Sr. Agatha Chikelue started thinking about how to build bridges between Christians and Muslims in 2008, as northern Nigeria disintegrated into violence. Nigeria's population is evenly divided with 48 percent Muslims and 49 percent Christians, who commonly avoid direct contact with each other. Since starting in 2011, the Women of Faith Peacebuilding Network's activities have reached more than 10,000 Muslim and Christian women across the country through seminars, meditations, presentations by religious leaders, and dialogue.

Celebration's Scripture for Life column - During the Advent and Christmas season, Global Sisters Report is sharing Celebration's weekly "Scripture for Life" columns, commentary on the Sunday readings by sisters and others.

Sr. Norma Pimentel's caring outreach to immigrants on the U.S./Mexico border earned her the praise of Pope Francis in 2015 during an ABC-TV virtual town hall meeting with the pontiff.

Horizons - This experience of sharing community at the Catholic Worker house with people from different spiritualities, different professions and trades, different races and ages, different gender expressions and personalities: It got under my skin.

When locals refused to rent to the Holy Spirit Sisters for a support center for people living with HIV/AIDS, the sisters instead set it up on the campus of their high school, St. Raphael's. In the past 15 years, the center, called Vishwas (meaning "trust"), has helped more than 5,000 HIV-positive people lead normal lives, and has effected change in perception about the disease.

Sr. Annie Demerjian has seen a lifetime of suffering in Aleppo, Syria, over the past seven years. Now, as conflict is beginning to die down, the current challenge is to help people begin to rebuild their lives.

Notes from the Field - Those of us who grew up in a religious environment can attest to hearing "Live simply so that others can simply live" rather often. One of the goals of being a Good Shepherd Volunteer is to implement this idea, focusing on the tenant of simplicity in our own lives while serving alongside communities that don't necessarily have a choice in living this value.

Crying is something that only humans can do. When we see a beautiful work of art, attend a sacred service or a lovely concert, we may cry tears of beauty. These emotional tears seem to be tapping into our deeper, spiritual selves.