Kim Smolik'S ARCHIVE

• 2014: Year in Review

  
  

  • By Franciscan Mission Service
  • On December 31, 2014

  As 2014 draws to a close, we reflect with gratitude on the past year and those who make our ministries possible. Here are a few organizational highlights from another fruitful year of encouraging the laity […]

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• Forming New Disciples: 2014 World Care Benefit

  
  

  • By Franciscan Mission Service
  • On April 14, 2014

  Franciscan Mission Service recently celebrated the 2014 World Care Benefit! In today’s blog, we share the evening in a post of gratitude for Anselm Moons, OFM award recipient Jack Jezreel, keynote speaker Fr. Dan Horan, […]

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• Report from Guatemala: Potential New Service Site!

  
  

  • By Franciscan Mission Service
  • On March 11, 2014

  Thirty minutes east of Guatemala City, a Franciscan boarding school called Valley of the Angels lives its motto: “Give the best to the poor.” Their emphasis on restoring dignity through service resonates with Franciscan Mission […]

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• Report: Kim and Mariam Visit Missioners in Bolivia

  
  

  • By Franciscan Mission Service
  • On January 7, 2014

  On December 4, Franciscan Mission Service Director Kim Smolik and Associate Director Mariam Kaldas traveled to Bolivia for twelve days to visit the current missioners and provide a retreat for them. Annemarie Barrett, Kitzi Hendricks, and […]

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• Franciscan Friday: Bridge Building at the Summer Confabulation

  
  

  • By Franciscan Mission Service
  • On August 16, 2013

  Photo by flikr user Conrad Kuiper – Creative Commons Bridge building is important. It creates avenues for mutual understanding, opens the lines for communication, paves the way for peacemaking, fosters community,  and more. Bridge building […]

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• Encountering God in the Kitchen

  
  

  • By Franciscan Mission Service
  • On December 24, 2012

  Family and friends are gathering around tables these next few days to share meals and celebrate Christmas. Executive Director Kim Smolik reflects on how she has encountered God while preparing for such occasions. I love […]

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• Daring to Dream Anew: Kim Smolik Addresses CMSM Assembly

  
  

  • By Franciscan Mission Service
  • On August 30, 2012

  “Be more of who you are,” Franciscan Mission Service Executive Director Kim Smolik told Conference of Major Superiors of Men. The 200-plus attendees gathered in Texas earlier this month represented more than 17,000 Catholic religious […]

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• Finding God in “thin places”

  
  

  • By Franciscan Mission Service
  • On May 16, 2012

  “Thin places,” says New York Times writer Eric Weiner, are “locales where the distance between heaven and earth collapses and we’re able to catch glimpses of the divine, or the transcendent.” These places can confuse, […]

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• Prayers for Christmas: Volunteering and Human Rights

  
  

  • By Franciscan Mission Service
  • On December 10, 2011

  FMS Executive Director Kim Smolik offers a reflection as today’s prayer for Christmas: To say I am blessed in the work I do would be an understatement. I think a job like mine is a […]

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