In South Africa's coal belt, girls disappear — and Catholic sisters quietly pull them back

Steam comes from a coal-fired power station in Emalahleni, South Africa, Oct. 11, 2021. (AP/Themba Hadebe, file)

As illegal mining spreads through abandoned shafts in South Africa, Catholic religious women risk their lives to rescue girls coerced into sex and early marriages in communities the state struggles to protect.

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Many ask: Is the church truly seeking to combat sex abuse?

Horizons

"Is the church truly seeking to combat sexual abuse, or is it trying to manage its consequences?" This is a valid, "honest and painful" question that many believers ask today, says Sr. Adriana Pérez.

rows of lit votive candles
Horizons

Community life provides blessings and challenges

A white metal plate with the word GRATEFUL in raised black letters (Unsplash/Nathan Dumlao)

What 18,061 days of sobriety have taught me

Editors' Choice

Sr. Jannifer Hiuhu serves porridge to children outside the Incarnate Word Sisters’ convent in northern Kenya. For many students at the congregation’s primary school, the sisters’ "Porridge for Breakfast" program provides their only meal of the day, as nomadic families search for pasture amid a prolonged drought. (GSR photo/Wycliff Peter Oundo)

In Focus

In Africa, religious sisters step in as climate crisis deepens for the poorest

As religious sisters and others respond on the front lines, communities across Africa bear the cost of global delays on climate action.

News

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Sr. Mary Dipa, principal of St. Mary's Catholic Nursing Institute in Toomilia, Bangladesh, teaches students. The Sisters of Mary Queen of the Apostles founded the program three years ago. (Sumon Corraya)

Q&A with Sr. Mary Dipa, educating nurses and uplifting a community

"We emphasize politeness, courtesy, honesty, kindness, patience, trustworthiness and fairness," said the program's principal. "These are universal Christian values that make a compassionate professional."

Pope Leo appoints Vincentian sister as new deputy of Vatican press office

Pope Leo XIV has appointed Croatian Vincentian Sr. Nina Benedikta Krapic as the deputy director of the Holy See Press Office.

Steam comes from a coal-fired power station in Emalahleni, South Africa, Oct. 11, 2021. (AP/Themba Hadebe, file)

In South Africa's coal belt, girls disappear — and Catholic sisters quietly pull them back

As illegal mining spreads through abandoned shafts in South Africa, Catholic religious women risk their lives to rescue girls coerced into sex and early marriages in communities the state struggles to protect.

The campus of the Franciscan Sisters of the Sacred Heart is pictured in Frankfort, Illinois. The Franciscan Central Archive is planned to be built on the campus, southwest of Chicago. (Courtesy of the Franciscan Sisters of the Sacred Heart)

Franciscan Central Archive to gather archives from 11 communities across US

The archive project is charism-based and open to any Franciscan community, regardless of location or whether they are men or women.

IN CASE YOU MISSED IT

'Bernadette' promises to charm nonbelievers

Franciscan Central Archive to gather archives from 11 communities across US

Sisters serve on the front lines of Vietnam's shifting HIV crisis

Feature Series

Sister Advocacy at UN

Global Sisters Report is covering Catholic sisters' advocacy at the United Nations.
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LCWR 2025

The Leadership Conference of Women Religious' annual assembly will take place Aug. 12-15 in Atlanta. 
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Out of the Shadows: Confronting Violence Against Women

"Out of the Shadows: Confronting Violence Against Women" is a yearlong Global Sisters Report series on the ways Catholic sisters are responding to this global phenomenon.
READ ALL ARTICLES
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Religious Life

View all in Religious Life

Pope Leo appoints Vincentian sister as new deputy of Vatican press office

Pope Leo XIV has appointed Croatian Vincentian Sr. Nina Benedikta Krapic as the deputy director of the Holy See Press Office.

Columns

Many ask: Is the church truly seeking to combat sex abuse?

"Is the church truly seeking to combat sexual abuse, or is it trying to manage its consequences?" This is a valid, "honest and painful" question that many believers ask today, says Sr. Adriana Pérez.

rows of lit votive candles
Columns

Community life provides blessings and challenges

Our commitment to common life and to one another becomes a powerful witness to the world," writes Sr. Grace Marie Del Priore. 

The campus of the Franciscan Sisters of the Sacred Heart is pictured in Frankfort, Illinois. The Franciscan Central Archive is planned to be built on the campus, southwest of Chicago. (Courtesy of the Franciscan Sisters of the Sacred Heart)

Franciscan Central Archive to gather archives from 11 communities across US

The archive project is charism-based and open to any Franciscan community, regardless of location or whether they are men or women.

Community News

Ministry

View all in Ministry
Sr. Marie Magdalene Duong Thi Nguyet of the Daughters of Mary of the Immaculate Conception listens to high-risk individuals share their struggles at Kim Long Charity Clinic in Hue, Vietnam, on Oct. 11, 2025. (GSR photo)

Sisters serve on the front lines of Vietnam's shifting HIV crisis

Catholic sisters in Vietnam volunteer as nurses, counselors and emotional anchors for HIV/AIDS patients — many of whom arrive frightened, ashamed and utterly alone.

Sr. Anthonia Ibeh, a member of the Medical Missionaries of Mary Ibeh who leads the catechism class every Wednesday for two hours to inmates, poses in front of the sisters' convent in Benin City, Nigeria. (Valentine Benjamin)

Catholic sister leads effort to deliver support and hope to inmates in Nigeria

Sr. Anthonia Ibeh of the Medical Missionaries of Mary leads the work to offer free legal aid, social support, rehabilitation and spiritual care to inmates, many of whom are legally innocent and still awaiting trial.

Apostolic Carmel Sr. Maria Nirmalini of India, the congregation's superior general, visits a person affected by Cyclone Ditwah in Sri Lanka. (Courtesy of Maria Ajantha)

Q&A with Sr. Maria Ajantha on the Sri Lanka cyclone

"Maybe God spared us [so that we could] reach out to the needy immediately after the disaster," Sr. Maria Ajantha said.

(Unsplash/Andrew Itaga)
Columns

'Una Caro': Why is the Vatican still getting Africa wrong on marriage?

A recent Vatican document on marriage revives troubling assumptions about Africa and polygamy. Sr. Leonida Katunge asks: Why is Africa once again being defined without Africa at the table?

GSR in the Classroom

Youth in a classroom raising their hands to answer questions

The project shines light on the mission and ministry of Catholic women religious around the world.

Each lesson connects articles about sisters or columns written by sisters to the good news found in scripture and church teaching. Action ideas and compelling prayer bring new learning alive. Teacher guides provide vital context and engaging activities to launch group discussions.