At a Cleveland retreat center Oct. 24-27, the U.S. Catholic Sisters Against Human Trafficking network brought together women religious throughout the Western Hemisphere to share best practices in anti-trafficking ministry and to strengthen connections across borders. "This has given us is a flavor, to look at who we are together in this hemisphere and how we can help one another."

GSR Today - As I meet various groups of sisters, I am always curious about the stories of their founding and why, with so many options of those long-ago founded groups, women choose to start something new.

Most of us carry a longing for belonging. We long to be part of, to create, and to extend something we recognize that far too many in our world lack — authentic community.

From Social Service Sr. Simone Campbell: This past Election Day demonstrated that care for the common good is in the hearts of our people. Now we have to ask ourselves — what's next?

Simply Spirit: After Vatican II, sisters joined the civil rights movement, engaged in advocacy for women's rights and even ran for office. It was a precursor, in a way, to the recent "pink wave" midterms.

GSR Today - Invited to address the bishops' assembly, where the sex abuse crisis dominated discussions, Sr. Teresa Maya, past president of LCWR, offered wisdom of women religious on leadership, having been "tried and tested in many ways."

In my service as a Good Shepherd Volunteer, I found myself hiding behind paperwork and feeling frustrated that my actions were fruitless. But a resident's recent crisis offered the opportunity for a new kind of sacred interaction.

The first black member of the Franciscan Sisters of Perpetual Adoration was also the first black woman to address the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops. Thea Bowman is an inspiration to thousands of people with her words and songs. Now, the bishops' conference has endorsed her sainthood cause, which is being undertaken by her home Diocese of Jackson, Mississippi.

The names and concerns of thousands of students and counseling clients have amalgamated into blessings I enjoyed, blessings I struggled to accept, and lessons learned. After nearly 30 years, I still warmly remember one student who taught me a critical lesson.

Ursuline Sr. Larraine Lauter's 10-year-old organization, Water With Blessings, based near Louisville, Kentucky, has distributed filters and prepped thousands of women in maintaining a high-tech water filtering system in Haiti since April 2017.