Prayers for Christmas: Dreams and Goals

"My hope for the new year is that everyone I love fulfills their dreams and goals." 


- Sylvia, a student worker at the pastoral juvenil vocacional in Bolivia where missioner Lynn Myrick teaches English and coordinates a film series.





On this New Year's Eve, Franciscan Mission Service certainly doesn't believe that "old acquaintances should be forgot and never brought to mind".

In fact, we look forward to strengthening our partnerships and forming new ones in the new year. It is our dream to become a central point where the laity and religious can gather to share, celebrate and promote the Franciscan charism.

How we're working on these partnerships in 2012:

• Potential new mission site: Our program director Rhegan Hyypio will travel to Brazil in May to meet with Franciscans to explore the potential of starting a new mission site there. Having sent missioners — including Rhegan — to Brazil in the past, we are very excited about the possibility of returning to serve its people again.
• Franciscan Soup Suppers: Lay people and religious are invited to gather each month to socialize over soup and bread. There will also be a featured presentation on a Franciscan related theme, followed by small group discussion. The monthly gatherings will be held at Casa San Salvador (our DC headquarters). Join us for our first in the series on Sunday, January 29. All who are interested are welcome to join us from 5 to 7 p.m.
• Franciscan Symposium weekend: We have a beautiful tradition of working with other mission-sending organizations for the joint formation of our missioners. Knowing the benefits of such collaboration, we hope to meet with other Franciscan full-time lay volunteer programs in a symposium this February.The two-day gathering will allow us all to dream and consider how we can collaborate our efforts to support Franciscan service and to share the Franciscan charism with the laity.

Please keep FMS in your prayers in 2012 as we strive to attain our dreams and goals. And as a reminder: It's not too late to show your support this year by making a tax-deductible donation.

May all of our friends — old and new, near and far— have a Happy, Healthy and Holy New Year!

Prayers for Christmas: Generous Heart and Perseverance

Dan McNeil on mission in Novosibirsk, Siberia (1992-1995)

Today's prayer comes from returned missioner Dan McNeil who served in the Siberian city of Novosibirsk, Russia from 1992 to 1995.

“My prayer for the New Year is what I pray nearly each day: Lord, help me to be good soil; ready to receive you with a generous heart, to persevere and to bring you good fruit.”

While in Siberia, Dan worked with the social service organization Caritas constructing a home for children, processing and distributing humanitarian aid received from abroad, and supporting the work of volunteers to feed the homeless.

Local mission to North America as an essential part of the FMS program. Returned lay missioners seek ways to share the experience gained overseas with the Church and society.

When Dan came back from Russia, he worked in development for two nonprofit organizations that help people with mental illness to live as independently as possible – Guild Incorporated and The Guild of Catholic Women—before he founded his own organization in 1998.

The Peace Maker Foundation provides resources to schools to establish conflict resolution and non-violence programs for its students, and Dan currently serves as the executive director.

Because of his commitment to service and Franciscan ideals of simplicity, peacemaking, social justice, and respect for creation, Dan received the first Joseph Nangle, OFM, Lifelong Mission Award from FMS in 2009.

Deadline for tax-deductible donations: Dec. 31

Original photo by Charles Thompson

Don't miss your chance to make a tax-deductible gift in 2011 and help us promote peace and social justice through Franciscan lay mission!

Donations made out to "Franciscan Mission Service" must be postmarked to P.O. Box 29034, Washington, DC 20017 or submitted online by 11:59 p.m. on December 31 to met the tax deadline.

FMS is a 501(c)(3) non-profit, so the full amount of your gift to us is deductible for Federal income tax purposes. Along with the acknowledgment of your gift, you'll receive in the mail a donation tax receipt with our tax ID number and a summary of your donations for the year which should be kept for your records.

Forbes has a great article with 12 tips for year-end charitable giving, and we'd be happy to answer questions about giving to FMS.

With your gracious contributions last year, we were able to:

Provide nutritional meals, health education, and a caring mentor for more than 400 children living in poverty in Bolivia.	Start a library and provide computer classes to improve literacy in an area where books are rare and computers are almost unheard of in Zambia.	Provide health care, companionship, and end-of-life care to hundreds of individuals living with AIDS in South Africa.

Today's prayer for Christmas comes from Rachel Roa, FMS development associate and domestic volunteer, who processes our donations.

"My prayer this Christmas and the New Year is that our supporters know how appreciated they are because we can not do much without them. Just like every family is supported by relatives and friends, we at FMS are supported by a huge extensive family. Whether it's the woman who can only give $1 or the couple that gives $3,000, there's more to a donation than just the check, there's somebody behind it. Each person's time and contribution is just as important as the next."

Prayers for Christmas: Life and Health

"A voice was heard in Ramah, sobbing and loud lamentation; Rachel weeping for her children, and she would not be consoled, since they were no more." - Matthew 2:18/Jeremiah 31:15

Massacre of the Innocents

On this Feast of the Holy Innocents, the Church remembers the boys under the age of two near Bethlehem who were killed in Herod's fury.

Two thousand years later, innocent lives are still lost in massacres and genocides around the world.

Javier, a friend of returned missioner Kathy Snider, was wounded in a massacre just outside of his village of Santiago Ixcan at the height of the violence of the Guatemalan civil war in the early '80s.

Today he shares his prayer with us:

“My prayer for the New Year is that God will grant us more years to live and have good health for me and my family because life and health are the most important things we have.” 

As a result of his injuries, Javier still sufferers from anxiety, headaches and gastritis. Last year he fell out of a tree, injuring his back and leaving him unable to walk for months. He is healing, but unable to lift heavy things. Javier and his wife Rosa have six children.

It is our hope that our missioners may continue to be instruments of peace by serving as healing presences and bridges of reconciliation.

Help support our peacekeepers through a gift this year.

Prayers for Christmas: Renewal

Today's prayer comes from Lynn Myrick, a missioner currently serving in Bolivia:

"I am grateful that God continually renews the human spirit in the midst of suffering and struggle. 

In the new year, I bless the efforts of all those who strive to renew the earth: artists, musicians, scientists, teachers, engineers, doctors and nurses — in the words of Adrienne Rich, 'those who age after age, perversely, with no extraordinary power, reconstitute the world.'"

Bolivian flute player	Lynn and Joel, missioners/teachers	Agronomy student at UAC

Children dancing in Bolivia	Nurses at church ceremony in Bolivia	Lee, missioner, painting a creche

Franciscan Mission Service is blessed by the diverse talents of our missioners and their communities overseas. It is our hope that their presence in healthcare, education, ecology and church ministry will create channels of peace and beacons of hope abroad and in North America.

"There are different kinds of spiritual gifts but the same Spirit; there are different forms of service but the same Lord; there are different workings but the same God who produces all of them in everyone. To each individual the manifestation of the Spirit is given for some benefit." 1 Corinthians 12:4-7

Have you considered using your gifts as a missioner overseas?

Prayers for Christmas: Wisdom and Strength in the New Year

The Christmas liturgical season is just beginning! Join us through the new year in praying with our missioners and those they serve overseas.

Today's prayer for Christmas comes from Noemi, a teacher at an after-school program in Bolivia where our missioner Catherine serves.
“Lord, for the next year I ask you to continue to bless me, and to give me wisdom to change things that I can change, and to strengthen me to accept the things I can not change. 
I pray that you bless and cover us with your mantle of prayer over all my family and friends and all the world, so that we behave as brothers and sisters of truth and receive a heart of love.” 

It's not too late to add your own prayer to our wall.

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 the love of Christ.

Prayers for Christmas: Why Christmas?

Original photo by Ambuj Saxena

"Why Christmas?

Our vision, our purpose, our goal: to know, to love, and to serve God.

To know God, to know the love between the Trinity, to know the Son, and through Him the Father, and the love that is the Spirit. To know the almighty, the creator, the everlasting, the all-knowing, the powerful. And to know that this person more powerful than earthquakes, hurricanes, tornados, lightning, thunder, immense water falls, loves us individually, even to knowing the hairs on our head. He cares about each of us.

If we know these things about Him and so much more, how can we not love Him? He is the example of a perfect lover. We know that He loves us enough to have come to earth in a form we could easily relate to, a baby. He grew into a young man who lived a difficult life while he taught his apostles and disciples about heaven and His Father. He established a Church to sustain us throughout the ages. He even gave us the sacraments to maintain and encourage us. He died for us. So it should not be hard to love Him. And we can ask for His help in learning this loving as well as in our other problems and weaknesses in life.

And can we serve a God who we can know, who has shown us how He loves us and shows us that we can love Him? Christ has told us that we are to love God and love our neighbor. He has set out the Beatitudes to give us more specific guidelines. And He gave us the examples of His serving others during His own lifetime. 

So, 'Why Christmas?' Perhaps because we need a yearly reminder of His love. Perhaps we need to recommit ourselves to the knowing, loving, and serving."

--Cecilia Marcy, FMS missioner, South Africa

Cecilia and her husband Tim are on their second mission with FMS. They currently serve AIDS patients at St. Francis Clinic in Johannesburg.  

Franciscan Mission Service is so thankful for the loving service of the Marcys and all of our missioners overseas. We are grateful for all of our donors who allow us to continue to train and send missioners as lights of Christ to the poorest corners of the Earth.  

We pray that you — our missioners, donors, partners and friends around the world— know the joy and hope of the Christmas season.

Prayers for Christmas: Witness of Love

"This Christmas I am grateful that the love God showed the world in sending His Incarnate Son has been shown again to me personally in the grace of His sending me to witness to that Love, Jesus Christ, in Africa." - Sandra Bradford, missioner, Zambia

Sandra serves with her husband Bryce through a partnership with the Province of the Franciscan Protomartyrs, OFMConv of Zambia. They are involved in a variety of ministries run by the friars of St. Francis Friary, including teaching at a local Franciscan high school of 700 students and helping prepare rooms and lead food safety lessons at the retreat center.

Through her teaching ministry, Sandra has learned that a dictionary is a precious thing in Zambia, costing three days' wages of a common laborer. The only dictionary in her English classroom is the one she carries so that her 100 students can look up the meanings of hard words they encounter in their brand new textbooks or magazines.

One morning, a bright student asked, "Mrs. Bradford, do you know the definitions of all the words in the dictionary by heart?"

Sandra answered that she knew most of the words in the articles and stories they were reading together. But just like her students, she had to use a dictionary to look up words used in science, math, economics and government. The girl said, "That's a relief. I was afraid I would have to memorize the whole dictionary, because I want to be an English teacher like you some day."

Help support Sandra and Bryce on mission in Africa by making a gift to FMS this Christmas.

Prayers for Christmas: Food and Health

We hear the Canticle of Mary, the Magnificat, in today's Gospel from Luke:

"My soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord;
my spirit rejoices in God my savior.
for he has looked upon his lowly servant.
From this day all generations will call me blessed:
the Almighty has done great things for me,
and holy is his Name.
He has mercy on those who fear him
in every generation.
He has shown the strength of his arm,
and has scattered the proud in their conceit.
He has cast down the mighty from their thrones
and has lifted up the lowly.
He has filled the hungry with good things,
and the rich he has sent away empty.
He has come to the help of his servant Israel
for he remembered his promise of mercy,
the promise he made to our fathers,
to Abraham and his children for ever."

Like Mary, we prepare for the coming of Christ this Advent and rejoice in all that God has done for us. As Christmas draws nearer, we continue to reflect on the prayers our own lowly servants, our missioners and the poor people abroad about whose journeys they have joined.

Soup at Tiqti Sud lunch program

Today's prayer comes from Bolivia, one of the poorest and least developed countries in Latin America. Dona Severina, is a cook at the lunch program at Tiqti Sud Chapel and Center which provides meals and snacks for children in need:

"My prayer for the New Year is that God may provide us with another year of health and food, enough to last the whole year." 

FMS missioner Catherine Giller has worked at Tiqti Sud through her ministry at the Office of Social Program through the Franciscan parish of San Carlos. More than 400 children have been fed through the office's programs.

Help FMS continue to "fill the hungry with good things". Give a gift today. 

Prayers for Christmas: Silent Night

Today's prayer for Christmas comes from Rhegan Hyypio, FMS program director and returned missioner who served in Brazil from 2005 to 2007 and Bolivia from 2007 to 2008.

"May we truly hear the cry of the poor, hungry, sick, afflicted and marginalized in our midst this Christmas. And may we respond in love, acting with mercy and justice to help bring about that 'Silent Night' and New Creation that we all yearn for. Until that time comes, may God strengthen us to struggle onward for peace and justice."

Christmas celebration in Brazil, narrated by Rhegan Hyypio of FMS

While Rhegan was on mission in Brazil, the faith community came together for a wonderful Christmas celebration. Children played roles in the Christmas story and Rhegan narrated. Families brought food to share including fresh baked bread. One family even made the nativity scene or creche (which means "crib"), seen in the background of the photo.

The tradition of creche scenes and dramatizations were popularized by St. Francis of Assisi in 1223 in an Italian town called Greccio.  He wrote to his friend Giovanni (John) Vellita,"For I wish to recall to memory the little child who was born in Bethlehem. I want to set before our bodily eyes the hardships of his infant needs, how he lay in the manger, how with an ox and ass standing by he lay upon the hay."

The scene at Greccio was simple: a donkey, an ox and a figure of the baby Jesus laid under an alter in a cave - no Mary, no Joseph, no Magi. 

When the town's people heard, they lit torches and candles and climbed the hill to the cave for midnight Mass where Francis preached a heartfelt sermon through song. "Francis viewed the celebration as a privilege and spoke of Christmas as a feast of gentleness, humility, generosity and above all poverty," say the Franciscan Friars, TOR.

The humiliation of the Incarnation overwhelmed Francis, who wanted to emphasize to others “how poor [Jesus] chose to be for our sakes.”

Help us humbly serve others born into poverty through a generous gift this Christmas. 

Prayers for Christmas: More of God, Less of Us

John the Baptist spent his life announcing the coming of Christ. When Jesus was beginning his public ministry, John said "He must increase; I must decrease" (John 3:30). John had done his job in baptizing with water, and it was now time to step aside for the one who would baptize with fire and the Holy Spirit.

Bolivian Christmas tree and creche

Today's prayer from returned missioner Jean Lecthenberg reminds us of the need to seek and accept the life-giving gifts God has for us (peace, acceptance, kindness...) and turn away from solutions that are temporary, and often hurtful, as we prepare the way for Jesus this Advent.

“For Christmas and the new year I pray for:
More peace, less violence
More acceptance, less judging
More kindness, less pettiness
More beauty, less crassness
More giving, less acquiring
More love.”  


From 2007 to 2009, Jean and her husband Lee served in Bolivia where she taught English at the Universidad Academica Campesina in Carmen Pampa. The rural Catholic university provides an education to students who would have otherwise not have gone to school. These students return home with their degrees and experience in nursing, education, agronomy, veterinary sciences and ecotourism and to help and contribute to their communities. 


Jean also taught reading to children in first through fourth grades with reading difficulties. In conjunction, she established a children's library and worked with others to collect books. 

Jean reading with a child in Bolivia

Read about and see great photos from Jean and Lee's mission experience on their blog, Jean and Lee in Bolivia.

Support FMS this Christmas by purchasing a commemorative print of one of Lee's paintings. Each one is numbered and signed. 

Prayers for Christmas: Jesus

“This Christmas I am thankful for the sky, the flowers, the trees, and the people around me --- and that Jesus died for us.” 

- 90-year-old South African woman to whom FMS missioner Tim Marcy brings communion weekly

Photo by Rennet Stowe

It might seem strange to talk about Jesus' death this time of year. Suffering and death don't seem to have a place among the sights and sounds of Christmas - joyous carols, sprigs of holly, jingling bells, strings of bright lights.

But the innocent Christ child whose birth we celebrate this season came into the world for a reason. "For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life (John 3:16)."

Jesus' birth and resurrection were part of God's plan. As followers of Christ, we are also called to continue the mission to bring hope, peace and love to the world. Our missioners are open to God's plan for this life, and, in the tradition of St. Francis, follow Christ's example of feeding the hungry, tending to the sick, visiting the imprisoned, and helping the poor.

This Christmas, will you give a gift to help our missioners continue to walk with the poor around the world? 

Prayers for Christmas: International Migrants Day

In honor of International Migrants Day, today's prayer for Christmas comes from Juan, an undocumented Guatemalan working in the United States and a friend of returned missioner Kathy Snider:

"This Christmas I am thankful to God for all his benefits, especially for my good health and the fact that I am working. I ask God to help and strengthen me to withstand the hardships and difficulties in order to do God’s will and go forward.”

The United Nations created International Migrants Day in 2000 in celebration of the ten-year anniversary of the adoption of the International Convention on the Protection of the Rights of All Migrant Workers and Members of Their Families. Since then, December 18 has become a day to celebrate and emphasize human rights and fundamental freedoms of migrants.

One of FMS' core values is the belief in the absolute and fundamental dignity of each individual and creation. We are excited to have our missioners promote this dignity through their presence, accompaniment, and advocacy around the world.

In Kenya, a community of Franciscans has asked newly-commissioned FMS missioner Susan Salvin to come to work in their human rights education office and to set up a free legal clinic. "I am especially looking forward to working with unrepresented IDPs (Internally Displaced Persons) who lost their homes as a result of regional conflicts and political unrest, especially during the post-election violence of 2008," says Susan. She will begin her two-year mission to Nairobi starting in January.

To support Susan and the rest of our missioners as they promote human rights, please consider making a donation this Christmas.

Prayers for Christmas: Family

The Gospel for today looks at Jesus' family tree. Forty-two generations culminate in the birth of Christ.

Generations of our own families gather in celebration of this birth this time of year.

"I thank God that for having had one more year of my family being together. At Christmas we reconfirm the unity of our family, which is worth much more than any presents that may be exchanged." 

- Dania, member of the secular Franciscans and Movement of Justice and Peace. A friend of missioner Nora Pfieffer who serves in Bolivia

Jesse Tree by Robert Terrell

While many families gather around a Christmas tree, some use a simple, special decoration during Advent to celebrate the genealogy of Jesus: A Jesse Tree.

The tradition is based on Isaiah11:1- 2, “But a shoot shall sprout from the stump of Jesse, and from his roots a bud shall blossom. The spirit of the Lord shall rest upon him: a spirit of wisdom and of understanding, a spirit of counsel and of strength, a spirit of knowledge and of fear of the Lord.” 

Symbols representing Old Testament stories of Jesus' ancestors or prophecies of his coming are hung on the tree each day of Advent -- Noah's Ark, Jacob's ladder, Jonah in the Whale, etc. The final symbol is the Star of David which on Christmas Eve is placed on top of the tree.

To learn more about the Jesse Tree and how to make one with your family, visit AmericanCatholic.org. 

Prayers for Christmas: Art and Sharing

Photo from flickr, localjapantimes

Today's prayer for Christmas comes from Andrew Kaleya, a Zambian artist and friend of missioners Sandra and Bryce Bradford.

"My prayer is to support my family through art in this coming year, and also to be able to share with others the little things which we have during Christmas."  

Andrew and his wife have four children, ages 7 to 14. They also care for 16-year-old orphaned nephew, one of Zambia's 1.3 million orphans.

What is your prayer for Christmas? Share it on our prayer wall. 

Prayers for Christmas: Compassion

Happy Feast of Blessed Mary Frances Shervier, member of the Secular Franciscan Third Order and founder of the Franciscan Sisters of the Poor!

Frances dedicated herself and her congregation to the healing of all persons, especially the poor and the suffering. "I believed that I saw the Lord himself in the poor and the sick, and I was overjoyed at being able to serve and care for him."

Today's prayer for Christmas shares the compassion Frances had for the sick. It comes from Charlie, a retired mental health worker and friend of returned missioners Lee and Jean Lechtenberg.

"My prayer this Christmas is that we have more compassion and understanding of those with mental illness."

Charlie prays each Mass for "our brothers in prison" because he knows a young man serving time who is mentally ill, not criminal.

Photo by Shad Gross

Prayers for Christmas: Reason for the Season

"My prayer for Christmas is that the REAL reason for the season takes ahold of our hearts and grows us more in God's unabounding love." 

- Michael Redell, FMS lay mission class 27

Kitzi and Michael at their commissioning. Photo by Gerald Martineau.

 It is because of God's love that Michael and fellow missioner Kitzi Hendricks have been called by name to serve in Bolivia and love the people there.

At their commissioning Mass on the second Sunday of Advent, Michael and Kitzi proclaimed their intentions to follow Christ and to serve with open minds, compassionate hearts, loving hands and peaceful spirit as they walk with the people of Cochabamba.

The wonderful community of Our Lady Queen of Peace in Arlington, VA, where Michael and Kitzi have attended since they arrived in DC, accepted our missioner's commitment and extended a blessing in return.

We were also excited to see familiar faces from the Assisi Community, the Society of African Missions and our board of directors in the pews and at the reception. The support of compassionate individuals, other Franciscans and mission-sending organizations means so much as our missioners prepare to bring the light of Christ to others through their loving presence.

Please pray for Michael and Kitzi as they begin their mission. To financially support them, please give a tax-free gift today.

Prayers for Christmas: The Poor and Tolerance

Fred Cain in Brazil

"The Lord hears the cry of the poor." - Responsorial psalm appointed for today.


Our prayer for Christmas comes from Fred Cain, one of our returned missioners who served in Brazil from 1999 to 2001.

"This Christmas, I am thankful for the reminder that Jesus is among us in the guise of the poor and marginalized. My prayer for the holiday season is for dialogue, tolerance and justice in the face of war, hatred and ignorance."

From the '90s to today, our mission has been to live and serve in solidarity with economically poor communities across the globe for peace, justice, reconciliation and care of creation. We have confidence in the wisdom of poor communities. 

Learn more about core values on our website.

Prayers for Christmas: Mothers and Fathers

From flickr user Samuraijohnny

"And how does this happen to me, that the mother of my Lord should come to me? For at the moment the sound of your greeting reached my ears, the infant in my womb leaped for joy." Luke 1:43-44.

The gospel for today features two mothers: Elizabeth, the mother of John the Baptist, and Mary, mother of Jesus Christ. We give thanks for all mothers — and fathers — in today's prayer for Christmas. It comes from Juan, age 18, of Bolivia whom our missioner Catherine Giller has known since he was 10 years old.

“This Christmas I give God gratitude for parents, not just mine but all parents who give guidance and help to their children, as they grow to lead them to positive things.  I give thanks for the earth and all the plants and animals, for the sunrises and sunsets, and for the rain that helps the crops to grow.” 

Mary wanted to mother us so much that she appeared to Juan Diego, a poor Aztec indian, on a hill Tepayac in central Mexico, speaking these words:

"My dear little son, I love you. I desire you to know who I am. I am the ever-virgin Mary, Mother of the true God who gives life and Maintains its existence. He created all things. He is in all places. He is Lord of Heaven and Earth. I desire a church in this place where your people may experience my compassion. All those who sincerely ask my help in their work and in their sorrows will know my Mother's Heart in this place. Here I will see their tears; I will console them and they will be at peace…. My little son, there are many I could send. But you are the one I have chosen."

On this feast day of Our Lady of Guadeloupe, Patroness of the Americas, we celebrate in solidarity with our brothers and sisters in Latin America. We follow Mary's example and make ourselves present in their lives so that we may together share in compassion, consolation and peace.

Help support our ministry of presence in Latin America by making a tax-deductible gift to FMS this Christmas. 

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 prayer in Spanish and her own English translation.

En esta Navidad estoy agradecida a Dios:

• Por el don de mi Vida y por la oportunidad que me da de poder gozarla junto a muchas personas que me inspiran y ayudan.
• Por la Vocación, por que El me ha  llamado a ser Hermana de San José y estar a su servicio y me invita a cada día darle una respuesta generosa y desinteresada.
•  Estoy agradecida por el camino que he recorrido durante este año libre de obstáculo y lleno de bendiciones.
• Doy gracias por la Salud, que a cada día me acompaña y me da oportunidades como, caminar, respirar y gozar a cada instante de la maravillosa creación.
• Agradezco por mi familia, por el don que ellos son para mi vida, por los valores que me transmiten y porque gracias a ellos puedo vivir con alegría y entusiasmo.
• Estoy agradecida por la oportunidad que tengo de prepararme profesionalmente para mejor servir a mis hermanas y hermanos más necesitados.

 In this Christmas season, I am grateful to God:

• For the gift of my life and for the chance each day to draw on the power and joy of those people who inspire and help me each day.
• For my vocation, that God has called me to be a sister of St. Joseph, to serve Him, that each day He invites me to give him a generous and unselfish response to His call .
• I am grateful for the road that I have travelled in this year, free from obstacles and full of blessings.
• I am thankful for my health: that each day I can walk, breathe, and enjoy the miracle of creation in each moment.
• I am thankful for my family, a gift in my life, for the values that they have handed down to me. Thanks to them, I can live joyfully, with enthusiasm.
• I am grateful for the opportunity that I have to prepare for a career that will better enable me to serve the needs of my brothers and sisters.

See Sr. Erika and other Bolivian friends of Lynn Myrick in our Prayers for Christmas video.

Prayers for Christmas: Volunteering and Human Rights

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 rare gift -- it takes me around the world, to places one does not usually think of visiting, into the homes of people who go from being a stranger to a friend over tea and a biscuit. Genuine exchanges happen through our stories and smiles, and in our hearts that are open to welcoming one another.

Executive Director Kim Smolik in Zambia

In this work, I am also a witness to the deep suffering in the world, manifested through poverty, war, abuse, exclusion, the lack of natural resources, migration, and other such causes. The suffering I see is not represented in statistics, news  features, or fundraising campaigns. It is right in front of me, in the lives of those who offer me one of the few biscuits they have, or their last teaspoon of sugar for my tea.

Through these encounters, I have learned valuable life lessons, albeit lessons I need to keep learning:

• Everyone has something to give; receive it graciously.
• Keep the small things small.
• Practice gratitude.
• Understand that statistics represent real people.
• Invest today in what will matter in the last days of our lives: relationships.
• Know that I cannot fix everything, but I can do something.
• Recognize the extent of my privilege and respond accordingly: more privilege means more responsibility.
• To give out of my pocket is necessary and alleviates the suffering of today; to give of myself in service for peace, justice and human rights can alleviate the suffering of tomorrow and of years to come.

December 10th is the United Nations Human Rights Day, when we celebrate the birthday of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.

Human Rights Day 2011

I have come to realize the impact that service and volunteerism have on human rights. Making the opportunity for service available to others is a deep passion of mine, the place where I can do my "something".

Recently, I spent a day at the UN for the 10th Anniversary of the International Volunteer. Gathered were individuals who represented volunteerism in all three sectors of society (profit firms, government and non-profits), from smaller organizations like FMS to larger organizations such as the Peace Corps and the Red Cross/Red Crescent, and volunteer associations such as Building Bridges Coalition (of which FMS is a member).

Through volunteers, these organizations are able to promote and defend basic human rights: freedom, equality, the right to food, water, education and health care. It is through service to each other that we make human rights possible.

In the words of UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, "Volunteerism is a source of community strength, resilience, solidarity and social cohesion. It can bring positive social change by fostering diversity, equality and the participation of all. It is among society's most vital assets."


This Christmas I pray that people are inspired to offer their gifts and talents as volunteers, to serve as frontline defenders of human rights whether in their own community or across the globe. 

Prayers for Christmas: Strength and Hope for Zambia

FMS lay missioners spend much of their time on mission in ministries of presence--cultivating relationships and connections in their host communities that change them as well as the people to whom they minister

Through this journey, the prayers of the community can become the prayers of the missioner. Missioner and teacher Bryce Bradford shares his prayers for the people he serves in Kitwe, Zamba.

"My prayer for the coming year is that the Zambian economy become stronger. I hope that all 9th and 12th graders pass their national exams.

I pray for Zambia's new president the wisdom to carry out the reforms needed in his country, and for the government the strength to carry out policies that will benefit their people.

My prayer for the Franciscan Friars is that they continue to raise up young men willing to attempt to follow in the footsteps of Francis as he followed Jesus.”

Bryce serves alongside his wife Sandra as a retreat house manager for the Franciscan friars. In addition to teaching math, Bryce teaches computers in the lab he helped create at the high school.

Computer lab in Zambia.

Help support missioners this Christmas through a gift to FMS. 

Prayers for Christmas: Mary and God's plan

Today we give thanks for Mary and her Immaculate Conception. Through her appearances, she has had a powerful impact on the lives of the people with whom we walk overseas, especially those in Latin America.

Because God intended for Mary to be the mother of Jesus, God protected her at the first moment of her life from original sin.

The gospel for today tells us the story of the Annunciation, when God sent the angel Gabriel to Mary and she agreed to bear Christ into the world. "Mary said, 'Behold, I am the handmaid of the Lord. May it be done to me according to your word.'" (Luke 1:38)

Don Julio, friend of missioner Nora Pfieffer reflects on this in his prayer for Christmas. He is a member of the secular Franciscans and Movement of Justice and Peace in Bolivia.

"This Christmas I am grateful for the 'yes' that the Virgin Mary gave which allowed the son of God to come down to earth. If we tried to live out the incarnation in each of us like Mary did, we could solve all of our problems."

It is when we are open and say "yes" to God and God's plan that we are able to truly be instruments of peace, bringing Christ into our homes and communities throughout the world.

God, the image of the Virgin is found in your Church.
Mary had a faith that your Spirit prepared and a love that never knew sin, for you kept her sinless from the first moment of her conception.
Trace in our actions the lines of her love, in our hearts her readiness of faith.
Prepare once again a world for your Son who lives and reigns with your and the Holy Spirit, one God, forever and ever.

- from USCCB's Catholic Household Blessings & Prayers

What's your prayer this Christmas? Share with us on our prayer wall.

Prayers for Christmas: Kindness

Paul in Ghana

Today's prayer for Christmas comes from Br. Paul O'Keeffe, OFM, of Holy Name Province, who served as a lay missioner to Jamaica and Africa in the mid-'90s.

“This Christmas I am thankful for the many people God has placed in my life the past year. For those people who have loved me, even when I was hard to love; for those people who cared for me, even when I didn't recognize their kindness; and for those people who have challenged me to remember God's call to be the eyes, hands, heart, and presence of Christ.”

Br. Paul's experience as a lay missioner inspired him to become a Franciscan friar, professing his final vows in August 2010. Over the years he has helped FMS run retreats and evaluate candidates, and on January 9, Br. Paul will return to FMS to serve as the development director.

"I hope to share with our supporters some insights from my own lay mission experience,” he says. “Namely, the importance of creating and strengthening relationships with those who believe in FMS’ mission, and partnering with them to make our shared goals a reality."

Watch our Prayers for Christmas video to see more prayers from around the world.

Prayers for Christmas: Children

Happy Feast of St. Nicholas, patron saint of children!

Today's prayer for Christmas comes from our youngest contributors: 6-year-old Bolivians recovering from burns.

"We are grateful for airplanes, flowers, dolls, backpacks and shoes."

The children live and heal at the Franciscan burn center in Cochabamba until they are well enough to return home to their families.

FMS missioner Nora Pfieffer also lives at the center, allowing her to spend time with the children between her other ministries. Together they work in the garden, and on Fridays Nora hosts movie night. Nora loves all the hugs.

What's your prayer this Christmas? Share it on our prayer wall!

Prayers for Christmas: Love and Companionship

Padre David uses a rose and holy water to perform blessings after Mass.

Today's prayer comes from Padre David Cordozo, parish priest of Our Lady of La Salette in Bolivia.

"Esta navidad, estoy agradecido por todas las personas que conocí y por las que estan siempre a mi lado. Para el año nuevo, espero que que todos nos sintamos amados y amadas por Dios y por casa hermano y hermana."

"This Christmas, I am grateful for all of the people I know, and for those who are always at my side. For the new year, I hope that all of us will feel beloved by God and beloved by our brothers and sisters"

Our Lady of La Salette is the parish in the barrio where our missioners live.

Prayers for Christmas: Unity and Understanding

Kitzi Hendricks, who is being commissioned today as part of our 27th class of lay missioners, shares her prayer for Christmas:

"I pray for understanding in our world - a world that is so noticeably divided by individualism and personal gain. I pray that there may be conversion of hearts this holiday season in that we appreciate and love one another as human beings rather than competitors."

Today at the 11:15 a.m. Mass, Kitzi and fellow missioner Michael Redell will stand before the congregation of Our Lady Queen of Peace and affirm their intentions as missioners. They will receive their Tau crosses and blessing from the community.

In January the two will leave for Bolivia, where they look forward to using music as a way to be present with the poor.

Prayers for Christmas: Opportunity and Service

Jesus tells us in today's Gospel, "The harvest is abundant but the laborers are few; so ask the master of the harvest to send out laborers for his harvest." (Matthew 9: 36-38).

FMS missioner Joel Vaughn expresses gratitude for being one of these laborers in his prayer for Christmas.

“This Christmas, I am thankful for opportunities to serve other people.

My prayer for the holiday season and the New Year is that a universal awareness of sufficiency will promote moderate use and equal sharing of the earth's bounty for all of its inhabitants.”

Lynn and Joel in Bolivia

Joel and his wife Lynn serve in Cochabamba, Bolivia. As English teachers, they are able to be present in the lives of prisoners, high school students and other members of the community.

If you feel called to labor with us as a missioner, check out our prospective missioner's page.

For more Christmas prayers this advent and to add your own, see our home page.

Prayers for Christmas: Comfort and Hope

Kathy Snider on mission in Guatemala, 1998 to 2000.

Today's prayer for Christmas comes from returned missioner Kathy Snider:

"My prayer for Christmas is for those who have experienced loss of a loved one due to death or separation, of home due to natural disasters or foreclosure, of food and due to drought and poverty, of employment due to corporate greed and injustice, of health and activity due to accident or illness, of youth due to the aging process and that God will bring comfort, provision, healing and meaning but most of all HOPE to all in the coming New Year."

Kathy served in Guatemala's Ixcan jungle from 1998 to 2000 as a pastrol agent in the Diocese of Quiche. She taught formation to catechists and women's group in five different villages in addition to serving on a committee for the construction of a local junior high.

Multilingual and multiethnic, Quiche is the poorest department in Guatemala. It was one of the hardest areas hit during the violence of the 36-year civil war that ended in December 1996.

Inspired by her experience with FMS, Kathy co-founded Ixcan Ministries in 2003 to continue her call to a lifelong mission.

What's your prayer this Christmas? Share it with us on our prayer wall.

Prayers for Christmas: World AIDS Day

Worldwide, 33.4 million people are currently living with HIV/AIDS, and more than 67 percent (approximately 22.4 million people) of those infected are in sub-Saharan Africa.

On this World AIDS Day, and our thoughts and prayers turn to patients of St. Francis Care Clinic in South Africa where our missioners Cecilia and Tim Marcy serve.

FMS missioner Cecilia Marcy and coworkers

St. Francis Care Clinic has four different programs including a hospice for 48 adults, a Rainbow Cottage for 30 abandoned or orphaned children, a home-based care center to provide support for outpatients, and two clinics with free counseling, testing and antiretroviral drugs.

A trained nurse, Cecilia ministers to HIV/AIDS patients in the hospice. Tim works in the outpatient center, he also brings communion to the sick and homebound in his role as a deacon.

Today's prayer for Christmas comes from one of the Marcy's coworkers, a counselor at St. Francis:

“This Christmas I am thankful for the kids, my boys, and that I'm alive still.”

It's such a simple prayer, but in the face of a disease that has killed more than 25 million people since 1981, it's a powerful one.

This World AIDS Day, please join us in praying especially for St. Francis Care Clinic patients, staff and volunteers, as well as the others affected around the world.

St. Francis Clinic in South Africa