Sr. Mary Rose Kocab, OVISS

Translated by Sr. Mary Rose Kocab, OVISS

By this Author

As she carried gallons of water to the Arizona desert, God spoke to her heart

Sr. Maria E. Mendez Ochoa shares the experience of Sr. Oliva Olivares as she leaves water for migrants crossing the desert through Sásabe, Arizona, the border between Mexico and the U.S. 

Consecrated life ages with hope in Mexico

The Office of Development and Comprehensive Health for Religious Women in Mexico seeks to address the needs of older religious women, with medical care, geriatric equipment and psychological support.

Q&A with Sr. Maritza Rolón on prison ministry in an Ecuador in crisis

Ecuador is under the spotlight of the international press because of recent violence linked to drug trafficking. Sr. Maritza Rolón Cevallos talks to GSR about how she confronts this crisis through her prison ministry.

Shelters for migrants on Mexico's border tighten security

Leaders of migrant shelters in Tijuana say they are enduring violence and organized crime. One director, a Catholic sister, told GSR her shelter had to change its facilities and "close everything" to keep migrants safe.

Diversity and hope, from my Mayan roots to the hearts of Italy

Sr. Dora Estela Tupil May connects her Christian spirituality with that of her Mayan ancestors, expressed in the Heart of Heaven and the Heart of the Earth. 

Parishioners attend a Mass at Santo Domingo de Guzman church in Managua, Nicaragua, Aug. 2, 2022. (OSV News/Reuters/Maynor Valenzuela)

In Nicaragua, we feel small and persecuted, but not abandoned by God

In the midst of fear, uncertainty and persecution under a nefarious dictatorship, we try to continue to announce, with our lives, the presence of Jesus, who is also a witness of this very harsh reality.

Farmers and residents of the village of Cotacombas, Peru, share a lunch of chicken stew in the countryside. Augustinian Sisters of the Conversion Monastery spent 10 days with the community in the Andes. (Courtesy of Diana Villarreal)

Quechua community in Peruvian Andes spreads seeds of the Gospel

The only way to achieve a good and truly human life in a place like the Andes mountains, far from the cities that have more resources, is the support and protection of the community. 

Sr. María Elena Méndez Ochoa of the Guadalupan Missionaries of the Holy Spirit greets Pope Francis in Rome in a private audience for a group of Latin American sisters and a Catholic Extension team April 26. (Courtesy of María Elena Méndez Ochoa from the printed photo taken by the Vatican)

A handshake with Pope Francis and a few words transformed my life

The Latin American sisters' encounter with Pope Francis transformed my life, just as the encounter with Jesus did for Peter, James and John on Mount Tabor on the day of the Lord's transfiguration.

Sr. Rosa Cruz of the Guadalupan Missionaries of the Holy Spirit gives the sign of peace to Leslie Bocanegra, a young woman invited to attend the Mass to celebrate the World Day of Consecrated Life at St. Paul's Cathedral in Birmingham, Alabama. (Courtesy of Maria Elena Méndez Ochoa)

3 elderly women in the Bible show us how religious life remains fruitful

Sometimes, in religious life, we feel discouragement, fear, and insecurity about the future. But Sarah, Elizabeth and the prophetess Anna, old women with barren "wombs," are signs of hope for religious life today, centuries later.

People gather for a Good Friday procession outside the Metropolitan Cathedral as the government banned Holy Week street processions this year due to unspecified security concerns, April 7 in Managua, Nicaragua. Parishes in Nicaragua conducted traditional Viacrucis processions on church grounds or inside churches. (OSV News/Reuters)

Called to resist with hope, by the light of God's word

The Nicaraguan church is living in an apocalyptic time of constant struggle and resistance to keep our faith and convictions alive and strong. Yet we continue to trust and believe that we are not alone.