Franciscan Life
Franciscan life is a love story — with God, with the poor, with the earth, with the stranger. Rooted in the spirit of Francis and Clare of Assisi, these posts explore what it means to embrace simplicity, kinship, and courageous countercultural choices in a world that constantly pushes the other direction. From returning land to Indigenous communities to the spirituality of dumpster diving to what the feast of St. Francis has to teach us today, this is a space for anyone drawn to the Franciscan way — whether you’ve taken vows or are just beginning to feel its pull.
In Praise of Disenchantment
My region is experiencing severe drought. The grass is pale and crispy, streams are low, the corn looks stunted. Farmers still haven’t gotten their second…
Solidarity is a Way of Making History
There was electricity. A sensation palpable in the air, yet powerfully felt in the spirit. The sounds of feet marching and people shuffling together, the…
Pilgrimage Part II: La Mama Appears
This is Part II of a two-part story. Click here to see Part I. The night I missed the pilgrims’ departure to honor the Virgen…
Pilgrimage Part I: In the Dark Early Morning Hours
In mid-August 2017 in Cochabamba, Bolivia, I was nearly finished with Spanish language studies and in no hurry to return home. There was so much…
The Ongoing Work of Anti-Fascism
Do you remember where you were in August 2017? At the time, I was living with my aunt and uncle in San Diego before I…
Politics, Prophets, and Family
I grew up Catholic, but the Catholicism of my childhood looks very different from the one I embrace now — especially when it comes to…
Book Review: What You Sow Is a Bare Seed
On a blazing, Washington, DC summer day in 2021, I walked to the Mount Pleasant farmer’s market with my friends and housemates Joy and Ashley…
Kaya Oakes: On Forgiveness
Episode 78 of Messy Jesus Business podcast, with Sister Julia Walsh. Podcast: Play in new window | Download Subscribe: Email | RSS | More Forgiveness is a process, not a product.” -Kaya Oakes…