Chris Herlinger

Catholic sisters and organizations are working on a just transition to a sustainable planet through actions to fight climate change and to move workers away from jobs that contribute to greenhouse-gas emissions say the transition is moral, practical and imperative.

"History has its eyes on you. History has its eyes on us," Sr. Carol Zinn, a Sister of St. Joseph of Philadelphia and executive director of the Leadership Conference of Women Religious, said during an Oct. 12 event at U.S. Capitol. Faith leaders were  calling for Congress to pass President Joe Biden's "Build Back Better" legislation.

Loreto Sr. Imelda Poole participated in an Oct. 14 panel discussion about empowering young people to help fight modern slavery. A longtime advocate for abolishing modern day slavery, she was named a U.S. Department of State Trafficking in Persons Report Hero in July.

GSR Today - The pandemic has laid bare the serious shortcomings of the global food system, and there is a sense of urgency for World Food Day 2021, with calls for meaningful change — including personal change.

In joining the Laudato Si' Action Platform, the Congregation of Bon Secours "hopes to be part of the critical mass needed to create a global paradigm shift which is nothing short of a transformation of our relationship with Earth," the community said.

U.S. Catholic sisters and congregational representatives, decrying border agent abuses and deportation of Haitian asylum seekers, call for immigration reform that will embrace humane policies and practices.

GSR Today - When 9/11 happened, my experiences in Afghanistan got mixed in with my own reactions as an American and a New York City resident — reactions that were all over the map. I was shocked, saddened and angered.

The Aug. 14 earthquake in southern Haiti poses yet another serious challenge to the work of a Haiti-based congregation that had been struggling before the latest disaster. "I don't know what I can say. The problems sometimes seem too big," Sr. Denise Desil said.

The swift spread of the delta variant and the threat of new variants add new challenges for Catholic sisters and humanitarian leaders working in countries already facing difficulties, including hunger, social unrest and other longstanding health problems like malaria and HIV/AIDS.

The Leviticus Fund, a community development lender created by a group of religious leaders, has invested more than $142 million since 1983 in projects that address poverty. Its new Legacy Fund is creating a pool of capital based on donations, not investments, and will follow the same mission.

In agreeing to get vaccinated, "Catholic health care professionals working in hospitals, clinics, long-term care facilities and in the community give witness to Christ's call to love one another," Mercy Sr. Mary Haddad, president of the Catholic Health Association of the United States, said in a July 23 statement.

The Daughters of Saint Paul actively embrace social media, using platforms like Instagram, Twitter and Facebook to evangelize. In a new book published by Simon & Schuster, eight sisters share reflections about living a spiritual life in a busy world.

Sr. Maryanne Loughry said the physical, economic, social and psychological toll of the pandemic has heightened awareness in the world about the need for kindness. She led a discussion during a webinar that addressed care as a mission of women religious.

Monday Starter – Sr. Helen Prejean among Catholics signing petition to commute sentences of those on federal death row; Franciscan Sr. Ilia Delio to deliver keynote at Laudato Si' conference; LCWR webinar will focus on human trafficking

The July 7 assassination of Haitian President Jovenel Moïse does not change sisters' belief that the Moïse government was an impediment to human rights and ongoing political and social turmoil continues to affect day-to-day life.

Violence and humanitarian challenges overshadow this month's commemoration of the 10th anniversary of the world's youngest country. GSR asked sisters who have worked in South Sudan to assess where it stands now.

Religious communities are at the forefront of the transition to a more sustainable world but must continue to set an example and expand their efforts, sister advocates say.

In the face of daunting global challenges, Catholic education must address the need for the flourishing of humanity and the protection of the planet, said sister educators at a June 3 webinar. 

GSR Today - The withdrawal of U.S. troops could threaten the small gains women and girls have made in the last 20 years. But the worries are also bound up with the maddingly complex reality that is Afghanistan.

Violence ripping through Israel, Gaza and the occupied territories will not likely end anytime soon, says a Comboni missionary sister with a long history of experience in the Middle East. "The situation here is very critical, and there are no signs of improvement," said Sr. Alicia Vacas Moro.