Lay Missioner Class 38, Kim Wagner, Ralph Anderson, OFS, and Susan Sarkissian on their closing retreat in the beautiful Shenandoah Valley

Welcome to the FMS e-newsletter! Each week, our newsletter will be highlighting what our missioners are learning through their mission preparation at Casa San Salvador, the FMS missioner house. Enjoy these stories from the missioners' final week of formation!

The missioners have spent the last three months in intensive formation at Casa San Salvador, gaining tools and learning skills that will help prepare them for the next two years of living and serving in Bolivia, Jamaica, and along the US-Mexico Border. They've gained language skills, learned about Catholic Social Teaching, studied the Franciscan tradition, been educated on practical concerns, and immersed themselves in community life. Now, with formation's formal end, the missioners will spend the next month connecting with family and resting before they depart in January.

Ralph Anderson, OFS in the house where the missioners had their closing retreat with Director of Mission Integration Meghan Meros.

Susan Sarkissian and Kim Wagner working on a gift for the Casa Community.

The Casa Community has found this time to be bittersweet; on the one hand, they are excited and hopeful for the missioners' next steps as they continue to respond to God's call, but on the other hand they will miss three integral members of their community. Reflecting on this very topic, DC Service Corps volunteer Bo O'Shaughnessy has written a touching tribute to our missioners on our blog.

Join our Casa Community in praying for the missioners and wishing them well as they begin the work they have been formed to undertake.

The Casa Community took one last trip together to the National Shrine Grotto of Our Lady of Lourdes in Emmitsburg, MD.

Thank you for accompanying our missioners during this time of formation. Your prayers, support, and kind words have meant so much to Ralph, Susan, and Kim, and all of us at Franciscan Mission Service are grateful that you chose to journey with us these last three months.

Stay connected to our missioners by reading their updates on our blog, and if you're able, please consider setting up a monthly donation to support their service.

Let's Stay Connected!