See for Yourself - "What kind of tea do you drink?" The question, posed by a young lady presiding over a tea ceremony, was innocent enough.

In her presidential address at the Leadership Conference of Women Religious assembly, Sister of Charity of the Incarnate Word Teresa Maya told attendees a " 'change of epoch' is upon us in full force." She specified sisters' challenges — leading as a community regardless of numbers, working with younger sisters and confronting institutional racism — and instructed them to reach beyond with "eyes of faith."

St. Clare is someone I have come to cherish as a guide and mentor. Her determination to live her life in the way she believed was right for her inspires me to believe in myself and to hold fast to my beliefs.

Brown's death and the subsequent protests forced many white people in the St. Louis area — including women religious and other social justice Catholics — to wrestle with the luxury they had of assuming things weren't that bad. And in the four years since white police officer Darren Wilson fatally shot Brown, a black 18-year-old, and then faced no charges for it, dismantling racism has become an integral part of the archdiocese's mission.

"I know for a fact that God called me to it, and God sustains me in this. There's not a day that goes by that I'm not grateful for answering this call."

Are we not obligated to take on all the needs of the people in the world? Is this not our job, our vocation, our very reason for being as men and women religious in the church and the world?

"Bear with one another, help one another, and ever strive to serve God in a generous spirit. God loves generous souls. Let us try to be the generous ones."

It was a feeling of utter despair that engulfed José de Araujo and his wife when they learned 15 years ago that one of their two daughters had Down syndrome. She was 3 then and they wondered why their daughter was not like other children the same age.

On a rainy July afternoon in Kermit, a local woman sifted through a table of donated apparel at Christian Help Inc.'s free clothing store. The outreach center was full that day and she was among many seeking help.

When we are recovering from the damage of life's storms — let us remember what is real despite all other perceptions: "The Lord's mercy and compassion are never spent; they are renewed each morning."