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.
Technology habits and the connections that really matter
Over the past five years, I have gradually become attached to a laptop. A couple of months ago, I reluctantly got a smart phone. Of…
Friday stations
It’s another Friday in Lent. It’s a day of sorrow and penance as we remember Jesus’ death on the cross. Many of us are fasting…
Beautiful chaos and Lenten conversion
Recently, I asked my students what comes to mind when they hear the phrase “Kingdom of God.” This (low-quality) photo summarizes the lively classroom discussion that…
Lent for the love of others
Lent: we’ve been into it for over a week now. We are in this spiritual wilderness desiring to be better people, hoping to change. All sorts…
Anticipation and Ashes
tomorrow, everywhere: next to strangers friends, neighbors We form lines. around blocks down church aisles arise and admit we sin, we suck we…
More than boy-crazy
“How can you be a nun? You’re the most boy-crazy girl I know!” My good friend first jokingly teased me with this question when we…
Our God who Suffers
A few weeks ago, one of my cousins committed suicide. It was a shock to all of us who knew and loved him. His death…
Franciscan Bookshelf: A Simplified Life: A Contemporary Hermit’s Experience of Solitude and Silence
By day, guest blogger K.P.—a good friend of Sister Julia’s—reads, writes, and has conversations about literature for a living. By night, she devours theology, sits…