The Ministry of Presence is a Radical Path
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The Ministry of Presence is a Radical Path

Somehow in my years of formation as a young adult Catholic preparing to “change the world,” I missed the part about the power of presence. As a student at a Catholic university, I was skilled at social analysis, advocacy and activism rooted in Catholic Social Teaching. I was busy. In an environment bent on creating…

AnaYelsi Velasco-Sanchez: Discipleship, Decolonization, and Discomfort
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AnaYelsi Velasco-Sanchez: Discipleship, Decolonization, and Discomfort

Season 4, Episode 10 of Messy Jesus Business, hosted by Sister Julia Walsh. “When I say everyone belongs, everyone belongs.” – AnaYelsi Velasco-Sanchez LISTEN HERE: IN THIS EPISODE: In this episode of Messy Jesus Business, Sister Julia Walsh talks with AnaYelsi Velasco-Sanchez about how she found her way to Christianity and justice work. They talk…

Being Catholic on Indigenous Peoples’ Day: We need to do more
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Being Catholic on Indigenous Peoples’ Day: We need to do more

In hope, in prayer, we find ourselves here … I sang these words with a chorus of climate and Indigenous activists on a humid June morning in front of the White House. In hope, in prayer. The words became a refuge, an embodied cry that gave me courage as my timid self stood steady, as…

Life in the Spirit: Starting a new community and trying to prevent burn out
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Life in the Spirit: Starting a new community and trying to prevent burn out

I’ve been thinking a lot about my devotion to the Holy Spirit. As a vowed Franciscan Sister, I publicly committed to obeying the Spirit’s nudges, whispers, pulls and invitations. This means I am committed to living life according to God’s will, not my own. Like it or not, God’s way is always better than my…

Carl McColman: The Symbiosis of Activism and Contemplation
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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.

Jason Odhner and Laura Ankeny: Nursing as a Work of Mercy and Justice

Jason Odhner and Laura Ankeny: Nursing as a Work of Mercy and Justice

Jason Odhner and Laura Ankeny: Nursing as a Work of Mercy and Justice  Season 1. Episode 8 of Messy Jesus Business, hosted by Sister Julia Walsh LISTEN HERE: IN THIS EPISODE: In episode eight, Sister Julia speaks with two nurses who are serving during the coronavirus pandemic. Jason Odhner is nursing on a COVID ICU…

Freedom songs
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Freedom songs

Selma has been on my mind lately. With the passing of John Lewis, my social media feed has been flooded with photos of him standing at the foot of the Edmund Pettus Bridge, stories of his constant bravery and even videos of him dancing or crowd surfing. We have lost a legend. And my mind…