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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  • Carl McColman: The Symbiosis of Activism and Contemplation

    By franciscansisters

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  • Scapegoating Eve

    By Rebecca Bratten Weiss

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  • How to be holy AND messy

    By Sister Julia Walsh

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Equity and Justice

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  • Carl McColman

    Carl McColman: The Symbiosis of Activism and Contemplation

    Sister Julia Walsh talks with writer, speaker and storyteller Carl McColman about discovering his vocation as a spiritual director and spiritual teacher. They discuss…

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  • Scapegoating Eve

    By Rebecca Bratten Weiss

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  • They have guns, but we have flowers—a modern beatitude

    By Sister Sarah Hennessey, FSPA

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  • Bumbling Toward the Economy of Francesco

    By greg little

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  • The spirituality of dumpster diving

    By abbyrampone

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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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  • Carl McColman: The Symbiosis of Activism and Contemplation
    Sister Julia Walsh talks with writer, speaker and storyteller Carl McColman about discovering his vocation as a spiritual director and spiritual teacher. They discuss how medieval mystics and saints and other spiritual teachers inspire him, and how the mystics teach us to tear down the walls that divide us. And they discuss the challenges of being human and being an activist and the importance of contemplation in navigating both.
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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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  • with my feet
    A version of this post was previously posted here. While I was in my early 20s and discerning sisterhood, I felt insecure about my prayer life. I envied people who…
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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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