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Takeaway Wednesday: Nonprofit Leadership Program!

Update: We have a new title for our domestic service program: Nonprofit Leadership Program!  This is an opportunity for Catholic women and men to gain experience in nonprofit work at Franciscan Mission Service while receiving faith formation through intentional community living and direct service.  Our 13 month program is a distinctive full-time volunteer program combining…

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The Light of One: Confessions of a Bad Listener

Continuing our daily Advent reflection series, Nonprofit Servant Leadership Associate Sarah Hoffeditz writes about how an individual encounter challenged her to listen to others more deeply. I’m a bad listener. Anyone who knows me knows how much I like to talk. I often spend most of my non-talking time in a conversation thinking about what I’m…

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Franciscan Friday: Former Volunteer Releases Album

During Anna Robinson’s time as a volunteer communications associate with Franciscan Mission Service, her community and coworkers were blessed by her many gifts. From dining room jam sessions, to music for Mass, to recordings of original arrangements for our YouTube videos, it was her musical talent in particular that blew us away. Suffice it to say…

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Meet Our New Volunteer, Jason!

A Spanish-speaking Anglo kid from Oregon who studied Theology in New Jersey and is working on a career as a web-based Catholic cartoonist: the life history of Jason Bach is nothing but varied. The latest chapter brings him to Washington, D.C. for a 13-month volunteer position as a communications associate with Franciscan Mission Service. Jason…

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Franciscan Friday: Combating Hunger in D.C.

In honor of September’s Hunger Action Month, we’re sharing experiences of combating hunger. In Washington, D.C. one in eight households struggles with hunger. D.C.’s poverty rate is the third highest in the nation, and on any given night, 6,000 people here are homeless. While our short and long-term international mission programs focus our attention on…

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Lifelong Accompaniment: Being inspired by our Returned Missioners

For more photos from our returned missioner retreat, please see our online album. Domestic Volunteer Sarah Hoffeditz writes about her experience last weekend as the Franciscan Mission Service staff joined some of our returned missioners in Colorado for a retreat we host every three years for those who have served with us. Their stories were…

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Franciscan Friday: Experiencing the Ministry of Presence

One of the hallmarks of Franciscan service is something we often refer to as the “ministry of presence” or “accompaniment.” From community gardens in Cochabamba to the slums of Nairobi to the after-school programs and homeless shelters in Washington, D.C., FMS missioners and volunteers spend their time focusing on being with people rather than doing…

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Meet Our Newest Volunteer, Chanda!

This National Volunteer Week is a special one as we welcome our newest full-time domestic volunteer to the Franciscan Mission Service team. Our volunteers serve in our headquarters doing administrative work for 35 hours a week and then spend five hours doing direct service in the community. From the far lands of Zambia, where she…

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Mission Monday: I Saw God in the Smile of Strangers

This week as part of our Lenten “Walking in Solidarity” series, we focus on practicing outreach and charity.  This past Wednesday our Domestic Volunteer Sarah began her direct service work at Miriam’s Kitchen and she reflects on her first day for this Mission Monday post. I saw God in the smiles of strangers. It was…

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Meet the new Domestic Volunteer: Sarah

It took 12 hours to drive from her hometown of Newton, Illinois, but Sarah Hoffeditz has made it to our headquarters in D.C. to join our staff and become the newest Domestic Volunteer. Sarah graduated in the spring of 2012 from Bellarmine University, a Catholic university where she appreciated the emphasis on social justice and…

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Recommended Reads – Reluctant Saint: The Life of Francis of Assisi

For today’s book review, Domestic Volunteer Anna Robinson shares a title that inspired the first steps of her Franciscan journey. Cover art of Spoto’s Book In 2010 I was selected to go with a group of students from my university to Italy on a Franciscan Pilgrimage. At the time I knew little about Italy and…

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Blessings in the New Year

Just as we are blessed to begin a new day, we are thankful to begin a bright new year!  2012 was a good year for us and we have much to look forward to in 2013. – The homecoming of eight missioners from Bolivia, South Africa, and Zambia. Nora Pfeiffer (Bolivia) Catherine Giller (Bolivia) Lynn…

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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…

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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 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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Franciscan Friday: Not The Only Fool In The Square

This past week our missioner candidates and domestic volunteers took a day retreat to reflect on the theme of Simplicity and Authenticity.  Domestic Volunteer Anna Robinson shares her take on the group discussions and the “Discipline of Simplicity.” Assisi’s town square – by Peter Gutierrez When you think of St. Francis, what is the first…

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Meet Our Newest Volunteer, Chelsea!

Chelsea Tanous recently joined our staff and volunteer community as program associate, jumping in to help with missioner formation and work on the Short-Term Mission and Global Awareness Trips. No stranger to service, Chelsea just finished a volunteer year in Connecticut with the Chi Rho Catholic Service Corps.  She served as a case worker at homeless shelter and as…

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National Volunteer Month Profile: Matt in DC

As program associate, domestic volunteer and Indianapolis native Matt Lorch appreciates the opportunity to work at FMS because it uniquely combines his interest in international service, Franciscan spirituality, nonprofit programming, and living in Washington, DC. Before starting at FMS in June 2011, Matt worked as a student mentor at Indiana University Purdue University Indianapolis and…

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National Volunteer Month Profile: Naomi in DC

Today’s volunteer profile is on the newest member of the FMS family: domestic volunteer Naomi Amsberry. Naomi came to us from Oregon on March 5 to serve as a development associate and office manager.“I was drawn toward the opportunity to live and work in a faith-based, relationship rich environment,” Naomi said. In addition to helping…

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National Volunteer Month Profile: Mariam in DC

In today’s volunteer spotlight, get to know Mariam Mitry, our associate director who started as FMS’ first domestic volunteer. “I came to volunteer with FMS because it was the perfect intersection of my passions: my faith in Christ, transformative cross-cultural experiences, and journeying with the poor and the oppressed. The fact that I now do…

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National Volunteer Month Profile: Christine in DC

Like most of our domestic volunteers, Christine Landau learned about FMS through the Catholic Volunteer Network. Her interests in humanitarian and environmental awareness and solidarity made FMS a great fit for her. “Volunteering at FMS allows me to encourage others to remember our shared calling to work towards a just distribution of the earth’s resources…

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FMS celebrates National Volunteer Month

April is National Volunteer Month and FMS kicks off our celebration with a message from our executive director, Kim Smolik. From a very young age, my parents gifted with me the experience of volunteering and lessons about the value of serving others. Through our church and community, we volunteered as a family throughout our hometown…

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A visit to the MLK memorial

Two of our domestic volunteers, Rachel Roa and Bridget Higginbotham, recently visited the new Martin Luther King Jr. National Memorial here in Washington, D.C. Bridget offers a reflection on their experience.  Photo by Bridget Higginbotham One benefit to volunteering is D.C. is that I am constantly surrounded by inspiration. From the beautifully spiritual people I’ve…

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