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 Alison McCrary: Challenge the Status Quo with Love
“If we’re really doing the Gospel work, our work is not to be loved by everyone. If we’re really challenging the status quo in the…
Lament and hope go hand in hand
“Say her name!” I yelled, and the crowds roared back: “Breonna Taylor!” After days of protests of the death of George Floyd around the country, I…
DL Mayfield: The Myth of the American Dream
Season 1. Episode 5 of Messy Jesus Business, hosted by Sister Julia Walsh LISTEN HERE: IN THIS EPISODE: In episode five, Sister Julia speaks with…
Sorrow and Joy during the Black Lives Matter movement
In the June burst of green and sunshine, I am taking a bike ride through the historically black neighborhood where I live in Chicago. Along…
Hannah Bowman: Prison Abolition
“Fundamentally prisons are not broken; they are designed to do something that is wrong.”
–Hannah Bowman,
Founder of Christians for the Abolition of Prisons
In episode…
Lessons learned in liminal spaces
this is the space of chrysalis– of break-downs & becoming something something better something more true (we hope, we imagine) this is the crazy time…
Jessica Mesman: Church as muse
“If I want to feel faith and emboldened in my faith that happens through art. My most profound spiritual experiences have probably happened through reading…
Hope and heartache on this side of the grave
I understand that my death could come any day. My own life experiences have etched this understanding into the channels of my heart. I carry…