God is good. All the time. A common saying among believers, and for my generation it is even used as a call and response. Where one person will say “God is good” and then you would respond with “All the time”.  It has become such a common saying that it has somehow lost its full meaning. It’s one thing to just say these words out of habit and something entirely different to hear them. Hearing these words from a person in need gives the phrase entirely new and refreshed meaning.  This was my experience at St. Francis Inn a few weeks ago. As a man was leaving the Inn, he proclaimed those very words “God is good. All the time”.  This man, in his position, could easily curse God, [...]

Franciscan Volunteer Ministry is a ministry of and rooted in the spirit, work and support of Franciscan Friars of Holy Name Province. Each FVM community is blessed with a Friar Site Supervisor who serves them as mentor and friend throughout their ministry. In July of 2020, FVM had to say goodbye to a loving friend and Friar Site Supervisor, Brother Chris Posch, OFM. Br. Chris served with FVM since the Spring of 2003 and we will forever be changed by his joy, humility, and love of Christ. No amount of words could capture the spirit of our dear brother, but below we’d like to share a few stories from former FVMs about his life and impact. Excerpt from Stephanie Mobley, FVM Silver Spring 2016-2018 When he picked me up [...]

Please try to forgive me for my naivety. However, I never expected to stumble upon a masterpiece of a mural in the pedestrian tunnel on 5th street right by the Benjamin Franklin Bridge. It’s possible David and Deaynna didn’t either. Liam did however, as evidenced by the fact that he purposely led us to this hidden gem of a tunnel that glows with paintings of the city of Philadelphia and its development over time. I now realize that I need to recognize that beauty can be found truly anywhere you look hard enough for it. This was the theme of a book an FVM alum shared with us during one of our orientation zoom sessions. Beauty is easily encountered here in Philadelphia, a city brimming with gorgeous public artwork [...]

 For those who practice service, moments of reflection can come from the most unexpected situations. I couldn’t have guessed it myself, but barreling down a Philadelphia highway in a large van lovingly named “Orca” (as in the whale), hauling boxes of cakes, bread, and meat on a Wednesday morning (10 a.m., to be precise) is perhaps as good a time as any. I was joining a long-time volunteer of the St. Francis Inn, learning more about the essential task of donation pick-ups. As the situation allowed, he and I filled our time on the road with some conversation, sharing a bit about ourselves and our experiences. In passing, he mentioned a past job he was not initially drawn to, but over time became comfortable, then joyful, to have. He attributed [...]

Peace and Good everyone. To be honest, I had a very hard time trying to figure out what to send this week. There is a lot happening in the world and it would be irresponsible of me to ignore it. Growing up I struggled with my faith because I only saw religion as another classroom subject. When I started working in Faith Formation last year, I promised myself I would make the gospel come alive for my students and that I would make it more than a school subject. This week, more than ever, is a real opportunity for us to find the living Word of God. For this week’s reflection, I (with the help of some trusted educator friends) have carefully picked out various prayers and readings that [...]