Global Sisters Report | A project of National Catholic Reporter

by Lucía Aurora Herrerías Guerra

Live blog: Follow the 2020 Nuns on the Bus virtual tour

Updated

by Nuns on the Bus

Dwelling in possibility

by Joan Sauro

Oct 21, 2020

Each moment is eternal. One by one they are offered to us. Some minutes we take hold of, some not. No matter, they all remain. I was awestruck by the beauty in one such moment.

Mission challenges us to accompany the poor in their struggles

by Jennibeth Sabay

Oct 20, 2020

Seeing the unfortunate realities of the poorest of the poor opened my eyes, gave me perspective, raised my consciousness. My encounters with these families made me realize, too, the evangelizing power of the poor.

'Fratelli Tutti': Papal dreams or Vatican diversion?

by Ilia Delio

Oct 19, 2020

Pope Francis makes a plea for human solidarity and fraternity. But how does he tell the world what it needs to do when he spearheads an institution grounded in patriarchy, hierarchy and ontological differences?

What are we ready for?

by Colleen Gibson

Oct 16, 2020

Horizons - What we once thought would be a momentary interruption to everyday life is in fact a cataclysmic shift. Our work now is to discern — as our first sisters once did — where God is calling us.

'Women in time to come will do much': Congregatio Jesu in Zimbabwe

by Mercy Shumbamhini

Oct 15, 2020

Venerable Mary Ward believed that "women in time to come will do much." Her legacy inspires us to be "seekers of truth and doers of justice," in all our ministries, including education and health care.

With saints, sisters and youth, flowing on the river of life

by Lidwin Fernandes

Oct 14, 2020

The only thing that we religious carry from place to place is our mission — to look lovingly, listen carefully, discern prudently and accept respectfully. I often turn to the Lord, and ask him to show me the way.

News

Social Service Sr. Simone Campbell speaks at the Oct. 19, 2019, Nuns on the Bus town hall in East Lansing, Michigan. (Network/Colleen Ross)

Sr. Simone Campbell, head of Network, to step down in March 2021

Looking back on her career, as she has become a fixture on Capitol Hill, Social Service Sr. Simone Campbell said the clear highlight was her work in helping secure the support for the passage of the Affordable Care Act.

Those who accompany the dying inspired by 'Samaritanus bonus'

by Chaz Muth , Catholic News Service

Oct 15, 2020

Much attention was given to church teaching on assisted suicide and euthanasia when the Vatican released its Sept. 22 letter "'Samaritanus bonus,' on the Care of Persons in the Critical and Terminal Phases of Life," but Sr. Maureen Weiss focused on the document's guidance on accompanying the dying, a key component to her vocation.

Caring for children: Religious sisters launch global push for reform

by Carol Glatz, Catholic News Service

Oct 9, 2020

Live blog: Follow the 2020 Nuns on the Bus virtual tour

Updated

by Nuns on the Bus

Oct 9, 2020

Ardeth Platte, Dominican nun dedicated to no-nukes cause, dies at 84

by Patrick O'Neill, Religion News Service

Oct 1, 2020

Death penalty denounced for ignoring people's capability to be 'redeemed'

by Natalie Hoefer, Catholic News Service

Sep 30, 2020

Coronavirus

Callista Gingrich, the U.S. ambassador to the Holy See, speaks Oct. 14 at "Combating Human Trafficking: Action in a Time of Crisis," a symposium sponsored by the U.S. Embassy to the Holy See and held at the International Union of Superiors General in Rome

Symposium examines how COVID-19 has exacerbated human trafficking

by Chris Herlinger

Oct 15, 2020

Experts including sisters discussed people's increased vulnerability to exploitation by traffickers, during a symposium sponsored by the U.S. Embassy to the Holy See, held at the International Union of Superiors General in Rome.

Sr. Hilda Bernath, second from right in second line, on her first visit with her Franciscan Missionaries of Mary sisters in the Ancon District of northern Lima, Peru. The sisters work with women and children in the village and are here visiting a shrine t

Stranded in Peru by the pandemic, I know faith is not on lock-down

by Hilda Mary Bernath

Oct 13, 2020

I am living outside of my home country of India for the first time, and I often get homesick. Yet I am following the footsteps of Jesus, Blessed Mother Mary and St. Francis of Assisi to adapt.

'Quaran-team' at Dominican house embraces the beauty of community

by Elizabeth Eisenstadt Evans

Oct 8, 2020

In India, hunger may kill migrant laborers before COVID-19

by Rani Punnaserril

Oct 8, 2020

A virus arrived, and changed our world

Oct 6, 2020

With no school amid pandemic, Kenyan girls fall prey to pregnancy risks

by Doreen Ajiambo

Oct 1, 2020

Ministry

Sisters of Our Lady of the Immaculate Conception of Castres work with children from depressed areas at Emilie's Home in Quezon City, Philippines, in 2014. (Provided photo)

Mission challenges us to accompany the poor in their struggles

by Jennibeth Sabay

Oct 20, 2020

People displaced by fighting between the Syrian Democratic Forces and Islamic State militants carry boxes of food aid from the World Food Program at a camp in Ain Issa, Syria. (CNS/Reuters/Erik De Castro)

Peace prize for World Food Program reflects wider humanitarian efforts

by Chris Herlinger

Oct 16, 2020

GSR Today: The 2020 Nobel Peace Prize citation noted the explicit connection between food and peace, a view shared by the sister congregations and other church-based groups who work with the U.N.'s World Food Program.

Those who accompany the dying inspired by 'Samaritanus bonus'

by Chaz Muth , Catholic News Service

Oct 15, 2020

'Women in time to come will do much': Congregatio Jesu in Zimbabwe

by Mercy Shumbamhini

Oct 15, 2020

Caring for children: Religious sisters launch global push for reform

by Carol Glatz, Catholic News Service

Oct 9, 2020

In India, hunger may kill migrant laborers before COVID-19

by Rani Punnaserril

Oct 8, 2020

Religious Life

Sr. Meena Dias, a member of the Sisters of Holy Family of Nazareth, right, with Vandana Kawlekar, a staff member at St. Xavier's Academy, which cares for children with disabilities in Old Goa, ancient capital of Portuguese Goa (Lissy Maruthanakuzhy)

Q & A with Sr. Meena Dias, serving children with disabilities in Goa for three decades

Oct 20, 2020

Sr. Meena Dias, a member of the Sisters of Holy Family of Nazareth, serves at St. Xavier's Academy, an institution under the Archdiocese of Goa and Daman that serves people with disabilities in India.

Raised in Buddhist Vietnam, three nuns share stories of who inspired their Catholic vocations

by Joachim Pham

Oct 19, 2020

Catholicism is seen as a foreign religion in Vietnam, with 52,000 followers among the total population of 1.3 million, according to church statistics. Three sisters who have their origins in other religions recently talked with Global Sisters Report about their admiration for what sisters have done for them and others.

Poor Clares' song reaches out in a hope to provide silence, calm

by Sarah Mac Donald

Oct 19, 2020

Research on women religious identifies trends, establishes framework for tracking changes

by Joyce Meyer

Oct 16, 2020

What are we ready for?

by Colleen Gibson

Oct 16, 2020

New curriculum teaches Catholic faith through lives of women religious

Oct 15, 2020

Community News

Teresa Huong Thi Nguyen professes final vows as a Sister of Providence

Sisters of Providence, Mother Joseph Province

Society of the Holy Child Jesus Celebrates 175th Anniversary

Society of the Holy Child Jesus

Resilient Healers at the frontline!

Missionary Sisters of Our Lady of the Holy Rosary

FSPA to host Listening & Loving Through The Political Storm

Franciscan Sisters of Perpetual Adoration

Q&As

Q & A with Sr. Meena Dias, serving children with disabilities in Goa for three decades

Oct 20, 2020

Q & A with Judith Baenen: 'Organize to change people's attitudes, not just laws'

Oct 13, 2020

In 1965, as a young Loretto sister, Judith Baenen flew with a Kansas City contingency of Catholics to bear witness to the events in Selma. Now a Loretto co-member, she reflects on her experience 50 years later.

Q & A with Sr. Mary Grace Akiror, 'the sister you cannot bribe' in Uganda

by Gerald Matembu

Oct 6, 2020

Q & A with Sr. Barbara Lum: 'We can't go on judging people by the color of their skin'

Sep 29, 2020

Q & A with María Soledad Gómez Navarro, historian specializing in the lives of Spanish sisters

by Eleanor Nash

Sep 22, 2020

Q & A with Christine Nava: 'Institutional and systemic racism overlap. It's not one size fits all'

by Lucía Aurora Herrerías Guerra

Sep 15, 2020

Spirituality

Six eggs and a glass bowl, resting on top of a piece of the religious habit that the author once wore. (Provided photo)

Dwelling in possibility

by Joan Sauro

Oct 21, 2020

Each moment is eternal. One by one they are offered to us. Some minutes we take hold of, some not. No matter, they all remain. I was awestruck by the beauty in one such moment.

'Fratelli Tutti': Papal dreams or Vatican diversion?

by Ilia Delio

Oct 19, 2020

Those who accompany the dying inspired by 'Samaritanus bonus'

by Chaz Muth , Catholic News Service

Oct 15, 2020

With saints, sisters and youth, flowing on the river of life

by Lidwin Fernandes

Oct 14, 2020

A virus arrived, and changed our world

Oct 6, 2020

Sisters of St. Casimir's US-Lithuanian ties outlasted Soviet repression

Oct 5, 2020

Environment

São Paulo Zoo, Brazil (Wikimedia Commons/Mike Peel, www.mikepeel.net)

Why is Francis of Assisi the patron saint of ecology?

by Brian Roewe

Oct 2, 2020

Burning Question: Beyond the birdbaths and the blessing of pets on his Oct. 4 feast day, Francis of Assisi is also known as the patron saint of ecology. What does that mean? Who made that decision? And why?

A loggerhead sea turtle hatchling, "Caretta caretta," makes its way to the ocean Aug. 26, 2020. (Ecological Associates Inc.)

Can conservation measures save sea turtles from climate change?

by Gail DeGeorge

Sep 18, 2020

Three species of sea turtles still return to South Florida's beaches to lay their eggs, and groups like Ecological Associates are helping keep their nests safe. The biggest threats to turtles, of course, are humans.

Five hundred laps: the path to wonder and awe

by Tracey Horan

Aug 21, 2020

Franciscan Sisters give NCR $1.5 million to help 'wake up the world'

by NCR Staff

Jul 31, 2020

Amid biting drought, sisters in Zambia fend off hunger with organic farming

by Doreen Ajiambo

Jul 16, 2020

Preserving trees by making charcoal from paper litter

by Charity Bbalo

Jul 16, 2020

Social Justice

Mission challenges us to accompany the poor in their struggles

by Jennibeth Sabay

Oct 20, 2020

'Fratelli Tutti': Papal dreams or Vatican diversion?

by Ilia Delio

Oct 19, 2020

Peace prize for World Food Program reflects wider humanitarian efforts

by Chris Herlinger

Oct 16, 2020

Sisters share spiritual foundation of activism with younger 'nones'

by Soli Salgado

Oct 15, 2020

Q & A with Judith Baenen: 'Organize to change people's attitudes, not just laws'

Oct 13, 2020

Sisters registering as many people as they can to vote

Oct 12, 2020

Arts and Media

James Morgan, right, checks the recording levels as the sisters perform some of the music to which St. Clare's writing was set for the first time for the album "Light for the World." (Morgan Pochin Music Productions)

Poor Clares' song reaches out in a hope to provide silence, calm

by Sarah Mac Donald

Oct 19, 2020

A community of isolated nuns in the Sussex countryside in the U.K. has put their daily prayerful singing into a shareable form using new songs composed by James Morgan and Juliette Pochin.

Participants work on a poster at a curriculum workshop for Called and Consecrated in 2018 at the Oblate School of Theology in San Antonio. The curriculum teaches middle and high schoolers about the Catholic faith through the lives of women religious.

New curriculum teaches Catholic faith through lives of women religious

Oct 15, 2020

With themes "broad enough to encompass all of the Christian life," the Called and Consecrated curriculum for middle and high school religion classes is also a way for students to encounter sisters.

Love and baseball

by Hannah Vanorny

Oct 7, 2020

What would nuns watch on Netflix?

Sep 18, 2020

Whenever I feel afraid of corona

by Judith Best

Sep 10, 2020

Singing compassion into the world

Aug 21, 2020

Migration

People at a Melbourne refugee and asylum seeker rights rally July 27, 2013, protest both the Rudd Labor Government new proposal for assessment and resettlement of asylum seekers in Papua New Guinea, and the Liberal Party's hard line stand to use the milit

Gaps in Australia's asylum program for people fleeing oppression

Sep 25, 2020

From A Nun's Life podcasts - In this Random Nun Clip, Sr. Rita Malavisi talks about the Asylum Seeker Resource Center in Australia, where she has served as a volunteer for 17 years.

Darwin Airport Immigration Detention Centre, Australia (Flickr/Ken Hodge)

Encounter is real education

Sep 11, 2020

From A Nun's Life Ministry podcasts - In Australia, asylum seekers' real stories influenced college students to think outside of the talking points they hear in the news.

Indian nuns aid migrant laborers stranded on way home during lockdown

by Jessy Joseph

Jul 13, 2020

Migrant workers flood Goa beaches for jobs; sisters help them fit in

Updated