed Franciscan values come to life. I am no longer surprised by the levels of Franciscan values I experience on mission here in Bolivia! Case in point are my experiences…
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In Awe of the Creator’s Love
Editor’s note: DC Service Corps volunteer, Fatima Godfrey, describes her tentative experience in approaching the DCSC fall retreat. However, by grace her hesitancy was dispelled by God’s hand in the transcendental beauty of creation, resulting in true peace and retreat. Before entering into an intentional community with my fourteen housemates and striving to live out…
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My Peace I Give to You
Editor’s Note: Current Missioner Hannah Hagarty shares how she has found peace while building a routine overseas in Kingston, Jamaica. “I find it deeply important to accept that we are not the masters of this place. We are her visitors. And like guests let’s enjoy this place like a garden. Let us treat it with…
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To Stop and To Be
Editor’s Note: DC Service Corps volunteer Nadia Barnett reflects on the importance of finding moments to pause and invite God to reveal their presence through our surroundings. It is imperative that we all remember to stop and to be – with God, with others and with self. I find the concept being, not doing does…
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Beyond Language
Editor’s Note: Missioner Sabrina Portner reflects on language barriers and ways she can better connect with her surroundings as she begins her ministry in Cochabamba, Bolivia San Martin, the home for boys that has become my new place of service and source of contentment, cares for one singular cow, Betty, and her bull calf. Beyond…
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Breathing in the Yearning of God
Editor’s Note: Missioner SarahJane Cauzillo reflects on the constant cooperation and presence of the Creator and creation. She describes the mountains that have guided her heart towards a deeper connection with God. The words of Cynthia Bourgeault – mystic, Episcopal priest, and writer – ran through my ears as I stood surveying the mountain range…
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Invitations to Dance
Editor’s Note: Sabrina Portner recently moved to Cochabamba, Bolivia to embark on a mission of love and accompaniment through FMS Overseas Lay Missions. Sabrina reflects on the ways God is inviting her to encounter Him in this new environment. Everyday I wake up amazed by God’s love. This is most definitely not an exaggeration. I…
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Surrendering to the “I Am” in the Womb of the Jungle
Editor’s Note: Current missioner, Tim Shelgren reflects on his experience at Mt. Tabor’s Beatitudes, a home for children who were born with different abilities. Since coming to Jamaica last February as an FMS missioner, I have spent most of my time serving primary school boys in the city of Kingston. Though I have learned to both tolerate and…
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“Praised Be to You, My Lord, For Sister Water”
Editor’s note: Missioner Aubrey Kimble reflects on how a trip to Amboró National Park gave her a chance to relax in a beautiful natural setting and reflect on care for creation. The university here in Carmen Pampa is currently on break. I decided to take advantage of the time given and went on a much-needed…
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Making it Rain
Editor’s Note: Missioner Brandon Newland reflects on the arrival of spring in Jamaica and the deeper life lessons that can be found in gardening. Despite the somewhat mild temperatures of winter in Jamaica, spring is still the beginning of the growing season for many crops. Last year we attempted a rather grandiose garden with one…
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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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Travel Spot: Garden of the Gods in Colorado
While on our Returned Missioner Retreat this past weekend, a small group took the vans to a beautiful andmark. We recommend you check it out! A rusty gateway to the great Rocky Mountains, the Garden of the Gods is a registered National Natural Landmark in Colorado Springs, Colorado. It is a unique public park…
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Natural Beauty Using Natural Ingredients
Recently Mary House, an organization where some of our Domestic Volunteers help out on Wednesdays, hosted a workshop on natural hair and skin care. Try some of these tips we learned and go natural with things you can easily find in your kitchen! Photo taken by Sarah Cady via Flickr Hair Care Tips Apple Cider…
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Take the First Step and Don’t Leave a Footprint!
Earth Day is in a couple of weeks and as a Franciscan organization we are looking forward to celebrating! With a new Pope expressing the urgent need of our attention to protecting the earth, a renewed push for environmental sustainability has rattled the religious world. Search “catholic earth day” on Google and you will receive…
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Ramadan: Do This in Memory of Me
To celebrate interfaith friendship and St. Francis’ history with Islam, Franciscan Fridays is starting a series on Ramadan. Check back every Friday though August 17 for posts by Fr. Michael Calabria, OFM. A master instructs a scribe. India, ca. 1590 On the stone altar in the church of my parents’ parish in Florida, on the…
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