joy
Rejoice with Me!
Editor’s Note: In her first FMS blog post, lay missioner Mary Liepold, OFS describes her season of formation through the lens of joy. This phase of my new life is called formation, a spiritual, intellectual, and even physical preparation for the mission ahead. My Franciscan Mission Service formation began in August of 2023, with the…
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Agony and Joy
Editor’s Note: Along with a Servite Sister, lay missioner Joleen Johnson contemplates the connections between agony and joy, especially in regards to Jesus’ Passion and Resurrection. As the Easter season begins, I wondered: What is the connection between agony and joy (or ecstasy)? I asked this question to a very wise Servite Sister* living here…
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Day 10: Joy to Be Found
Editor’s Note: For day 10 of our Advent series, “The Day of Joy Drew Near,” Susan Sarkissian, a newly-commissioned missioner, recounts a season in her life when God helped her experience genuine joy. Today is a celebration of the birth of Jesus. There is great joy to be had in recognizing this incredibly humble and…
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Day 15: Open/Closed Doors
Editor’s Note: Development and Operations Associate Madeline McKissick reflects on accepting Jesus’ invitation to walk a path of trust. Looking back on doors that God closed to different opportunities, Madeline shares the sense of purpose she found in the door that opened to join DC Service Corps. I’ve always heard that when God closes a…
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Day 14: Joy
Editor’s Note: Sister Cathy Cahill, OSF, shares in excitement for this great joy that comes with the season. She reflects on the truth of His joy, how we can encounter it, and offers a prayer for us to each share the joy we’ve received with others, as joy itself only multiplies. Joy to This World!…
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Day 9: Music
Editor’s Note: DCSC Volunteer Airianna Beitler shares the power of music this time of year and the uniting joy it brings. This Advent is very different than we all expected it to be due to COVID-19. As I am reflecting on everything that brings me joy during this season, I can’t help but remember all…
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“God, You and I Dance.”
Editor’s note: Madeline McKissick, FMS Development Associate, reflects on her passion for dance and that correlation to the Lord’s relationship with each of his children. The beauty of the combined movement, the giving and taking between two entities, and the goodness of new creation from mutual reciprocity. I began taking dance classes when I was…
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Quiet Joy that Leads Me Home
Editor’s Note: Becky Kreidler reflects on the little joys of life that have revealed God’s presence. I’ll be the first to admit my heart often wanders. Even though I’ve felt God’s steadiness in my life, in my imperfectness, I can stray from His path. In this past season, I’ve been leaning on myself more than…
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March for Joy
Editor’s note: Development Associate Sam Hardwick reflects on what it means to “March for Life.” “What does it mean to ‘March for Life’?” This was the question that buzzed around my head the day of the March for Life in Washington, D.C. on January 19. Looking around at all of the people during the Mass…
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Allowing Joy to Find Me
Editor’s note: Missioner Erin McHugh reflects on the nature of joy and shares how she was able to find joy when she surrendered, relaxed, and practiced presence with those around her. “Somewhere along my journey, it happened. Quietly, imperceptibly, almost without my knowing it, I relaxed. Got comfortable with myself. I began enjoying myself, accepting…
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Be Not Afraid: Finding Joy
Editor’s Note: Graphic design and communications associate Kathleen Strycula reflects on the active nature of waiting. Do you know those times when you sit in front of your computer screen or notebook, waiting for artistic inspiration to strike? For those perfect words or the story you’ve always felt was waiting inside you? Or when you feel…
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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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Letting Go of Taking Life Too Seriously
Editor’s Note: Development Associate Sarah Sokora shares how the precarious walk to work after a recent snowstorm led to some deeper realizations and a reminder not to take herself so seriously. The Lord often shows Himself to me in little ways: an unexpected breeze, a warm sign of peace from the little old lady at mass…
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2015 World Care Benefit and Celebration Recap
When 190 people gathered in St. Francis Hall on May 1 for the 2015 World Care Benefit and Celebration, they expected to celebrate Franciscan Mission Service’s 25 years of sending lay Catholics on mission. No one, however, expected to be given drawing from a school in Guatemala or to be part of an impromptu sing-along…
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I Get by with a Little Help from My Friends
Lately my emotions have been all over the place. I get stressed out when I think of all the stuff I have to bring to and from the US. I’m stressed out about the missioners who will be leaving Bolivia (for good) while I’m away and won’t be here when I get back. Last but…
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Millennial Lenten Reflections: Light! Love! Joy!
Editor’s Note: The following is the final installment of our Millennial Lenten Reflections blog series in collaboration with Catholics in Alliance for the Common Good. We thank you for sharing your faith journey this Lent with us and all who contributed. Peace and all Good. Just as those first rays of sun illuminated the empty tomb…
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Embracing God’s Plan
I have been a planner my whole life. I rely on my color-coded calendar, countless to-do lists, and multiple email tabs everyday to keep myself organized and structured. I generally don’t enjoy being spontaneous or going with the flow. When I committed to FMS I liked knowing that I had a plan and a goal…
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Millennial Lenten Reflections: New Life
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. “A clean heart create for me, O God, and a steadfast spirit renew…
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Walking the Walk – I’m On My Way
Here’s the latest blog post from missioner-in-training Hady Mendez. Hady and her five classmates are training at our Washington, D.C. headquarters for service to Bolivia. We have been discussing the notion of “simplicity” during formation. Essentially, the act of “living more with less”. I wish I could explain the new direction my life is taking,…
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Outreach and Charity: Reflections and Answers to Why
For our week of Outreach and Charity, Domestic Volunteer Anna Robinson shares the lessons she has learned through multiple years and ways of volunteering, encouraging everyone to look at service in a new light. Volunteering was a requirement of me and my siblings growing up. Trips to the food pantry, the history museum, group highway…
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Encountering God in Hindsight
“Hindsight is 20/20” Today’s reflection on encountering God comes from our the manager of our hospitality house, Danielle Walsh. When I think about how I’ve seen God this year, I think of the old cliché about hindsight being 20/20. 2012 has been a busy year and I have to admit that, for me, busyness and…
Read MoreEncountering God in Joy
Happy Gaudete Sunday! As we light the pink candle on our Advent wreath today, we are filled with joy at the coming of Jesus. It is this joy that we are called to share with others so that they might see and encounter God through us. Rodger, a catechist who works with missioner Catherine Giller…
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Finding and Sharing Perfect Joy
The three members of our 28th Lay Mission Class have begun their training in Washington, D.C. Candidate Jeff Sved reflects on his formation so far. Over these first few weeks with FMS, one theme has continued to demand my attention. It has continued to surface during our various formation sessions and to dominate my personal…
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Prayers for Christmas: Joy to the World!
“Joy to the world, the Lord is come! Let earth receive her King; Let every heart prepare Him room, And Heaven and nature sing, And Heaven and nature sing, And Heaven, and Heaven, and nature sing.”Share in our joy with our “Prayers for Christmas” video. May you have a happy, healthy, holy day filled with…
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Prayers for Christmas: Joy
On this Gaudete Sunday, the third Sunday of Advent, we rejoice that Jesus is almost here, that our wait it almost over! Today’s joyful prayer for Christmas comes from Sr. Erika, one of missioner Lynn Myrick’s students in Bolivia. Sr. Erika is a St. Joseph sister studying to become a physical therapist. We’ve included her…
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