Horizons - Three encounters at my motherhouse — involving significant differences of opinion — gave me pause and had me reflecting on progressive and inclusive authenticity.
It takes time and experience to find and see the values and gifts in life. Friendships are one of these gifts, as I was reminded when five important people in my life died during this past year.
Let's get rid of the old traps like: "Keep the rules and the rules will keep you." Instead, let's follow the advice of St. Francis of Assisi and, "Start by doing what's necessary; then do what's possible, and suddenly you are doing the impossible."
Unless we grapple with matter — not only in scientific research but all aspects of world-unfolding life — we are missing out on the power of life itself, the power we name as God.
Throughout the world, an evil persists: human beings enslaving and abusing other human beings. Among anti-trafficking activists are our Medical Mission Sisters, working for a time when everyone experiences safety and well-being.
Horizons - The landscape of religious life is quaking. With every evolution of a tradition or new expression of a charism, the Spirit reminds us that our radical form of life is not about comfort and security.
Mercy Sister Mary Scullion, co-founder and executive director of Project HOME, an organization that helps the homeless in Philadelphia, was one of the many guests who attended the Feb. 4 State of the Union, which she hoped would draw attention to homelessness and inspire federal aid to alleviate it.
When one is totally in love with the Lord, then poverty, chastity and obedience are not sacrifices, but vehicles of freedom, Pope Francis told consecrated men and women.
Thailand's entire Catholic community is less than one percent of the population of more than 68 million. But in Bangkok, Ursuline sisters run an all-girls K-12 Catholic school that is thriving.
A Place to Call Home - "Homelessness in all its forms, including family homelessness, has been left behind in the global debate," Daughter of Wisdom Sr. Jean Quinn told the opening session at the U.N. this week.
It has been more than four years since the Missionary Guadalupanas of the Holy Spirit first began their legal battle against California's requirement that insurance plans cover abortions. For the most part, the sisters had hit brick walls and disappointments — until last month, when the Trump administration brought attention to their efforts and the state's response.
GSR invited readers to share how congregations reach out to younger women, and about new members under age 40. They describe new ways of instruction that encourage exploration of inner strengths and struggles.
In multicultural India, "interreligious initiatives are not a luxury, but an indispensable obligation of every citizen," says Sr. Gracy Vadakara, Indian provincial of the Daughters of the Church.
Sister of the Divine Savior Jean Schafer was inspired in the late 1990s to inform more people about human trafficking and, after the International Union of Superiors General released its first public declaration calling on religious women to work on behalf of this vulnerable population, she started a monthly newsletter. After 17 years, she is handing it off to two other sisters.
Thailand's entire Catholic community is less than one percent of the population of more than 68 million. But in Bangkok, Ursuline sisters run an all-girls K-12 Catholic school that is thriving.
It takes time and experience to find and see the values and gifts in life. Friendships are one of these gifts, as I was reminded when five important people in my life died during this past year.
Feb. 12 was the 15th anniversary of Sr. Dorothy Stang's assassination in the Amazon region of Brazil. The U.S.-born nun is remembered as a crusader for the poor and the landless and for her love of the land and the Amazon forest.
Last spring, we took a solidarity and service trip to Peru to clean up trash and meet with women who are partnered with our Sisters of Charity of the Incarnate Word, San Antonio.
A Place to Call Home - "Homelessness in all its forms, including family homelessness, has been left behind in the global debate," Daughter of Wisdom Sr. Jean Quinn told the opening session at the U.N. this week.
With renowned cartoonists and artists contributing, the project aims to raise awareness and funds to help sisters reintegrate survivors of trafficking back into society, with all proceeds going to Talitha Kum.
Medical Missionaries of Mary Sr. Bernadette "Bernie" Kenny brought her nursing skills to Appalachian Virginia in 1978. She has written a book about her experience caring for those in southwest corner of the state.
Sister of the Divine Savior Jean Schafer was inspired in the late 1990s to inform more people about human trafficking and, after the International Union of Superiors General released its first public declaration calling on religious women to work on behalf of this vulnerable population, she started a monthly newsletter. After 17 years, she is handing it off to two other sisters.
In addition to experiencing Cambodians' rich cultural heritage, we were invited by Br. Joseph Nguyen Thanh Tung to visit a parish that offers classes for 72 poor Vietnamese children living in Cambodia.
With renowned cartoonists and artists contributing, the project aims to raise awareness and funds to help sisters reintegrate survivors of trafficking back into society, with all proceeds going to Talitha Kum.
When St. John Paul II canonized St. Josephine Bakhita in 2000, he said the saint is a "shining advocate of genuine emancipation," noting how despite her abduction into slavery at a young age, she well understood God to be the source of true freedom.
