Peace and Goodness

to You!

Franciscan Passages, Inc.,a 501(c)3 tax-exempt organization, has as its purpose to teach people about Francis of Assisi, Clare of Assisi, their ideas, spirituality and the movements they started in the 13th century. Our method is to offer

• Classes
  
• Presentations
  

• Workshops
  
• Retreats
  
• Adventures

each of which has their foundation in the rich, fascinating 13th century letters, biographies, prayers, Testaments and other writings which are at our fingertips.

Join us at one of our Upcoming Events or, contact us to explore the possibility of inviting Franciscan Passages to speak to your group or class.

Recommended by...contains recommendations from those who know the work of Franciscan Passages. 

Scroll down this page to read more about the people behind Franciscan Passages, including members of our Board of Directors who serve in an active advisory role.

Julie McElmurry, Founder

My name is Julie McElmurry and I am the
founder of Franciscan Passages. Raised in the mountains of Western North Carolina, I fondly recall the Franciscan Sisters, Glenmary priests, diocesan priests and lay parishioners who helped to shape my faith. I hope to express my gratitude for this gift by helping to augment and shape the faith of others. The exemplary lives of Francis and Clare have the power to inspire us to greater holiness.  

Ministry Experience

I served alongside Conventual Franciscan friars for eleven years as a a certified Catholic Campus Minister at Wake Forest University and Salem College in Winston-Salem,NC. Before that, I served for one year at a homeless shelter for teenagers through Jesuit Volunteer Corps and spent one year working at an International Youth Hostel.

Academic Credentials

With a scholarship from The Catholic Extension Society,  I studied Religion and Religious Education at Fordham University (Bronx, NY) to  earn a Master of Science degree in 2003.

With a scholarship  from the Immaculate Conception Province of Conventual Franciscan Friars, I studied Franciscan history and sources, earning a Master of Arts degree in Franciscan Studies in 2009 from St. Bonaventure University's Franciscan Institute.

Life Experience

I taught "Struggle and Hope," a service-learning class, for 22 semesters at Salem College. Six months studying at The University of Costa Rica solidified my Spanish language skills. I have traveled as a budget-conscious backpacker through more than 20 countries and have planned and executed over 20 service trips from Costa Rica to New York City with college students.

As a pilgrim, I have walked from Leon to Santiago de Compostela in Spain, camped in Assisi after a visit to Rome and stayed in the homes of Palestinian Christian and Jewish Israeli families in the Holy Land. These destinations were the four most important pilgrimage sites to Medieval Christians.

I relish the opportunity to share what I have learned through my studies at the Franciscan Institute. While it is true that God has not called me to life as a a vowed Franciscan, He has ignited my heart and mind with a love for the texts. A unique combination of ministry, education and life experience have prepared me for this new ministry through Franciscan Passages.

Board of Directors

The Board of Directors is comprised of Julie and four people who believe in the mission of Franciscan Passages and freely offer their time, prayers and expertise to Franciscan Passages.

Helen Akinc, a member of Our Lady of Mercy Catholic Church in Winston Salem, NC, teaches intercultural competency classes, is a published author, has led classes to welcome non-practicing Catholics home, and has lived in Turkey. 

Sister Kathy Ganiel, OSF, a native of New Jersey and a member of the dynamic and wonderful Franciscan Sisters of Philadelphia, has traveled to the U.K., Kenya and throughout the U.S. teaching the Franciscan Intellectual Tradition.

Rev. Horace "Duke" Walker Pastor of Ebenezer United Methodist Church in Lexington, NC. He and members of his congregation have been very supportive of Franciscan Passages.

Debbie Driscoll designer, an artist, an engineer, a cheese maker and a unicyclist. Her experience includes market research, product design and engineering. She is dedicated to sustainability and is a very active member of her Catholic parish in Portland, Oregon.

References

Please see our Recommended By... page on this website to see what others have to say about Franciscan Passages.

Background

Franciscan Passages was born in the spring of 2010. It is through this endeavor that Julie McElmurry seeks opportunities for leading retreats,presentations, adventures and classes on a wide range of Franciscan topics.

The wonderful world of research into Franciscan Studies is of interest to everyone and is accessible to all and is not, like many academic fields, only meaningful to an elite few scholars.

Many early Franciscan writings have been translated into modern, readily accessible English and Spanish and contain a wealth of riches which are yours to explore. I would like to explore these with you and guide you through them as true scholars have led me through them.

More Details about Julie McElmurry

• B.S. Parks, Recreation and Tourism Management (North Carolina State University) Concentration: Programming Minors: Spanish and International Studies
  
• M.A. Religion and Religious Education (Fordham University, Bronx, New York) Thesis Project: Service Learning trip to Costa Rica with 15 students
• M.S. Franciscan Studies (Franciscan Institute, St. Bonaventure University, New York) Thesis Project: Conversion: A Change of Heart,The Conversion Experience in the Lives of Francis of Assisi, Margaret of Cortona, Angela Foligno, Mary Magdalene of Medieval Legend and Recovering Addicts Today
• Certified Catholic Campus Minister (certified through Catholic Campus Ministry Association)
• 22 semesters of teaching Service Learning classes at the college level
• Taught a 10-session Spiritual Disciplines class at Prodigals Therapeutic Community (2008)to recovering drug addicts
  
• Julie has traveled on spiritual pilgrimages to Assisi, Rome, Santiago de Compostela (walked 130 miles), Jerusalem (the four major pilgrimage destinations of the middle ages)
  
• Julie has designed and led 20 service trips to Philadelphia, New York City, Syracuse, Gulf Coast for Hurricane Katrina Relief, Costa Rica, Western North Carolina
• 11 years' experience as a Campus Minister of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Charlotte. 

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On Conversion

 My M.A. thesis project was entitled "Conversion:A Change of Heart" the conversion experiences in the lives of Francis of Assisi, Margaret of Cortona, Angela Foligno and the Mary Magdalene of medieval legend.

In January of 2009, I led a retreat on these topics to a group of women from Winston Salem including several residents of a faith-based drug rehab where I had volunteered informally for several years.

Pilgrimage

 Pilgrimage in its pure form is meant to be a physical journey undertaken to a particular destination. Transformation and conversion happen over the course of the journey as a result of prayer, contemplation, walking meditation and one naming one's personal intentions for the journey. 

Pilgrimage was once used as a punishment given to criminals. They were to leave their town for a period of time, walking  for months to the destination, retrieving the important "compostela" or document affirming that they made it to the destination. Then, they turned around to head home again, after their exile, having thought about what they've done, having surrounded themselves with other pilgrims (traveling in a pack for safety) and returning home a new person, ready to rejoin society.

Scallop Shell

I walked the camino of Santiago de Compostela, most pilgrims I encountered were physically active Europeans in their 60s and 70s who were walking for fitness, not necessarily for an expressly religious purpose.

The scallop shell, hung from a pack or around the neck, has always been a symbol of the Compostela-bound pilgrim, along with a walking staff.The shell represents the sea, in the same direction as Copostella. I had been thinking about a scallop shell one day while walking, when a mysterious lady invited me in to see her family's now-defunct restaurant. I enjoyed talking to a local person and the break from the road. When I asked her about the origin of the scallop shells which served as center pieces for each of the tables. She presented me with one of them, which I promptly affixed to my pack.