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.
Sister Emily TeKolste: Called to the Work of Justice
In this episode of Messy Jesus Business podcast, Sister Julia Walsh talks with Sister Emily TeKolste about justice: what it is, and why systemic change…
Christiana N. Peterson: Getting Real about Death, Dying and Grief
Sister Julia Walsh and author Christiana N. Peterson contemplate death, our cultural fear and avoidance of it, and what it looks like to be in…
When Lent gives you lemons, make a curd
We bought a lemon tree a couple of years ago. Bonnie Sue Ellis came home with what appeared to be a scrawny seedling from friends…
Olga M. Segura: Black Lives Matter and the Catholic Church
Sister Julia Walsh talks with author Olga M. Segura about her journey into writing about the Black Lives Matter movement and how the experiences of…
Burial Gardens: Life and Death in Lent
Last year, during the Lent that still hasn’t ended, I took my children on a walk to the local cemetery. The grounds were beautiful and…
Kaya Oakes: The Importance of Being Humble and Vulnerable
Sister Julia Walsh and author Kaya Oakes discuss the importance of being humble and the value of vulnerability in discipleship, in this episode of Messy…
Listening as a Radical Act
Years ago, I sat before my friend after a particularly hard week and said, “I don’t know if I can take this anymore.” I was…
Lisa Deam: We Are All Pilgrims
Sister Julia Walsh and author Lisa Deam talk about pilgrimage as a spiritual practice and discipleship as a journey. They discuss the paradoxes of faith…