Missionary Vocations for Generations to Come

Hey y’all! I am Josephine Glafcke, an alumni missionary kid, the oldest of six kids in the Glafcke family, who serve with FMC. We have served in four countries since 2018. I am incredibly grateful God called my family to serve Him in this way. I have friends all around the world. My home is not just one place but wherever my family is living—and in communities I could never have dreamed of living in before!

For me, the hardest part of becoming an adult is moving away from my family. We have traveled together and become “home” for each other. When I began to think about my future after high school, I told my parents I wished to take a gap year.

I first heard about an organization called Holy Family Mission in February of 2023 when I was 16 years old. We were living in Wisconsin and my mom read a news article about a Catholic gap year program for young adults in Ireland. To be honest, I was intrigued but not sold. My adventurous spirit has been fed by our missions in Asia, Italy, Haiti, Mexico, and road trips all around the States.

I have always wanted to go to Australia. When I heard about the Ireland gap year program, I dove into the internet looking for a gap year in Australia. Nothing seemed right. I couldn’t find anything similar to Holy Family Mission, almost as if God was saying, “I want you in Ireland.” I noticed the 18-30 year old age requirement for Holy Family Mission, and my August birthday could make it tricky. I emailed HFM, asking if I could apply as a 17-year-old to join them at 18. Life got busy. We moved from Wisconsin back to Louisiana.

During my last year of high school, I kept hearing from adults I knew and trusted that a gap year was something they supported and wished they would’ve done.

In February 2024, my dad and I visited friends and FMC alumni living in Steubenville, Ohio. I scheduled a campus tour at Franciscan University. My dad and I LOVED the campus, the Portiuncula (perpetual Adoration chapel), the students, the teachers, and the refreshing weather! I thought, THIS IS IT. I prayed and prayed. “God, please provide the funding I need to attend Franciscan next year. Should I pursue this, or is there something else?”

I felt called to look into Holy Family Mission again. I discovered they had responded: yes, of course I could apply. I completed the application and waited.

First, I received an acceptance letter from Franciscan University, but with a low-level scholarship. I was let down that much more financial aid was needed to make this a reality.

Then, I received an email from HFM inquiring for an interview to continue the application process. My interview went fantastically. I loved the people and they seemed to love me. After a psychological interview, I was invited to join Holy Family Mission.

I accepted and brainstormed how to fundraise the $5,000 cost to attend. I wrote an essay for a $2,500 scholarship and received it. I set up a gofundme page and shared it with friends and family. Within six weeks, I was fully funded. God will always sustain us. “With all his abundant wealth through Christ Jesus, my God will supply all your needs.” -Philippians 4:19

I arrived in Ireland on September 18 with my mom, who came to help me settle. I am excited to follow God’s calling to serve Him in Ireland. God satisfies the desires of our hearts: part of my formation at HFM includes an online class with Franciscan University!

Please pray for my heart as I leave my family. Pray for the country of Ireland, for the people to be set on fire with the love of Christ. Pray for FMC to continue to support and send families like mine to foster the missionary vocation in generations to come.