STORIES FROM FRANCISCAN
VOLUNTEERS, ALUMNI, FRIARS, & FRIENDS
Franciscan Volunteers serve in the United States and live in solidarity with people who are marginalized. Members of our community are witnesses to the world and through their FVM experience learn to advocate for the poor through the Gospel message to express love in action.
October 2021
New City, New Family
The moment my plane touched ground in Philly, my eyes opened up to a whole new reality. It was the first time moving out of [...]
September 2021
Peace & All Good: A Letter to the Incoming FVMs
Dear FVMs, You're headed to what I can only describe as a singular experience, and not just because Michael Duffy will take you on mystery [...]
August 2021
The Rumble of the El
I can still hear the whistle and the rumble of the El on the tracks. The echoing voices of the friars singing 'Salve Regina' in the [...]
If Only Briefly
. “Man, I’m glad to see you,” said a guy outside the gate, who was shaking, panicking, having an episode or on a substance, clearly [...]
July 2021
Strive for Spirit
“Don’t strive for perfection; you will always be disappointed. Strive for the Spirit; She’s always present.” ~ Michael Duffy, OFM My first few days of [...]
Loving and Living Outside our Comfort Zone
“What has your volunteer year taught you about love?” That was the question I asked a panel of former volunteers during my final semester at [...]
June 2021
Living in Community
“Two are better than one, because they have a good reward for their toil. 10 For if they fall, one will lift up the other; [...]
A Good Path
A few weeks ago, I was in a job interview and the interviewer asked me, "what's your five year plan? How does this job fit into [...]
May 2021
The FVM Poem
The 2020-2021 FVMs Live across the block from a guest named Hector And receive guidance from Katie Sullivan and Emma Edwards Because they’re the program [...]
A Sunday Reflection
Reflection by Kathryn Getek Soltis St. Thomas of Villanova Parish Thirtieth Sunday in Ordinary Time October 24/25, 2020 Exod 22:20-26; 1 Thess 1:5c-10; Matt 22:34-40 [...]
April 2021
Friar Lessons
Like all of us, I’m still reeling from the untimely loss of our dear brother, Chris. Thinking about what to write here, I thought perhaps [...]
Faith is the Reason
I never could have imagined I would end up here today. And yet I could never imagine it any other way. Were it entirely up to [...]
March 2021
The Inn Crowd
I think there are a variety of identities we all assume in our personal lives. Some of my identities include being a son, brother, cousin, [...]
Fourteenth Station: Jesus is Placed in the Tomb
This blog post is an excerpt from A Lenten Journey: Reflections on the Scriptural Stations of the Cross. When it was evening, there came a [...]
February 2021
Aquí Estoy
inspirada en la vida de Chris Posch, nuestro hermano inspired by the life of Chris Posch, our brother Here I am, aquí estoy, open [...]
Service During COVID-19
For most people, I’d be willing to bet that the past year or so has changed their general relationship with expectations or assumptions. I know [...]
January 2021
Not Just Any Job
My first days as an FVM at the St. Francis Inn are a blur. There was some nervousness, self-consciousness, and a little homesickness. These are [...]
The Importance of Names
It isn’t an easy year to do service. Because of social distancing requirements, guests aren’t allowed to come into the St. Francis Inn as they [...]
November 2020
Saints Right in Front of Me
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 [...]