Sarah Mac Donald

"They acted on their wits; I am just so full of admiration for them. They knew what was ahead: arrest, torture and deportation, execution. The risks were enormous," said Clodagh Finn, author of The Irish in the Resistance.

When three Loreto Sisters from Ireland arrived in Rumbek, South Sudan, in 2006, only 13 girls were in secondary education in the capital of Lakes State. The sisters opened the first secondary school for girls in 2008 with 35 students. Eighteen years later over 500 girls have graduated from Loreto Rumbek and many are now completing a post-secondary education.

One of Africa's leading theologians, Ngalula has spent decades providing pastoral accompaniment to victims of sexual abuse within the Catholic Church. 

Sisters from the Russian Orthodox convent of St. Elizabeth the Royal Martyr in Minsk, Belarus, said they have received a warm welcome in Ireland despite their country's support for Russia's invasion of Ukraine and Ireland's strong support for Ukrainians.

Sr. Ita Ford was among three sisters and one laywoman who were murdered in 1980 in El Salvador. Now, years later, Irish Columban Missionary Fr. Alo Connaughton provides personal insight into the Ford he knew. 

"Vita gave Mercy a new way of mission due to our present age profile," said a Sister of Mercy who is on Vita's board. She calls the Green Impact Fund "visionary" because of its circular model and focus on communities. 

A network of researchers was founded in 2021 to promote inquiry into women religious from medieval times to the 21st century. It hopes to break down silos that have limited extensive research. 

New book outlines how Irish women religious were connected to the highest levels of power and authority in the regions within which they operated in the two centuries after the Reformation.

Prison is not the solution in every case, said Sr. Esther Murphy. "There are certain categories of prisoner that it is needed for, but it is not the place for many people, and I think we need to wake up to that fact."

In their submission to the synod as part of the Irish national synthesis of the synodal process published Aug. 16, women religious in Ireland lamented their invisibility and highlighted their sense of marginalization.

The Religious Formation Ministry Programme at Loreto House in Ireland aims to help women and men religious better serve others by serving their own needs.

At University College Dublin, Professor Deirdre Raftery has led a project to digitize a unique collection of more than 500 photos taken in 1902-1908 by Mother Michael Corcoran of the Institute of the Blessed Virgin Mary.

A new video series highlights hope and perseverance as sisters speak about how the Mercy charism has been a touchstone for their journeys and how they embraced new ways of living their vocations in the 21st century.

The Ursulines in Ireland face a lack of vocations and an aging profile, while the community they founded in Kenya is thriving. Changes in both countries reflect new needs, rooted in the congregation's mission.

Presentation Sr. Imelda Wickham followed a call to be with people in prison. She was a prison chaplain for 20 years. Her new book spotlights Ireland's dysfunctional criminal justice system.

Religious Sister of Charity Rita Wynne says she's the "factotum" for Dublin's Haven Centre, which serves adults who were unable to benefit from earlier education, to build their confidence and develop their skills.

Sr. Norma Pimentel urged webinar attendees to make possible Pope Francis' "revolution of tenderness" through the "miracle of kindness." She told the sisters they "will be key in weaving together with other women strong lines of unity in our communities."

As the number of remains of children found in unmarked graves on the properties of Indian residential schools in Canada rises, women religious communities and the church are grappling with their role in this history.

Presentation Sr. Anne Lyons has written a booklet on Nano Nagle, whom Pope Francis declared venerable in 2013. Lyons, tasked with promoting Nagle's sainthood cause, spoke to GSR about Nagle's courage.

The Redemptoristines' monastery in Dublin keeps receiving messages after their video for the "Jerusalema" dance challenge went viral. They did it as a prayer for the suffering world and front-line workers.