culture
A Happy Ending
Editor’s Note: Ralph Anderson, a newly-commissioned missioner, reflects on FMS’s in-depth Formation for Overseas Lay Missioners and his experiences with living in intentional community. “What can they possibly teach me in thirteen weeks of Formation?” That was my thought before beginning Formation at Casa San Salvador. I knew there was a lot I needed to…
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Day 11: Food
Editor’s Note: Domonique Thompson, Lay Missioner and new DCSC volunteer, shares her relationship with food and how it’s encompassing nature blends so naturally into community for her. During quarantine many people picked up new hobbies or skills to fill those endless hours in their homes. Some took up an instrument, challenge, or even a language.…
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Language and Culture: A Vibrant Relationship
Editor’s note: Overseas missioner, Anna Metzger, reminisces on her time in Bolivia while at home in Kentucky. She dives into the connections between language and culture, considering lessons learned from her journey into the Quechua language. Most simply put, being home is hard. For years, I dreamed of living in Latin America, and just as…
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A Boricua Thinking of Home
Editor’s note:Missioner Stephanie Ashley Caban shares her perspective as a Puerto Rican concerned about the island after the devastation from Hurricane Maria. “Hey mom, I’m at a baseball game right now with the Casa, can I call you ba-” “Hola mami, soy yo, tu abuela! Te amo mucho!” “Abuela!!! Como está usted?!…
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Many Passions: An Interview with Stephanie Ashley Caban
Editor’s note: Missioner SarahJane Cauzillo compiled her interview with fellow missioner in training Stephanie Ashley Caban, who shared her journey to FMS and towards a sense of cultural identity. It’s early in the morning. The sun has yet to grace us with its presence, and the grass still glistens with the night’s dropping of dew.…
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Jesus Commands Us to Love – Faces of Unconditional Love
Editor’s Note: Missioner Janice Smullen starts her new blog series by reflecting on the transformative power of unconditional love. Sister Marita found a small baby bird, brought it inside, and began to feed and care for it. I was able to help by “bird-sitting” one weekend while she was away. We were manually putting a…
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Sharing Culture
Editor’s Note: After sharing about US culture with Jamaican preschoolers, Missioner Janice Smullen reflects on the differences and similarities between the cultures. I was invited by the guidance counselor of the St. Aloysius Infant School (preschool) to give a presentation about the United States. The children were learning about world cultures and had hosted visitors…
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A Merry “Little Christmas”
Editor’s note: Communications Manager Kim Puchir explores the many sacred days that fall in this part of the Church calendar. Sunday’s celebration of the Epiphany may seem like a footnote to a Christmas season that is already a fading memory. Not so in certain parts of the world, including a branch of the Catholic Church. In fact,…
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Marching with Survivors of Sexual Violence
Editor’s note: Missioner Valerie Ellis describes two events she participated in for the recent Bolivian National Day to Support Victims and Survivors of Sexual Violence. As we began the climb through the mountains, so did the sun. When our trufi got high enough to see the snow, we took chilly pictures over the landscape of…
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The Dippas
After the long wait, I finally arrived in Jamaica, and it has not failed to impress. Immediately I notice the unspeakable beauty of the island. Lush jungles, incredible coastal vistas, soft sand beaches, and cooling gentle breezes whistling through the palms. I also took note of the massive houses speckled around the island hills. Alongside…
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The Reality of Culture Shock
Culture shock is definitely a real thing. I have been feeling culture shock everywhere I look since coming to Bolivia. Everything is different here—from the way that things look, the concept of time, family structure and even the way that people go to the bathroom. During my first week I felt like I was walking…
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Mission Monday: “Hospitality”
Since they arrived in January early this year, the missioners have been living with host families while engaging language study. In this post, missioner Mary Mortenson describes the joys and graces she has received while living with her host family in Cochabamba, the Mustafa family. Nate and I have been here for a little under…
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Short-Term Mission and Global Awareness Trip Announcement!
Associate Director Mariam Kaldas tells you everything you need to know about the upcoming Short-Term Mission and Global Awareness Trip. Several weeks ago, executive director Kim Smolik and I returned from establishing a trip to Bolivia, and we are very excited to share with the itinerary with you. The trip is May 2-11, 2014 (both…
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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.…
Read MoreGroup Connects with Youth on Test Trip to South Africa
Video created by Domestic Volunteer Anna about her experience in South Africa as part of a Short-Term Mission and Global Awareness Trip. While winter weather raged back home in the states, a group from FMS led a gathering of young adults in the Electric Slide in the North-West region of South Africa. The group, piloted…
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Mission Monday: What it means to be without power.
As Superstorm Sandy raged and roared outside, missioner candidate Jeff Sved found that going without electricity would be very similar to his adjustment to a new culture and a new lifestyle. What does a week without electricity mean for a group of missioners-in-training?A little extra challenge. And a whole lot more to reflect on… For…
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Four Days in Bolivia – What Kitzi’s Seen So Far
After arriving safely in Bolivia, our newest missioners started their Spanish-immersion classes at the Maryknoll Language Institute yesterday. In her first blog post abroad, Kitzi Hendricks summarized her observations so far. As is common with new arrivals overseas, many of her observations are general and are from an outsider’s view. Her understanding and appreciation of the Bolivian culture…
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