One Man's Franciscan Experience

Ed Smith

Ed Smith is one of the current volunteers in the  FrancisCorps experience - a Franciscan-run volunteer program based in Syracuse, New York. This is his second time participating in FrancisCorps. Having been accepted to the Ave Maria School of Law in Naples, Florida, Ed - a Lakewood, Ohio native - who had graduated from Mercuhurst College in Erie, Pennsylvania, decided to defer his entry into the school by one year; which he would spend as a FrancisCorps volunteer at the Centro Nacional de Educacion Especial Fernando Centeno Guell in Costa Rica.

Moments of spirituality in Costa Rica

The center where Ed is still volunteering houses and educates children with various handicaps. Ed spends most of his time working with deaf children. He admits that at first he felt very intimidated: "Teachers, administratros and students alike were signing at rapid speeds with smiles, frowns, and all expressions in between." Ed could not keep up. Yet by taking a sign language class and with daily practice his signing abilities improved. Eventually Ed Began to feel more comfortable in his surroundings. He developed a sense of community at the center and with his fellow volunteers. They began to learn from one another and offer support on those days when life was a bit more difficult than usual. This was life lived the Franciscan way.