faith
Finding Peace on an Ant Hill
Editor’s Note: Lay missioner Susan Sarkissian recalls a childhood memory and shares how it inspires her to find peace with other people and in nature. I recently walked past a hillside teeming with multiple varieties of vegetation. It struck me seeing this struggle for space, light, and air to breathe among this collection of grasses,…
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Day 31: Courage
Editor’s Note: Former DCSC volunteer Nayeli Garcia reflects on having the courage to recognize your full self, the sum of all that makes up who you are in this moment, and being able to grow in your faith through it. As individuals, we strive to be our true selves. We want to feel invincible, undefeated,…
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The Intersection of Business and Faith
Editor’s Note: Current missioner in formation Becky Kreidler, interviews DC Service Corps member Derek Slaton about his passion for business how his goals are motivated by faith. Meet Derek Slaton: Texas native, FMS Development Associate, and one of my community mates! I recently had the opportunity to talk with Derek about what matters to him…
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Faith Calls Us to be Neighbors: Welcome to the Advent Blog Series!
Editor’s note: Associate Director Meghan Meros introduces FMS’ Advent blog series, “Faith Calls Us to be Neighbors,” with a welcome story from Egypt. Tired. Hungry. Disoriented. In need of a shower. After traveling for nearly 24 hours to Cairo, Egypt, I was so ready to sleep, so ready to eat and to stop being in…
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Sorry I Forgot the Camera
Editor’s Note: Missioner Janice Smullen reflects on some of the new sights she’s seen in Jamaica and how sometimes it’s less about getting the photo and more about engaging the people and sharing bits of each other’s stories. There was an old Saturday Night Live skit, probably in the 70’s, with (I think), Buck Henry…
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The Little Things: Moments of Certainty in an Uncertain World
Editor’s Note: Communications associate Maria Beben continues her mini-series “The Little Things.” In the world, we are constantly faced with decisions and have no guarantee of how our choices will pan out. This uncertainty can be paralyzing, but it is in moments of trust that we are led to the beautiful freedom of certainty. Check back next Wednesday for the next installment in the…
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Prisoners doing Prison Ministry, Wait…What?
It was an interesting day at prison. I came as I usually do on Thursday morning to facilitate the faith-sharing group I helped to start last August. It’s been one full year since the day I decided to take the leap of faith. I saw the need for this group and there was a lot…
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Witness to Hope
If you ever visit Valley of the Angels, you’ll probably hear someone say that Valley is less of an institution and more of a family. We eat meals together, do chores together, and learn lessons in and out of the classroom together. In my six months at Valley, I have become close to many people,…
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Would you Choose Hard or Soft?
The other day I found myself in a situation. I needed to buy toilet paper but all of the regular places to buy were closed. I was left with the option of buying really soft, really expensive toilet paper. I did what I had to do, but it was painful. Although what I had was…
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“Something’s lost that must be found” – Celebrating St. Anthony of Padua
Editor’s Note: The following post was written by Br. Brian Stacy, OFM Cap. in honor of the June 13 feast of St. Anthony of Padua. “Tony, Tony, turn around! Something’s lost that must be found!” It’s probably one of the most widely known Catholic prayers alongside the Our Father and Hail Mary. St. Anthony of…
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Welcome Emily and Mercedes!
We are happy to announce that earlier this month we welcomed two new members to the FMS staff: Emily Norton and Mercedes Matthews. Emily Norton will be assuming the role of Programs Manager, supporting our missioners in the field, coordinating short-term mission trips, and directing formation for new missioners. Born and raised in Portland, Ore.,…
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Throwback Thursday: “Laity Co-Lead with Clergy” by Anselm Moons, OFM
Editor’s Note: In celebration of our 25th year of preparing and supporting lay missioners, we look back to our archives at a World Care newsletter from 1991 in which our founder, Anselm Moons, OFM, describes the changes that need to be made to the idea of evangelization and the role the laity have to play in…
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Rooted in Mother Earth
Life as a Franciscan missioner is full of transition and change. We learn to expect the unexpected and that we are never in control. And the more I reflect on it, the more I realize that these are all just parts of being an adult, the challenging process of learning to embrace change. The Bolivian…
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Millennial Lenten Reflections: Stay the course
Editor’s Note: The following is part of Millennial Lenten Reflections, a blog series in collaboration with Catholics in Alliance for the Common Good. Short reflections on the day’s readings, written by young adults from FMS and other organizations, will be posted everyday throughout Lent. We’re well into Lent. Perhaps what we gave up (or promised ourselves to…
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Millennial Lenten Reflections: He is close to me, and to you
Editor’s Note: The following is part of Millennial Lenten Reflections, a blog series in collaboration with Catholics in Alliance for the Common Good. Short reflections on the day’s readings, written by young adults from FMS and other organizations, will be posted everyday throughout Lent. Jesus knew His purpose in life would require intense suffering and the ultimate…
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Millennial Lenten Reflections: Let go of control, embrace God
Editor’s Note: The following is part of Millennial Lenten Reflections, a blog series in collaboration with Catholics in Alliance for the Common Good. Short reflections on the day’s readings, written by young adults from FMS and other organizations, will be posted everyday throughout Lent. It is tempting to measure the health of our faith—and that of others—by…
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Millennial Lenten Reflections: Confronting Fear
Editor’s Note: The following is part of Millennial Lenten Reflections, a blog series in collaboration with Catholics in Alliance for the Common Good. Short reflections on the day’s readings, written by young adults from FMS and other organizations, will be posted everyday throughout Lent. Fear is an emotion I know well. I feel afraid daily living as…
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Millennial Lenten Reflections: God Knows Best
Editor’s Note: The following is part of Millennial Lenten Reflections, a blog series in collaboration with Catholics in Alliance for the Common Good. Short reflections on the day’s readings, written by young adults from FMS and other organizations, will be posted everyday throughout Lent. In today’s readings, we read two seemingly competing stories of God speaking of…
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At Long Last!
Well I finally did it. I made it to Jamaica. After about a month of being at home and ending the sadness of the Superbowl, I have arrived to this beautiful country of Jamaica. A country known for it’s beaches , resorts, and heat. The week that I came to Jamaica was the start of…
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Feast day of Our Lady of Lourdes
“Would you do me the kindness of coming here?” This is the invitation that Mary extended to Bernadette in the Grotto at Lourdes in 1858, asking her to meet there for 15 days. This invitation is offered to every person, even 157 years later because Lourdes isn’t about an apparition, it’s not about a girl…
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Bonds of Friendship
Editor’s Note: The following is part of our daily holiday series celebrating “The Shared World.” Mariam is a former employee and close friend of FMS. My two closest friends from childhood are Marjie, a Conservative/Orthodox Jew, and Sehreen, an Ismaili Muslim. As an Orthodox Christian, I have always been thankful to have their perspectives along my…
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Franciscan Friday: “The Joy of Love through Commitment”
Casa San Salvador is the intentional faith community where Franciscan Mission Service Domestic Volunteers live along with Katie Miller and James Luisi, who work at NETWORK. Today we chat with Casa San Salvador House Manager Slavka Brigantova to learn more about her faith and how it inspires her to live in community. Slavka, you are…
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Conversations on Faith
Missioner-in-training Nate Mortenson talks about journeying through mission formation together with his wife Mary. The couple is preparing to go to Bolivia in January. Mary Mortenson, as photographed by Nate Mortenson Mary and I got away for our weekly date-night on Tuesday. They’ve become pretty important for us living in the residential community with other…
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Taste and See: Surrendering My Will
Part of our mission preparation program includes regular volunteering with impoverished or vulnerable populations in the area. Today missioner-in-training Valerie Ellis talks about the first few weeks of her volunteer experience. My dream for going on mission is to work with children, and I was thrilled when I received the email from Franciscan Mission Service …
Read MoreMission Monday: Share A Lifetime of Experience
Long-term overseas mission isn’t just for young people. After decades of work and life experience, those of you in your 40s, 50s and 60s have something to share with the global community. You have skills. You have compassion. You have love. Our program prepares you for service abroad, supports you while you’re in the field,…
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Ramadan: Being Conscious of God
“Fasting is prescribed for you…that you may taqwa.” (Qur’an 2.183) Taqwa. It’s a hard word to pronounce correctly unless you’ve mastered Arabic pronunciation. The q-sound (qaf) is made far back in the throat, not like the more superficial k-sound (kaf). And because of the q-sound, the pronunciation of the preceding ta- is changed. Taqwa is…
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Sharing Our Faith Story
“We come to share our story”: FMS community coming together in prayer and reflection following our fall formation. For the FMS community, the DC Fourth of July brought the usual parades, musical performances at the Capitol Building and of course the fireworks by the Washington Monument. On July 4th, visitors traveling downtown also had the…
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A Letter from the Ixcán
We are honored to be able to share a reflection and letter from one of our Return Missioners, Kathy Snider. Following her three years of service with Franciscan Mission Service, Kathy helped to found the Ixcán Ministries, a Christian lay mission organization serving as a ministry of presence among the indigenous poor of the remote…
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