Be a part of the 2023-2024 The Life panel

This story appears in the The Life feature series. View the full series.

Imagine creating a panel of 20-plus sisters from all over the world and from many different religious congregations. And then imagine asking them questions (from the lighthearted to the complex) about their lives from the standpoint of their own cultures and congregational charisms.

We did! It's called The Life. And we had so much fun the last few years that we are going to do it again. Our last panel, which was made up of sisters from around the world, shared their thoughts and expertise in the popular monthly feature.

We want to recruit another group of panelists for 2023-24, beginning in November. Do you like to write? The commitment is for one year. Three to four times in that year, we will ask you to submit a written response of up to 400 words. You will receive a one-time honorarium for your participation, but best of all, you will enjoy being part of a global collaboration.

Here's how The Life works: Every month, GSR will pose a question on religious life, including spirituality, formation, ministries, leadership or other topics. You don't have to choose one every month, just three to four times during the year.

We hope to find some new voices for GSR, but we also invite sisters who have written columns for us to consider participating.

If you are interested in being considered for the panel, send an email to hleija@ncronline.org with the following by Sept. 29:

  • Your contact information.
  • A brief description of your ministry and background (you can include a resume or CV if you have one).
  • A writing sample: Thinking about the reality of our world, write a personal reflection, commentary or meditation of about 400 words on the theme of Advent. You can draw upon what's going on in your congregation, your neighborhood or region, or in your country or on global issues. 

The selection process will seek a variety of communities, geographical areas, ages and ministry backgrounds. Panelists will be notified of their selection after the Sept. 29 deadline has passed.

We think this is one way to meet our goal of fostering the global sisterhood in pursuit of a better world. Would you like to be involved? Volunteer yourself or someone else as a potential panelist, or send questions you would like for us to pose for the panel to hleija@ncronline.org.