Casa Veterans Ministry - Franciscan Renewal Center

Connecting. Serving. Healing.

The Casa Veterans Ministry provides a safe place where service members, veterans and their families join in community to find healing from their wounds of service.

Upcoming Events

Healing of Memories for Veterans Workshop September 28-30, 2018. See information below.

Contact Us

For information on upcoming events or the next ministry meeting, email casaveteransministry@thecasa.org

Casa Veterans Ministry

Purpose: The purpose of the Casa Veterans Ministry is to respond to the spiritual and emotional needs of service members, veterans and their families offering a welcoming and compassionate environment.

Mission Statement: The mission of the Casa Veterans Ministry is to take concrete actions to assist service members, veterans and their families with healing and education programs, and with events and services designed to support their spiritual and emotional needs.

Project Areas1. Healing of Memories: We offer Healing of Memories Workshops for veterans and service members. We partner with the Institute for Healing of Memories to bring these to Arizona. Click here to read more.

2. St. Francis Retreats: We offer St. Francis Retreats, which are designed to offer healing insights from one of the most beloved but misunderstood saints. Click here to read more.

St. Francis: Journey of a Wounded Warrior Retreat
Beyond Wounded Warrior Retreat: The Journey to Mind, Body and Spirit. Fall 2018 retreat date to be determined.
Veterans Pilgrimage We also partner with the Franciscan Pilgrimage Office which annually takes veterans on a 9 day healing journey to Assisi and Rome, Italy. The 2019 trip, from May 23-31 explores the life of St. Francis of Assisi who was a soldier affected by combat. If you are interested in supporting a veteran, please contact Dean at casaveteransministry(Replace this parenthesis with the @ sign)thecasa.org.

3. St. Joseph Baskets for Homeless Veterans: Donations are accepted for the St. Joseph Baskets – a welcome basket that includes kitchen, bedroom and bathroom supplies for recently housed homeless veterans. Click here to read more.

4. Moral Injury Education: We provide educational opportunities for the community to understand moral injury/moral repair. Ministry members have done presentation to Mesa Police Department, local emergency medical service (EMS) providers, and homeless and housing providers. Click here to read more.

5. Community Engagement: We offer a variety of events to bring veterans together with each other and with our civilian community. This includes Vets Reconnect, Veterans Day Picnic, Memorial Day Rosary and Veterans Day Stations of the Cross. Click Here to read more.

Two of our signature retreats, Healing of Memories for Veterans and St. Francis : Journey of a Wounded Warrior, were featured in the August 2017 issues of Combat Stress magazine (stress.org). See pp 25-55. Click here.

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Events at the Casa View Calendar

Paint from Your Soul
Friday July 27th 2018 - 9:00am
Spiritual Spa Weekend
Friday July 27th 2018 - 6:00pm
Liturgical Minister's Retreat
Monday August 6th 2018 - 4:00pm
Brush with God
Thursday August 9th 2018 - 6:00pm
Spiritual Spa Weekend
Friday August 10th 2018 - 6:00pm
The Rosary
Saturday August 11th 2018 - 9:00am

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Franciscan Renewal Center

9 hours ago

Finding Answers in an Ever-Changing WorldDepending on the years in which you were in grade school, you may or may not have used or even know about encyclopedias.My mother and father were all about education and learning, probably because in their day, not everyone could finish high school.My grade school years started in 1956 up through 1964, and when I’d come home with an assignment, there was no Google or Siri to help me. My mom and dad bought a set of Encyclopedia Britannica…that was our Google.When I needed to find an answer for a school project, I had to look it up in the encyclopedia. It took time and there was no blink-of-an-eye, press-abutton answer. Back in those days, encyclopedias were important books. Even the famous Mickey Mouse Show made a jingle so that you could learn how to spell e n c y c l o p e d i a.The reason why I bring up this subject is because a friend’s grandson had been praying and hoping his prayers would get answered. After a few weeks, he felt that God wasn’t hearing him. He thought 2 weeks was more than enough time to get an answer.I wonder if in our fast-paced world, we forget that not all things can be answered in the same speed as Google.I reminded my friend’s grandson that God hears and answers all our prayers. Sometimes we might get an answer that we don’t like, or even want, but nonetheless, it is an answer, even if we sometimes have to wait for that answer. His response was, "God is like Google, but we just have to sometimes wait." No one could have said it any better.Peace and good,Bonnie WasniewskiNullity Minister and Program Coordinator – Season For Nonviolence … See MoreSee Less

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Franciscan Renewal Center

16 hours ago

Family Faith Activities – July 22 – The Sixteenth Sunday of Ordinary TimeFamily demands can make us feel like Jesus and the twelve apostles. Running kids to school, going to work, laundry, homework, there is always so more to be done. If someone invites us to come and rest for a while, what would we say? We could pull out our calendars and schedule a time. We could say, “Thanks, but I am too busy." All the things we do as parents are good, but we can be left feeling drained and tired as we try to keep up. Maybe our answer then could be a “Yes,” as all of us wish for times of relaxation and renewal. Taking time for prayer is a way to take care of ourselves, to relax and to renew. Is this a want for us or a need? I believe that it is important to give ourselves permission to take this time for us. The more we take the time for prayer, the more we realize how much we need prayer and how much grace is provided to us. Need or want? Try it out and then decide.Gather your family and discuss how you take time to rest.Read Mark 6:30-34 and discuss:• What do the apostles tell Jesus?• Why does Jesus want the apostles to rest a while?• How does Jesus care for the crowd of people?Action Response: Gather as a family and bring your calendars. Review and reflect on your activities. Does your family have enough time for rest and relaxation? Plan a day together away from all of your activities — lunch, a park, a movie, or a favorite restaurant. Start that day with prayer and end by talking about your favorite memories of the day.Concluding Prayer: Thank You, God, for Your love and care. Show us how to care for people who need our help.In the name of Jesus Christ, we pray. Amen. … See MoreSee Less

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Franciscan Renewal Center

5 days ago

Faithful CitizenshipThe term “faithful citizenship” recognizes our dual heritage as both faithful Catholics and citizens in a democratic society. In 2016, only 29% of voters cast a ballot in the primary election. With this in mind, Valley Interfaith Project Casa Core team wants to remind you of voting deadlines that are approaching.• July 30 — Deadline for voter registration in order to vote in the August 28 Primary• August 1 — Early voting begins• August 28 — Primary Election DayFor all questions concerning elections, such as registration status, how to register to vote, or to get an early voting ballot, go to the County Recorder’s Office website at: recorder.maricopa.gov/elections or call 602.506.3535. Candidate and voter information can be found at the Secretary of State’s website at: www.azsos.gov/elections. … See MoreSee Less

Maricopa County Elections Department

recorder.maricopa.gov

Welcome to the Elections Department of the Maricopa County Recorder’s Office. Our office serves ov…

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Thank you for reminding everyone of their right & privilege to VOTE and encouraging them to USE that VOTE.

Not 30 minutes ago, I was thinking of posting a primary-elections reminder to MY timeline! <3

Margie Healey

Susi Graham Lerma

Anne Ellsworth

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