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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  • 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…

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

    By Angela Paviglianiti

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  • Why contemplation is messy

    By Sister Julia Walsh

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  • Courageous countercultural choices inspired by St. Francis

    By Sister Julia Walsh

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Justice Prayer Family Environment non-violence Franciscan life

Equity and Justice

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  • God, the Ocean

    A little over a week ago, I got to be near the ocean. I didn’t get to see it. I didn’t get to tuck…

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  • Molly Burhans: Mapping power and justice

    By Colin Wambsgans

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  • Father Adam Bucko: Every Day A Beginner

    By franciscansisters

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  • Wade in the Water: On Floods and Finding My Footing

    By amynee

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  • Just sandals and a walking stick

    By Sister Julia Walsh

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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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  • 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…
    Read More
  • 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,…
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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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  • Hope the size of a hazelnut
    I don’t pray much anymore, in the traditional sense. But in times of trouble, there are certain recitations I return to. One I’ve been repeating lately comes from the Medieval…
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  • Rules for a messy and holy creative practice 
    I’ve been feeling depressed about many things. I’ve been depressed about AI—about people using AI to write books and articles; AI stealing art and gobbling up water from poor communities;…
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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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