Servants of the Blessed Sacrament sisters founded the Eucharistic Adoration Association in 2005 at their motherhouse based in Bien Hoa City. What began with nine people now has 8,000 members throughout Vietnam. Sr. Maria Nguyen Thi Tuyet Lan said the association aims to help promote devotion to the Eucharist, the "great mystery of faith," to live by it and to bear witness to it.

The lack of women members of the religious congregation had drawn special scrutiny in recent years, as Vatican statistics estimate that there are about four times as many women in Catholic religious orders compared to men. Francis' appointments for the religious congregation, which is formally named the Congregation for Institutes of Consecrated Life and Societies of Apostolic Life, were announced July 8.

Being assigned to a hill tribe in Mae Jam, Chiang Mai, a northern area of Thailand, changed the life of Sr. Marie Agnes Buasap, a Sister of St. Paul de Chartres. Her congregation has been in Thailand for 120 years and has 22 schools for students from kindergarten to high school. 

Mercy Sr. Mary Maurita Sengelaub, a nurse who entered religious life and eventually led what is now called the Catholic Health Association of the United States, died July 6 at age 101.

Sr. Teena Menomparampil has rescued hundreds of young village girls from the cultural realities of early marriage, female genital mutilation, child trafficking and child labor that plague so many countries in Sub-Saharan Africa. After offering them care and education, she finds many of the girls gravitate toward sisterhood. 

GSR Today - Amid a stalemate in the civil war, many South Sudanese "want to be hopeful, but underlying issues are not being addressed," says Sr. Joan Mumaw. "They are afraid to put too much stock on current leaders."

Pope Francis named six superiors of women's religious orders and a consecrated laywoman to be full members of the Congregation for Institutes of Consecrated Life and Societies of Apostolic Life. Previously, the members had all been men.

At a recent workshop on trends in child care, I was particularly interested in a collaborative of the Association of Religious in Uganda in response to their government's 2016 ruling that homes for children need a social worker on staff, to have established child-protection policies, and to meet certain child-care standards.

The Los Angeles-based playwright's latest work with History Theatre in St. Paul, Minnesota, tells the true story of four biological sisters who all became Sisters of St. Joseph of Carondelet and became celebrated fixtures in the St. Paul-Minneapolis peace community.

At least 250 people died on Easter when suicide bombers attacked three churches and three hotels in Sri Lanka. As suspects have been arrested, the Catholic sisters have been visiting with people affected by the loss, listening to them and helping them process anger, shock, guilt and sorrow. More than 200 sisters have been assigned by the Conference of Major Religious Superiors of Sri Lanka with the mission of healing, providing psychological support to the parishioners.

Focus on Human Trafficking - Though common knowledge warns against anyone wandering into La Línea, Sr. Angélica Segoviano has gained daily access by establishing trust with the women she visits. It takes time before they open up to her about their lives and worries, their initial suspicion born of the fact that some have gone years without anyone simply asking how they're doing.

Dominican Sr. Mary Jo Sobieck might be the only Catholic sister to have both her own bobblehead and Topps baseball card. Now she might just win an ESPY for Best Viral Sports Moment. "It's kind of surreal. Wanting to grow up to be an athlete and then to know I'm going to be there in the midst of the greatest of this generation — it's going to be phenomenal."