Grounded in front line ministry, African sisters chart renewed anti-trafficking fight

Dimesse Sr. Redemptor Ikonga is pictured with children at Talitha Kum Children's Home in Nyahururu, Kenya, on Nov. 10, 2025. She ministers to abandoned, abused and HIV-positive children. (GSR photo/Doreen Ajiambo)

Talitha Kum Africa has adopted a three-year plan to confront trafficking's fast-evolving forms across the continent. It's a mission already embodied in Sr. Redemptor Ikonga's work with vulnerable children in Kenya.

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Several rows of nuns pose for group photo.

Humanity still needs women religious

"A missionary is always a missionary — be it in formal or informal settings," writes Sr. Sujata Jena. "We are walking textbooks from which someone else is drawing a lesson."

A collection of words for Jesus in different fonts, on a burlap background (Dreamstime/Genotar)

Jesus as the Word of God is my thesaurus of life

(Unsplash/Julia Taubitz)

Empowering youth with autism, a journey of inclusion and understanding

Editors' Choice

Sr. Lilly Thomas of the Sisters of Charity of Jesus and Mary assists in a surgery at St. Joseph Community Hospital in the Jammu-Srinagar Diocese, India. (Umar Manzoor Shah)

In Focus

On India-Pakistan border, nuns endure hardships and conflict to care for all

In a conflict-afflicted region where religion-based social divisions also exist, Hindus, Muslims and Sikhs line up outside the Catholic hospital — the only charitable health care facility for the poor — with equal trust.

News

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Deacons lie prostrate during ordination Mass in St. Peter's Basilica during the Jubilee of Deacons at the Vatican Feb. 23.

Vatican commission votes against ordaining female deacons

The group was split 5-5 on a statement that held Jesus' masculinity and that of all who receive holy orders "is not accidental" but rather an "integral part of the sacramental identity."

Dimesse Sr. Redemptor Ikonga is pictured with children at Talitha Kum Children's Home in Nyahururu, Kenya, on Nov. 10, 2025. She ministers to abandoned, abused and HIV-positive children. (GSR photo/Doreen Ajiambo)

Grounded in front line ministry, African sisters chart renewed anti-trafficking fight

Talitha Kum Africa has adopted a three-year plan to confront trafficking's fast-evolving forms across the continent. It's a mission already embodied in Sr. Redemptor Ikonga's work with vulnerable children in Kenya.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy awards Argentine Dominican Sr. María Lucía Caram Padilla the Order of Princess Olga, III class, in Madrid Nov. 18, 2025. Caram was honored for her efforts to provide humanitarian aid and support since the beginning of the Russian invasion of Ukraine. (OSV News/Courtesy of Office of the President of Ukraine)

Ukrainian President Zelenskyy honors Dominican Sr. Lucía Caram for war relief efforts

Dominican Sr. María Lucía Caram Padilla was awarded the Order of Princess Olga, III class, by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy for her efforts in providing humanitarian aid since the Russian invasion of Ukraine.

Sr. Christy Babu Cherpanath of the Missionary Sisters of Mary Immaculate with young people during the shooting of the Youth Cafe program produced and aired by Shalom Television in Kerala, southwestern India. (Courtesy of Shalom TV)

Q&A with Sr. Christy Babu Cherpanath, former software engineer who evangelizes youth through new media

Cherpanath is known for her programs on Shalom Television, especially Youth Cafe, a weekly program for youth, and Vocare, a program that shares the inspiring vocation stories of nuns and priests.

IN CASE YOU MISSED IT

UN report: Every 10 minutes, a woman is killed somewhere in the world

Ghana sister rescues disabled children viewed as bad omens in their villages

Indian church sets up mental health ministry to support priests and nuns

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.
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Religious Life

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Several rows of nuns pose for group photo.
Columns

Humanity still needs women religious

"A missionary is always a missionary — be it in formal or informal settings," writes Sr. Sujata Jena. "We are walking textbooks from which someone else is drawing a lesson."

(GSR graphic/Olivia Bardo)

Indian church sets up mental health ministry to support priests and nuns

"Unfortunately, the church's healing ministry was centered on physical health until recently. We had conveniently forgotten the mental wellness of our own workers," said Medical Mission Sr. Joan Chunkapura.

The ninth panel for Global Sisters Report's feature The Life (GSR graphic)

Meet the new sisters panel for the 9th year of The Life

Global Sisters Report's ninth year of The Life features a panel of 20 sisters who will take turns responding to a prompt or a question about spirituality, religious life and challenges of our world today.

The necrology board at Mount St. Scholastica in Atchison, Kansas, lists the names and dates of sisters who have gone before, a daily reminder for the community to carry them in prayer. (GSR photo/Helga Leija)

At my Benedictine monastery, ritual inspires gratitude for sisters who came before me

This Thanksgiving, I'm especially thankful for my whole community — the women on the necrology board whose dedication and prayer continue to shape us, and the women who walk beside me now.

Community News

Ministry

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Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy awards Argentine Dominican Sr. María Lucía Caram Padilla the Order of Princess Olga, III class, in Madrid Nov. 18, 2025. Caram was honored for her efforts to provide humanitarian aid and support since the beginning of the Russian invasion of Ukraine. (OSV News/Courtesy of Office of the President of Ukraine)

Ukrainian President Zelenskyy honors Dominican Sr. Lucía Caram for war relief efforts

Dominican Sr. María Lucía Caram Padilla was awarded the Order of Princess Olga, III class, by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy for her efforts in providing humanitarian aid since the Russian invasion of Ukraine.

(Unsplash/Julia Taubitz)
Columns

Empowering youth with autism, a journey of inclusion and understanding

"Doing this work brings me a sense of purpose and fulfillment, and I am motivated by making a positive impact on the lives of individuals with autism and their families," writes Nigerian Sr. Christie Udebor.

Sr. Jamie Phelps

Monday Starter: Sr. Jamie Phelps, advocate for social and racial justice, dies at 84

Plus, pilgrimage to El Salvador to remember martyred sisters, laywoman; and Salesian nun wins top education award in India

View of Medellin, Colombia (Pixabay/Julian Zapata)
Columns

Institución Técnica San José Obrero champions life in Medellín, Colombia

Many leave grateful not just for quality education, but also for the listening, support and life-changing help they receive.

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.