Following the Holy Family in Solidarity
Day 16: Beauty
Editor’s Note: On the sixteenth and final day of our Advent blog series, “Following the Holy Family in Solidarity,” Interim Executive Director Maggie Conley reflects on beautiful moments from the Advent and Christmas seasons. Advent is a time of prayer, a time of preparation, and a time of waiting. It is a season for prioritizing…
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Day 15: The Franciscan Family and Advent
Editor’s Note: On the fifteenth day of our Advent blog series, “Following the Holy Family in Solidarity,” Lay Missioner Ralph Anderson, OFS describes the Franciscan Family and how Saint Francis of Assisi was inspired to make the first manger scene. December 3, 1223. Francis of Assisi created the first creche (Manger Scene) in the Italian…
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Day 14: Sacredness
Editor’s Note: On the fourteenth day of our Advent blog series, “Following the Holy Family in Solidarity,” DC Service Corps alumnus Noah Duclos contemplates sacredness and what we hold to be sacred. What does it mean for something to be sacred? According to the Latin roots of the word, for something to be sacred it…
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Day 13: Healing
Editor’s Note: On the thirteenth day of our Advent blog series “Following the Holy Family in Solidarity,” DC Service Corps volunteer Tai Ha reflects on how he offers a ministry of presence to the patients at his ministry site, Christ House. Every morning, before I walk into Christ House, I say hi to the patients…
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Day 12: Comfort
Editor’s Note: On the twelfth day of our Advent blog series, “Following the Holy Family in Solidarity,” DC Service Corps alumna Jennifer Eburuoh shares her openness to comforting those around her, inspired by God’s call to be a comforter. “Comfort, give comfort to my people.” I recently read a commentary on this passage of Isaiah…
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Day 11: Small and Beautiful
Editor’s Note: On the eleventh day of our Advent blog series, “Following the Holy Family in Solidarity,” newly commissioned lay missioner Mary Liston Liepold, OFS reflects on Jesus’ humility, both in the Eucharist and in his Nativity. “O sublime humility! O humble sublimity!” Though St. Francis was speaking of the Eucharist when he wrote these…
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Day 10: Gospel
Editor’s Note: On the tenth day of our Advent blog series, “Following the Holy Family in Solidarity,” Hans Dethlefs, Chair of the FMS Board of Directors connects gratitude to the good news of the Gospel. I periodically find myself asking “What is the good news of the Gospel?” In our world full of strife, suffering,…
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Day 9: Home
Editor’s Note: On the ninth day of our Advent blog series, “Following the Holy Family in Solidarity,” Emma Edwards, Associate Director of Franciscan Volunteer Ministry shares what is most necessary in fostering a home environment and how it relates to being children of God. In this season of my life, I spend a lot of…
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Day 8: Communion
Editor’s Note: On the eighth day of our Advent blog series, “Following the Holy Family in Solidarity,” lay missioner Susan Sarkissian shares a moment from her faith journey when she experienced communion in a profound way. I spent decades away from my faith and the Catholic Church, and in those years, I knew an emptiness…
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Day 7: Contemplation
Editor’s Note: On the seventh day of our Advent blog series, “Following the Holy Family in Solidarity,” Br. Sam Roberts, OFM Cap. helps us understand the prayerful practice of contemplation. Contemplation is a muddy word. What does it mean? Maybe most of us imagine it being like a “deep pondering” where we can get existential…
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Day 6: Waiting
Editor’s Note: On the 6th day of our Advent blog series, “Following the Holy Family in Solidarity,” lay missioner Kim Wagner reflects on how God is with us during our various seasons of waiting. As I sit at the front desk at Casa Papa Francisco, a shelter for immigrants in El Paso, Texas, and wait…
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Day 5: Trust
Editor’s Note: On the fifth day of our Advent blog series, “Following the Holy Family in Solidarity,” DC Service Corps volunteer Anahi Vega shares a reflection on letting go and trusting God. Sometimes it’s hard to trust that everything will be okay. Trust that where you are is where you are supposed to be. Trust…
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Day 4: Solidarity
Editor’s Note: On the fourth day of our Advent blog series, “Following the Holy Family in Solidarity,” DC Service Corps volunteer Grant Diego describes what solidarity entails in an intentional community. In today’s world, where individualism often takes center stage, the concept of solidarity in community living serves as a powerful reminder of the strength…
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Day 3: Go Forth
Editor’s Note: On the third day of our Advent blog series, “Following the Holy Family in Solidarity,” lay missioner Julia Pinto reflects on the various ways that God calls us to “go forth,” whether on a physical or spiritual journey. There are many times in the Bible where God asks someone to “go forth,” to…
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Day 2: Refuge
Editor’s Note: On the second day of our Advent blog series, “Following the Holy Family in Solidarity,” DC Service Corps volunteer Cecilia Gillis reminds us that we are all refugees. You may have a hard time finding a central story in the Bible that does not involve migration or movement of some kind. God’s chosen…
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Day 1: The Holy Family
Editor’s Note: On the first day of our Advent blog series, “Following the Holy Family in Solidarity,” FMS Communications Coordinator Madeline Turley shares how the Holy Family embodies the spirit of solidarity. When I contemplate the Holy Family, composed of Jesus, Mary, and Joseph, I describe it as extraordinary, with emphasis on both “extra” and…
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