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Bolivian woman on mic

Handing Over the Microphone

“Les invitamos a escuchar a nuestras hermanas. Abrimos este espacio para que ellas puedan compartir sus experiencias. Ahora este espacio es para ellas.”  “We invite you all to listen to our sisters. We open this space so that they can share their experiences with you. Now this space is for them.” I was holding the…

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Throwback Thursday in honor of Laudato Sii: Mother Earth Teaches

Today Pope Francis releases his environmental encyclical “Laudato Sii,” whose name comes from Saint Francis’ of Assisi’s Canticle of Creation. In celebration, we reshare last summer’s series “Earth Mother Teaches: Digging Deeper into Faith, Community and Justice” in which Franciscan lay missioner Annemarie Barrett reflects on what she has learned from working with communities in Cochabamba, Bolivia,…

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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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“Necesitamos menos ciencia y más Pachamama”

Continuing our series Sacraments and Social Mission: Living the Gospel, Being Disciples, current missioner Annemarie Barrett writes about her relationship with the Earth, its presence in her life, and her ongoing conversion. When I am in Santa Rosa, time is relative. We spend less energy worrying about what time it is or when we need…

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Spirit, Body, and Earth: A Missioner’s Transformation

Continuing our series Sacraments and Social Mission: Living the Gospel, Being Disciples, current missioner Annemarie Barrett writes about her relationship with the Earth, its presence in her life, and her ongoing conversion. I did not grow up gardening. I never got much into my science classes. I preferred reading and writing and making art to…

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Sacraments and Social Mission: The Eucharist as Mystery

Continuing our series Sacraments and Social Mission: Living the Gospel, Being Disciples, current missioner Annemarie Barrett writes about her relationship with the Earth, its presence in her life, and her ongoing conversion. As a Catholic, my faith has taught me to reverence the mystery in myself, in others and in all of creation, to honor…

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Mission Monday: Community Gardens in Bolivia

As a Franciscan organization rooted in the commitment of caring for creation, Earth Day is a very special time for us. We are especially joyous today because our newest lay missioners in Cochabamba, Bolivia have been recently participating in some great ecological endeavors while exploring the ministries in which they’ll serve. From community gardens to…

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Franciscan Friday: Coming Together to Be Good Stewards

We wrap up this week’s Walking in Solidarity theme of “Investing in Solidarity: Stewardship of Resources” with a reflection by Br. Hermann Borg, OFM, a German friar serving in Kenya with the Mother Earth Network. Some of Mother Earth Network’s ministries include planting trees, environmental conservation and restoration, community mobilization, education and raising awareness about…

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The Earth Day that Pachamama led an anti-litter campaign

Missioner Jean Lechtenberg dressed up as Pachamama for Earth Day 2008 in Carmen Pampa, Bolivia To the indigenous peoples of the Andes, everything is inhabited by spirits – rocks, trees, mountains – but Pachamama is the earth itself. She is the source of all life, fruit, grain, springs of water, and the mineral riches of…

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