Translated by Helga Leija

In today's reality, the traditional model of consecrated life tied to an institution is obsolete," writes Sr. Magda Bennásar. "The ministry model of the past is in urgent need of updating." 

How do congregations cope with the changes and the decline in vocations? Sr. Dora Tupil shares her experience of the closure of houses and projects of her congregation, the Handmaids of the Sacred Heart of Jesus.

At the U.S.-Mexico border, Dominican nuns and Salesian laywomen go beyond breakfasts, providing essential support to migrants in Tijuana. 

Sr. Carmen Notario compares the desecration that some individuals have done today of the body, mind and spirit of so many women, men, girls and boys, and the desecration of the temple of Jerusalem in the time of Jesus.

The creative movement of dance has allowed Daylenis Lara Rodriguez to rediscover how to connect with her deepest self during her novitiate, and in that process she has experienced the presence of the Holy Spirit.

During a visit to a prison in Peru, Sr. Begoña Costillo discovered how the Gospel came to life behind bars and offered hope and liberation to those who seek conversion, healing and redemption. 

A call for an awakening of the collective conscience in Nicaragua comes from writer Flying in V Formation, who advocates for freedom, justice and the reconstruction of a divided country. 

Sr. Begoña Costillo reflects on the implications of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and how it transcends physical borders to reach into the depths of human desires and ambitions, with devastating consequences.

Through the story of young Magdalena Gomez Gregorio and her family — witnesses to adversity and unexpected support during the August 2019 immigrant raid at food processing plants in Morton, Mississippi — Sr. María Elena Méndez reveals in her column for GSR an inspiring story of how courage can transform pain into a beacon of hope and unity.

Jesus spent his childhood in an era marked by violence, imprisonment, and exile. His childhood was not too different from what we experience today. And in the rubble-filled manger of Nicaragua, Jesus continues to be born.