From A Nun's Life podcasts - In this Random Nun Clip, St. Joseph Sr. Elizabeth Johnson talks about the "communion of saints" and the "cloud of witnesses."

Supporting themselves through impact investing, sisters use funds to promote social changes like reducing reliance on fossil fuels, creating opportunities for employment training,  and bringing fresh groceries to former "food deserts." Putting money directly into startup companies or organizations that create a positive social or environmental impact along with financial returns as they grow is a newer way that more Canadian religious communities have found to help people while generating operating and retirement income. "We don't just do this because it's a good thing to do," Ursuline Sr. Theresa Mahoney said. "It is that, but it's also good for us. It brings us financing we need, and it gives us joy."

A Sept. 4 letter signed by more than 1,500 Catholic nuns, priests and other church leaders from around the country addressed to U.S. senators voiced concerns about Judge Brett Kavanaugh, a fellow Catholic, as he faced confirmation hearings on Capitol Hill in early September that may result in a seat for him on the Supreme Court of the United States.

The church has a deep structural problem that is entirely bound to ancient metaphysical and philosophical principles that at this point requires either a radical decision towards a new ecclesial structure or the acceptance of the possibility of a major schism. 

From Where I Stand: Few if any young people will look consciously for role models of decency in political figures, least of all, in a divisive, indecent, demeaning presidency whose insulting language, sexism and racism grind American ideals to dust.

Sr. Ancila Devadass and Sr. Mary Nijo work together for Color the Fallen Stars, a project that helps rescue people who live in poverty and bring them to rehabilitation centers. "The people with whom we work are the stars that are fallen," Devadass told GSR. "We go to the streets looking for them."

Sr. Luke Boiarski is director of the disaster recovery team for the Sisters of Charity of Nazareth, Kentucky, which uses sisters, associates and lay volunteers to aid those in need, whether they are nearby (West Point is about 35 miles from the congregation's motherhouse in Nazareth) or as far away as Belize, where they have made several trips to help build houses.

In an informal network, we explore the new cosmology and its implications for a new and emerging worldview; address concerns about the ecological/spiritual crises of our times; and support one another in healing the human spirit and restoring Earth's support systems.

See for Yourself - Do you want to be a "destination designer"? "Chief amazement officer"? "Coffee cake authority"? It's almost Labor Day, and time to appreciate some really interesting job titles.

Horizons: I finally had the courage to start reading the grand jury report out of Pennsylvania. It rocked my world. It colors the way I listen to the prayers of the liturgy and how I read official church statements or documents. It has shifted the way I speak and think about the church. The crisis is the lens through which I view parish and diocesan life. My mind turns over and over, searching for root causes and trying to reason out solutions. And while I am certainly no expert on this, I keep coming back to one thing: clericalism.