Ghanaian nun's association supports widows who face dehumanizing traditional rites

Inset: Sr. Gabriel Nonaah, the founder of the St. Monica Widows Association, teaches a group of widows how to brew pito, a local Ghanaian drink. (GSR graphic/Olivia Bardo; photo of women courtesy of St. Monica Widows Association)

Moved by the cruel treatment faced by many widows in Ghana, Mary Immaculate Sr. Gabriel Nonaah started St. Monica Widows Association to provide these vulnerable women with empowerment, education and self-reliance.

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"We are still missing something essential if we cannot name and confront the systemic nature of abuse within our Catholic Church," writes Sr. Yolanda Olivera for the Global Sisters Report series "Out of the Shadows."

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People are pictured who reside at the Kaya Godoma Rescue Centre in Kilifi, a coastal town in Kenya. Some elderly individuals at Kaya Godoma have been accused of witchcraft by members of their community and even their relatives. This has led to them being violently driven from their homes. (GSR photo/Doreen Ajiambo)

In Focus

Witchcraft accusations drive elders in Kenya from homes, seeking refuge with sisters

Catholic sisters in Kenya offer support to elder men and women who have been driven from their homes —  if not killed —  following accusations of witchcraft from those eager to take their land.

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Sr. Jane Wakahiu, associate vice president of program operations and head of the Catholic Sisters Initiative at the Conrad N. Hilton Foundation, Gail DeGeorge, and Sr. Joyce Meyer, co-founder of Global Sisters Report, at the LCWR Assembly in 2023 (Courtesy of Gail DeGeorge)

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In a farewell interview, former GSR editor Gail DeGeorge reflects on what media gets wrong about sisters, trends in religious life, and how sisters influenced her spirituality.

Inset: Sr. Gabriel Nonaah, the founder of the St. Monica Widows Association, teaches a group of widows how to brew pito, a local Ghanaian drink. (GSR graphic/Olivia Bardo; photo of women courtesy of St. Monica Widows Association)

Ghanaian nun's association supports widows who face dehumanizing traditional rites

Moved by the cruel treatment faced by many widows in Ghana, Mary Immaculate Sr. Gabriel Nonaah started St. Monica Widows Association to provide these vulnerable women with empowerment, education and self-reliance.

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Holy Spirit Sr. Joyce Miyanda interacts with an expectant mother.

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Starting in 1971 as a small rural health care center, Monze Mission Hospital has grown to be the premier hospital in the area, specializing in combating high maternal death rates.

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Q&A with Sr. Joyce Miyanda, upgrading maternal health care in Zambia

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LCWR 2024

The 2024 general assembly of the Leadership Conference of Women Religious.
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A novice prays prior to the start of her profession of vows in this 2017 file photo. (CNS/Tyler Orsburn)

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Displaying a sister's profession ring are the hands of a sister from the Society of the Holy Child Jesus, one of the congregations who took part in Sexton's research. This image was used in Sexton's book cover. (Courtesy of Catherine Sexton)

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In communal life, support good mental health practices

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While women religious may be vocal and courageous about the violence and injustice others face, they often remain silent and intimidated when it comes to speaking up about their own fears and abuse, one superior general said at an international safeguarding conference in Rome.

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Inset: Sr. Gabriel Nonaah, the founder of the St. Monica Widows Association, teaches a group of widows how to brew pito, a local Ghanaian drink. (GSR graphic/Olivia Bardo; photo of women courtesy of St. Monica Widows Association)

Ghanaian nun's association supports widows who face dehumanizing traditional rites

Moved by the cruel treatment faced by many widows in Ghana, Mary Immaculate Sr. Gabriel Nonaah started St. Monica Widows Association to provide these vulnerable women with empowerment, education and self-reliance.

Sculpture of a person crouched, with knees up, arms and head down
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America's pandemic of grief

All of us need "grief time," "breathing time" or "retreat time" after this bucketful of losses because each loss affects us physically, emotionally, spiritually and intellectually. 

A group of children pray together with the sisters in the Holy Trinity Home for Children, an orphanage dedicated to caring for sexually abused and impoverished children. (Courtesy of Trinitarian Handmaids of the Divine Word)

Sisters help children in Philippines rebuild their lives after sexual abuse

At the Holy Trinity Home for Children in Quezon City, the Trinitarian Handmaids of the Divine Word shelter children who have been victims of sexual abuse, and provide them mental health care and education.

At Operation Breakthrough in Kansas City, Mo., girls ages 6-8 spend time in a room devoted to encouraging stem education after school hours. Activities range from legos to cooking to teach math and science skills. (GSR photo/Soli Salgado)

Sisters began a day care for Kansas City's working poor. Now, it's a huge operation.

What Srs. Berta Sailer and Corita Bussanmas began as a day care 50 years ago has morphed into Operation Breakthrough, a nonprofit educating underprivileged kids of Kansas City, even after the sisters' deaths.

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.