Gospel living is messy.

Christian discipleship is a life of struggle, as we advocate for social justice, live simply, serve others, practice contemplation and live in community. Welcome to the mess.

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  • How to be holy AND messy
    To contemplate the sacredness of messiness, start with the natural world. Step into the forest and study the rotting logs. Examine the erosion. Notice the tiny and the grand, how transformation and evolution have designed the landscapes, and the simple and small. See the surrender of one creature to another, the wildness of complete metamorphosis…
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  • Appropriately disturbed and loving my distant Aleppo neighbor

    Along with many people far and near, I have been terribly disturbed by images from the Syrian war recently. Appropriately disturbed. Early last week,…

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  • In a time for falling

    By Sister Julia Walsh

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  • Anxiety at the Crossroads: Where We End and God Begins

    By Angela Paviglianiti

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  • How to be holy AND messy

    By Sister Julia Walsh

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Justice Prayer Family Environment non-violence Franciscan life

Equity and Justice

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  • In a time for falling

    Lately, falling has been on my mind. The season for this is approaching, as leaf after leaf will soon let go and make its…

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  • ‘Save the ArQ’ in Jerusalem is a story of nonviolent resistance

    By Cassidy Klein

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  • A Litany for Democracy

    By Sister Julia Walsh

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  • Messy Christian music playlist

    By Sister Julia Walsh

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  • Activist Kathy Kelly: We are all Part of One Another

    By franciscansisters

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ENVIRONMENT

  • Preserving Dangerous Memories 

    Maura Rocks

NON-VIOLENCE

  • Rules for a messy and holy creative practice 

    Cassidy Klein

FAMILY

  • The invisible, embodied holiness of parenting

    Emily Cortina

Prayer and Spirituality

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  • Anxiety at the Crossroads: Where We End and God Begins
    The couple sits next to one another on the two-seater couch in my office, not minding the imposed closeness, arms intertwined.  They have worked hard for and in this relationship, and it continues to flourish.  In fact, they are getting married in two days.  And they are so anxious. What will the weather be? Will…
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  • How to be holy AND messy
    To contemplate the sacredness of messiness, start with the natural world. Step into the forest and study the rotting logs. Examine the erosion. Notice the tiny and the grand, how…
    Read More
  • Death comes for us all, Oroku Saki
    “Death comes for us all, Oroku Saki, but something much worse comes for you … for when you die, it will be without honor.” ~ Master Splinter, to the Shredder,…
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  • Why contemplation is messy
    I’ll admit it. Even though I am a Franciscan Sister, I sometimes struggle with prayer. I mean, how am I supposed to contemplate when I’m busy and the world is…
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  • Tessa Bielecki: The Mystery and the Mess
    Podcast: Play in new window | DownloadSubscribe: Spotify | Email | RSS “Let yourself be broken. Let yourself suffer. Cling to Christ through it.”– Tessa Bielecki Season 4, Episode 6…
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  • Yo Soy Una Guadalupana (I Am A Guadalupana)
    Posted by guest blogger, Sister Sarah Hennessey A Story of Marta “I’m nervous because I’m here illegally.” Marta held out her arm for a blood pressure check. The nurse in the free clinic and I quickly reassured her that everything was confidential and she had nothing to fear. Marta continued, “I’m nervous because I am illegal…

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